"This book is Russell Beck saying yes to every crazy idea that came his way in 1970." — Malaika
I was twenty-one, broke, and itching to escape an Indiana winter. When a lucky twist of fate set me free from military service and Vietnam I found that what I wanted next was simple: adventure.
What followed was a year I still can't quite believe.
Hitchhiking to Mardi Gras led to my first alcoholic blackout. Fifty cents to my name, I stumbled into a mystery job — two weeks on a tugboat during an oil rig fire in the Gulf of Mexico. No toothbrush. No change of clothes. No idea what I'd signed up for.
That was just the beginning.
From Indiana back roads to California highways, I was making it up as I went. That fall, my friend Steve and I hit the road promoting singer Glenn Yarbrough — 14,000 miles fueled by canned sardines.
Things usually worked out. M
Book 3 in the How My Life Worked series. If you've ever said yes when you probably should have said no, you'll feel right at home.
6Crawfordsville Interlude: Life in a Truck-Bed Camper
13Dear Reader:
7Broke in LA
14Also by Russell A. Beck
About the author
Russell Beck
Russell Beck grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, where a few outstanding English teachers at Cathedral High School sparked a lifelong love of writing and critical thinking.
In 1967 and 1968, while at the University of Buffalo, he wrote a sports column titled The Athletic Supporter for the student newspaper. It was more humor than highlights, à la Dave Barry.
He’s written numerous articles in his professional field, nonprofit management.
He now lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand, with his wife, Naruedee, where he continues to write, reflect, and occasionally volunteers… to take out the garbage.
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