Some people said I should think again about this. They didn’t really think I would make it and would be home in 2-months at the most. Others thought that, at the age of 67, I needed my head examined. Some people still do! Maybe they’re right! All 48-States were covered and the total mileage was 26,599 in six months on the road.

I met a lot of people en route of all types and the places I visited were equally diverse. They’re all in here, the Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves, Film Stars, Musicians, Heroes and Villains, Cowboys and Indians. So come inside and meet them. There were places which were Good, Bad or downright Ugly, but at least I know where to go and where to avoid in the future. This book attempts to present a record of what, for me anyway, was a unique experience and to pass some of that on to the Reader, who I hope will glean some useful and humorous insights into what lies in store should he or she venture forth in similar fashion. So, come inside. I urge you to do so, because you don’t know what you’re missing if you don’t try it, wherever your particular calling may be. Enjoy the ride – I did!

—Lonestranger, November 9th 2010

‘America the Wrong Way’ is not an insightful exposé of the Bush-Schwarzenegger Texas-Hollywood axis, nor is it a critique of the might of the Military-Industrial-Globalisation complex.  It is a light-hearted account of a coast-to-coast journey across America in a west to east direction, attempting to follow the historic Route 66 for much of the way and travelling in an old open-top gas guzzler.  This story is not ‘just another travelogue.’  An anecdotal style highlights the beauty and warmth of America and its people, and tells the very human stories of people and places encountered en route.  The foibles and idiosyncrasies of characters, and the tragedies and triumphs of American history, are seen through the perceptive but sympathetic eyes of a visitor from Europe.

This pathfinding journey was the warm-up act for an all-girl tribute band on the run, drawn from a troop of sprightly swingers the wrong side of sixty, as an unsuspecting America faced the biggest outbreak of trans-Atlantic musical mayhem since the Beatles hit New York’s Shea Stadium in 1965.

‘America the Wrong Way’ was originally born out of a project to raise money for charity, and a contribution from net proceeds goes to support sufferers from Motor Neurone Disease.

‘America the Wrong Way’ is not an insightful exposé of the Bush-Schwarzenegger Texas-Hollywood axis, nor is it a critique of the might of the Military-Industrial-Globalisation complex.  It is a light-hearted account of a coast-to-coast journey across America in a west to east direction, attempting to follow the historic Route 66 for much of the way and travelling in an old open-top gas guzzler.  This story is not ‘just another travelogue.’  An anecdotal style highlights the beauty and warmth of America and its people, and tells the very human stories of people and places encountered en route.  The foibles and idiosyncrasies of characters, and the tragedies and triumphs of American history, are seen through the perceptive but sympathetic eyes of a visitor from Europe.

This pathfinding journey was the warm-up act for an all-girl tribute band on the run, drawn from a troop of sprightly swingers the wrong side of sixty, as an unsuspecting America faced the biggest outbreak of trans-Atlantic musical mayhem since the Beatles hit New York’s Shea Stadium in 1965.

‘America the Wrong Way’ was originally born out of a project to raise money for charity, and a contribution from net proceeds goes to support sufferers from Motor Neurone Disease.