Welcome. My name is Kevin Sargent and I am an Assistant Professor of Speech at The University of South Carolina Upstate. This collection of photographs began as a hobby but has developed into an important facet of my professional life. For many years I was an avid mountain biker. My bike took me to many beautiful places in the foothills of the Appalachians but I often found myself traveling so fast that I rarely saw the things I rode past. As my interest in photography grew, I began to walk the trails--camera in hand--finally appreciating the amazing natural world in which I had the good fortune to be. I began chasing waterfalls. Then came wildflowers and wildlife. I joined Pbase with the hope of cataloging and sharing the images I collected. But when I became involved in the Photo-a-Day community my perspective changed. I found myself wanting to learn more about the things and places I saw and to share in writing what I learned with others. I also became increasingly interested in the historical and cultural context of life in the Upstate. And so a confluence developed between my new love for photography and my professional interest in public communication. I am fortunate to teach at an institution that defines itself as having a metropolitan mission--which means it seeks to make scholarship enrich the wider community of which we are a part. And so these galleries use word and image to explore the natural, cultural, and historical world of the Upstate and beyond. I hope you find something here that stimulates your own spirit of discovery.