Out of Paradise - A Hitcher's Guide to the World - Preface

It’s 1972 - The Vietnam War is all but a bad blotch etched in the depth of the American psyche – Richard Nixon has just ordered the break in of the Watergate complex and Jimi Hendrix has drowned in a pool of his own vomit – But, hey, Kurt Cobain’s only 5 years old – and Dark Side of the Moon has yet to be conceived – And me, I’m standing at the on ramp of California State Highway 99, knapsack on my back, thumb pointing south…

The journey follows my intrepid travels over the next 40 years and counting – through more than 35 countries around the world - doing exactly what I’ve wanted to do, where I’ve wanted to do it, when… and for all the right reasons… I’ve had my ambitions - and set my targets - I’ve had my desires – and set my goals - and achieved them - I’ve wined, dined - lived and traveled with superstars – Nina Simone to The Rolling Stones - Ray Charles to Little Feat - spent 8 years in the music industry - recorded among the world’s first commercial digital recordings – followed the introduction, progress and development of digital compact disc production in Japan, The UK and America, been in 6 movies – skied the Matterhorn, the Zugspitz, Harris Mts. to the Himalayas – sailed the Mediterranean – Murder in Mallorca - Shipwrecked off the Spanish Coast – Dived the Northern Marianas - Fiji to Phi Phi – I’ve seen the sunrise from Haleakala to Jogasaki - scaled Mt. Fuji – traversed the Great Wall – 8 years throughout Europe - 20 years in Japan – 6 years New Zealand – 5 years China - most points in between - and now – Thailand and Buddha and the Art of SUV Maintenance… I have a few tales to tell…