"When Columbus sails west, he thought he was going to find something. He didn't find what he thought he was going to find, but he did find something interesting," – Joseph Lykken, Scientist

Like Columbus, I’ve traveled, hoping to find something. About 7 years ago, I set out to travel and publish stories of my travels. I found an ability to do that to some extent, but would not have expected to find much of what I have found along the way.

Since that time, I’ve traveled cross country to places such as Madison, WI, Atlantic City, NJ, and Washington D.C. Somehow during that time, I also found myself traveling to China and the Philippines. All of these travels have been life learning and life changing events. Not to mention new friends I made along the way, along with reconnecting with old friends.

Among other things, I’ve also made a lot of progress at finding myself. Who am I? Who do I want to be? I’ve been trying to answer those questions for about 7 years now. Sometimes the answer is obvious, other times not so. I’ve come to realize that it’s OK to be me. And the answers have been in front of me the whole time. Among other things, I’m an autodidact, bookworm, writer, music lover, traveler, hobo, wanderer and outsider. I live for road trips, I have intense love for family and close friends, I fit in with the down and out, I strive to treat all with kindness, tolerance and understanding. I live a simple life, a real one. All these words seem to describe me. They also describe qualities of Jack Kerouac.

Hence a new beginning for this website. If Jack Kerouac could do it, so can I. If I learn more about Jack Kerouac, perhaps I can learn even more about myself and what direction in life to take. Today, I dream about what it must have been like to be on the road with Jack Kerouac and the friends he cared for dearly, to associate with his network of artists, writers, poets, musicians and photographers. So much could be learned from them!

But am I dreaming? It was over 50 years ago that Jack’s best known book “On the Road” was published, when he was a young man of 35. This book told stories of road trips that took place during the latter part of the 1940’s. Jack passed way in 1969 at the young age of 48, that’s about my age, a little scary. Is it too late? Are any of his friends still around? Is there anyone that still feels the way I do, some sort of camaraderie and fellow feeling involving Jack and his friends, a group that came to be known as the Beat Generation? Do they have any relevance to us today? Can I become a better writer, a better artist, by searching for Jack and his network of friends?  Is he still around, at least in spirit?  I aim to find out, and tell stories of this endeavor. These stories will form this new website I will call “Travels with Kerouac”.

Stay tuned!

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