In May 2008, I finally did. I initially intended to eventually disappear into the mountains or perhaps Mexico, and writing about it was not part of the plan! However, this odyssey immediately took on a life of its own. It proved itself to be less about cynically dropping out, and more about discovering who I was and more importantly: who we are collectively. There's something very interesting and difficult to articulate that happens when you ignore convention and expectations and focus on seeing and experiencing people and the world as they really are. Be warned: unlike most other traveling writers, my stories don't exclusively feature heroic characters and hand-picked happy endings!
Over the last few years, some of my more interesting stories include:
- '08: Riding across the Rockies with a man who would eventually kill a cop and himself
- '09: Meeting two sisters, a brother, and several nieces and nephews for the first time
- '09: A weekend with a terminally ill billionaire philanthropist
- '08: Freight train hopping across Oregon
- '08: Hitching the California and Oregon coasts
- '08: A night with Jesus's bikers in North Carolina
- '09: Paying homage to Chris McCandless in Carthage
- '09: Veggie busing across the country
- '10: Slab City
- '11: San Cristobal, Mexico (coming soon)
- '11: Palenque, Bonampak, Ciudad del Carmen, & Campeche, Mexico (coming soon)
Beyond that, in the archives, you'll find tales of "random" connections that seemingly pass along at "the perfect time," as well as social, political, & theological commentary, personal insight, and the occasional rant. Taken from the beginning, they slowly simmer into an evolving, original outlook on our common experience: Life. It continues to be a remarkable experience!
Rather I've met you on the road or you've stumbled to the site, please leave a note on the wall! You'll find hundreds of photos by following the photo links at the top of the page.
