Reply #22: 1978-1995

[PJPhreak]

I had been out of school for a couple of years,working a fairly dead end job with little pay just to keep a roof over my head when it struck me...Why? I was bored to death,hated working like a slave to get nowhere,and could not take any more of suburban NY (Long Island).

So packed all my stuff into a backpack,threw it into my car,and decided to go for a weekend drive...To Colorado. Have never regretted it.

In the insuing years I traveled all the Lower 48,Canada,Mexico,Bermuda Bahamas,St Thomas,Coastal Maine,The Florida Keys,The Cascades,The Rockies,The Appalachians,The Everglades,The PeeDee,The Flint Hills,The Black Hills,The Sonoran Desert,Death Valley,Yellowstone,the Grand Canyon,Old Man of the Mountians (Before it fell in 2003) The Blue Ridge Mountians,The Smokies,Blue Ridge Parkway,Skyline Drive,Big Sur,The Redwoods.

I have climbed Mt.Hood,Mt Ranier,Longs Peak,Mt Adams,Mt Washington,Flagstaff Mt,walked extensive sections of The Appalachian Trail,The Pacific Crest Trail,Bicycled from Boulder To Austin,Boston Ma.To Naples Fla.and from Boston To Wichita,Have Ridden The Erie Canal Trail,The Little Mimai River Trail,The Katy Trail,The East Coast Greenway,The Trans-Am and The Great Allengany Passage.

I have Sailed in Ponombscot Bay,Long Island Sound,Puget Sound,around the Keys and the Bermuda Triangle.

I spent 18 months Touring the US on a Kawasaki 550 Ltd,Have Hitchiked across the US at least 15 times.

I have lived in abandoned Silver Mines (Really!) old VW Vans,Had an converted RV/School Bus for a while,Tents,Houses,Cabins,Tree Forts, Old Barns,on Boats,In Major Citys and as far into the Wilderness as One can get in North America,Watched Sunsets from the West Coast Cliffs and seen the Sunrise over The Alantic.

Never had much money...never wanted to be part of that rat race,I mean look where "Chasing the Almighty Buck" got a lot of folk...They have everything they could want and are just Miserible! That just was not for me.

I'll stop now...I could go on for another hour.