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Virtual reality artist Loren Ybarrondo has always appreciated stunning surroundings. He grew up in the Rocky Mountains, where his family owned a ranch on the west side of the Tetons, across from Jackson Hole. “It's a beautiful area,” he tells us. “However, it has become heavily developed and is now beyond my budget.”
After graduating from Georgia Tech with a Master’s in mechanical engineering, Loren spent most of his life living and working on the East Coast. When visiting West Virginia over the years, he found that the Mountain State ticked the boxes for affordability and breathtaking beauty. “It’s also one of the ‘wildest’ states in the nation, which for me signifies freedom and opportunities,” he says.
In 2023, Loren jumped at the opportunity to move to West Virginia as part of Ascend. He picked a lively neighborhood just south of Harper’s Ferry, perched on a ridge with magnificent views of the Shenandoah Valley. It's the kind of community where fireworks are a common sight. The town isn't far from Washington D.C., where Loren boasts several clients as an accomplished immersive content creator.
Loren first became fascinated with eXtended reality (XR) while developing training materials for submarine systems as a U.S. Navy engineer. Today, he creates virtual tours and interactive timelines for government agencies and other major clients. He recently completed a virtual tour of the National Air & Space Museum, for example.
When he has schedule changes or gaps in his freelance work, Loren explores West Virginia in a small RV, bringing along his virtual tour equipment to create a personal immersive photo album. “I record 360° images at a high enough resolution that I can later extract all the visible text using Optical Character Recognition and AI-powered Q/A checks,” he explains. “This allows for the rapid creation of virtual reality experiences in locations that would otherwise lack them.” (Check out an early draft of Lorne’s virtual tour of West Virginia at VirtualWestVirginia.com.)
As a Google Maps developer and Level 8 Travel Guide, Loren is also able to publish photos from across the state directly to Google Maps. “It's a great way to showcase West Virginia using cutting-edge imaging technologies,” he says.
Exploring the state's charming nooks and hidden gems has been the greatest part of Loren's Ascend experience so far.“West Virginia is full of character, both in its landscape and its people," he says.
Get a glimpse of Loren's work below:
National History Museum:
National Air & Space Museum:
Transportation Security Administration:
“Women’s Memorial” at Arlington National Cemetary:
50th Commemoration of Vietnam War:
Facebook Nature Page:
Visual Construction:
Adobe Stock:
What captivating content and a great way to entice more people to come visit. There is a lot worth seeing.
Great to see creative people like Loren make the move here! I agree that West Virginia has a distinct “wild” feel, which translates to a sense of freedom.