I started planning this adventure six months in advance when I had an invite to stay (free) in a multi-million dollar private ski resort in Eastern Switzerland. This was my first passport cuz Canada, Mexico, and the Eastern Caribbean Islands did not require a passport for citizens of the USA then. This one week in Hrvaska was to finally meet my direct relatives (separated by three generations and language). I took a bus from Zurich to Zagreb, and was met by a direct relative (Ljiljana) that spoke English. We walked around Zagreb for a hour or two taking in the sites. Then Ljiljana drove me to our family farm, outside of Zagreb, at Rakov Potok. I received a warm welcome from my relatives at the family farm. Commentary: In the dark days of the 1990s very ... read more

In June 1985 I purchased a new 4X4 truck for my new traveling job, and my first assignment was for the summer in Tucson, Arizona. Since my small truck was set up for camping, I chose to stay in the very nice cool Catalina Mts. rather than the slums of Tucson. I had a one hour drive from Bear Canyon to work and back, five days a week. At work in the morning my host company gave out unlimited drinking water and ice to all employees and sub-contractors including me. Back then the Catalina Hwy was a narrow winding poorly paved road with no guard rails. Starting up the Catalina Mts by the Coronado National Forest sign, clearly visible was a number of wrecked cars and trucks that fell hundreds of feet down the cliffs. (Later ... read more