I'm Stix Dean. Christopher Dean on paper.

I spent nearly 30 years in the fire service. Most of it was in Muskegon, Michigan fire investigations, hazardous materials response, emergency scenes, and eventually the chief's chair.

These days, I follow the camera.

Wildlife, landscapes, road trips, national parks, backroads, and the kind of travel that does not always fit neatly into a weekend. My commercial photography work goes out under Radiant View Photography. The personal work trip stories, video, trail notes, and photos from the places I planned to go and the ones I stumbled into along the way lives here under Adventures of Stix Dean.

The Trail

The wilderness has been the through-line.

I've hiked the Grand Canyon, Red River Gorge, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and all of Utah's Mighty Five: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands. Different country. Different terrain. Different lessons.

Wildlife is where I'm pushing hardest right now: elk in the eastern Kentucky restoration zone, black bear in the Smokies, and the bobcats nobody ever quite gets close to. Landscape is the constant the western desert, the Appalachian backbone, and the Great Lakes country I've called home my whole life.

The Travel

Twenty-six states. Eleven countries. Both numbers are still climbing.

The map of where I want to go is still longer than the map of where I've been, which is the whole point. Every trip turns into something: YouTube episodes, written stories, field notes, and photos from the parts that do not always make the video.

The most recent run took me through a few corners of Appalachia country I had wanted to put eyes on for a while. That is usually how these things start: a place on the map, a half-formed plan, a camera bag, and enough curiosity to keep moving.

Community

The fire service was the long line, but it was never the only one.

I continue to serve on nonprofit boards and community organizations in the Muskegon area. That work still matters to me. Service does not end when the uniform comes off; it just changes shape.

Follow Along

If you want polished perfection, this probably is not it.

If you want real travel, trail lessons, photography, wildlife, road trips, and the occasional reminder that the best stories often come from imperfect plans, come along.

You can find Adventures of Stix Dean on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.