Travel Adventure
Amsterdam to Kabul
Edgy Travel Adventure
Europe
Duane, Scott, and Dave concocted a spur of the moment, “let’s do it” travel adventure road trip 50 years ago when music was life and life was adventure. They blasted out of Frankfurt, Germany in a captivating headlong rush through Western Europe on the German autobahn with no speed limit. That is, until the drastic change of scenery and roads in cold war Eastern Europe, where the communist regimes scrubbed the fun out of life and posed unforeseen risks for the carefree attitude of the trio.
Asia
Istanbul is the tipping point into Asia, where centuries of traditions and tribal affiliations are the governing body. Travelers needed to observe the rule of the road to survive: listen, think, and learn fast. The three protagonists in this book flouted the rules and lived to tell about it. Along the way, they discovered the importance of Dots, aka guardian angels. Particularly the ones that save your life!
The journey from Amsterdam to Kabul, Afghanistan was a legendary pilgrimage in the 60s and 70s. A road trip fraught with risk and brimming with adventure was a draw hard to resist for the bold. The edgy travel adventures on the Hippie Trail kept guardian angels on their toes and working overtime.
After enduring hardships and danger along the way, Kabul served as a base camp to regroup before heading to the next destination, usually India or Nepal. However, between Kabul and India lies the treacherous Khyber Pass.
Destiny Rides Shotgun shares the drama of Kabul and Afghan tribal intrigue in the 70s. Life was about to change and not for the better.
"Imagine Hunter S. Thompson takes a road trip with Carl Sagan."
"Travel is the best education. No degree, no diploma, but rich and memorable experiences for the rest of your life!"
The Hippie Trail
The 8,000 km journey from Amsterdam to Kabul was part of the famous Hippie Trail. It was comprised of narrow twisty roads, some autobahn, irritable border guards, and unexpected dangers. An exhilarating journey and not for the faint of heart. The soundtrack inside the automobile of this journey was Rock & Roll.
The trio’s travel adventure took a serious turn when their car rolled over in the desert between Kandahar and Kabul, Afghanistan. Dozens of armed and angry nomadic tribal people surrounded them. A “Dot”, also known as a guardian angel, appeared out of nowhere and saved their lives.
The Hippie Trail was emblematic of life—joy, adventure, treachery, and risk. It was living life in the moment and learning as you passed among people entirely different from yourself. The questions asked led to more questions. To many, a search for greater understanding of oneself, a pilgrimage of sorts. For others, a challenge of the unknown, an urge to discover, a desire that is embedded in the human DNA.
"Why should I buy this book?"
To Satisfy Your Craving for Adventure!
But wait, there's more!
It’s the same question I ask myself every time I finish a brilliant book and look for my next read. I need something different, though, but just as engaging with subtle life lessons or reflections woven into the story. I want something of value that sticks with me, the more the better. You’ll get a kick out of how all that is delivered in this book.
Destiny Rides Shotgun is a real travel adventure about three dudes in their early twenties running hard, taking risks, and looking for excitement. They found all of it in exotic places, intriguing people, and alarming experiences. They learned tons of lessons along the school of the road, revealing provocative questions about life. Those questions have answers that grow into more questions. Eventually, a fascinating hypothesis called Theory of Dots becomes a path to a more nuanced grasp of life.
It’s a theory that’s already relevant to your life — now and in the future.
New Paperback Release Coming Soon
Destiny Rides Shotgun Travel Adventure Book
Trigger Memories or Launch A New Adventure
A travel memoir that will trigger memories if you ever did the “Going to Europe” Rite of Passage in your youth. If younger, an adventure book that will introduce you to gnarly travel with no internet to save your butt.
"Think Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with less insanity and more adventure."
Choose Book Version
I prefer the smell of the ink, the feel of the paper and the connection to the past of a paper book. But I do read a lot on my iPad. Your choice!
Upcoming Book
A popular saying in Holland is God created the earth, but the Dutch created the Netherlands. The sparsely inhabited lowlands were devastated in the 13th and 14th centuries by a succession of destructive North Sea storms. The battle was on for the Dutch to wrest back patches of land from the sea. Success depended on ever more sophisticated dams, polders, and dikes to defend against flooding and to create new land. Nature did not relinquish ground without a fight.
Waterwolf is the fierce defender and harsh enforcer of the laws of nature. Humans faced catastrophic floods, North Sea storms, and cyclonic winds as punishment. The Dutch suffered huge losses of life and land. Waterwolf held the upper hand for centuries.
With great effort and significant expenses, the Dutch put Waterwolf on the defensive in the nineteenth and twentieth century. But nature turned the tables in the 2100s. Climatic changes induced by man created rising sea levels, posing an existential threat to much of the planet. Except the Netherlands. Experience and foresight allowed them to take precautions. Including an audacious plan to save Amsterdam from destruction.
However, triumph over rising sea levels requires Waterwolf as a friend, not a foe. The survival of the Netherlands depends on it.
