Having just returned from an amazing , although hectic, trip to Scotland- (we put almost 1,000 miles on our rental car, toured the cities andHighlands and stayed most nights at a different property), one of thehighlights was meeting the world's foremost authority on Loch Ness - Mr.Adrian Shine. My husband, Stewart and I had dinner with Adrian at thebrand new (we were the first ever overnight guests)and very luxurious"Loch Ness Lodge" overlooking the hauntingly beautiful Loch Ness.

If Adrian looks familiar to you, you have probably seen him on many LochNess documentarys being interviewed by media from all over the world.However, he is probably best known for his Toyota Truck Commercial thataired throughout the US and UK. (Remember, the Loch Ness Monster trieseating the truck and then spits it out?)

Adrian has investigated Loch Ness and its Loch Ness Monster mysterysince 1973 and his fascination lies partly in the mystery and partly inexploring a little understood environment. He is the Leader of the"Loch Ness Project" ; "The 3D Loch Ness Experience" and is theAmbassador for Loch Ness for the Scottish Tourist Board.

He claims few people really believe Loch Ness is a "Jurassic Park", yet,along with the media sterotype of "Nessy" as a plesiosaur - a longnecked, marine reptile contemporary with the dinosaurs, the monstermystery stays alive. The lack of recent fossils does not dim the hopesof some, they point to the Coelacanth, a fish caught alive in 1938 -after an absence from the fossil record for 65-million years.

With a new animated movie coming out, "The Water Horse", which beginswhen a young boy discovers a large egg on the seashore of Loch Ness -the interest, mystery and imagination of Loch Ness will be back - in abig way. (Adrian was meeting with both the History Channel and theDiscovery Channel the next day.)

I had the opportunity to conduct an interview, and here is a sampling ofour talk :

Q - When did you first become interested in the Loch Ness Monster?

I was a schoolboy of the 1960's and was fascinated by the interest shownby some eminent British naturalists such as Sir Peter Scott - I knew Iwanted to grow up, solve the mystery and be a naturalist.

Q - Is the legend of Nessy more or less popular today?

We live in a more sceptical age than was the case in the 1960's when"the establishment" including established science was under challenge.However, people are still intrigued to know why so many people -justlike themselves- have witnessed the mystery at Loch Ness.

Q - When I was growing up everyone knew about the Loch Ness Monster -is that still true today?

Yes, but because they are better educated their attitude and questionsare different.

Q - How far do people travel to Scotland and the Loch Ness Project tolearn more?

From every continent on Earth, including naturalists from Antarctica.The largest recent increase is from China.

Q - Is "Nessy" more popular outside of Scotland - than in actual areasaround the Loch?

In many ways, yes. Local opinion is probably more polarised thanelsewhere. If you or a trusted family member has seen something, thenyou may be a believer. If you have lived here all your life and seennothing, then you might not be. I think mysteries deepen with distancebecause we are more open minded about places we are unfamiliar with.

Q - What would you like your message as an explorer and naturalist tobe regarding Loch Ness?

There is a lot more happening in lakes than meets the eye. The mostinteresting side of my work is the discovery of special things aboutLoch Ness which sheds light into the controversy, sometimes explainingwhat people are really seeing. But we don't have all the answers yet.

Q - And last, but not least - are you a believer?

I don't think that Loch Ness is "Jurassic Park", but it is a lost world.An Ice Age lost world and the grains of truth behind a legend will befound there. For me this in not a matter of faith, but reason. I haveyet to explain everything that people report seeing. So I have to saythat I do not believe...yet!

For more information on visiting Scotland and Loch Ness, go to: www.lochnessproject.com, or www.visitscotland.com