North America

A continuous party 24 hours a day with musicians on almost every street corner and plazas where people can dance at will, the French Quarter in New Orleans is an entertainment extravaganza.

At a favorite gathering place I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in a couple of weeks. We had the usual chit chat to catch up. Then suddenly he interrupted: “Hey, I just heard a hero story about you!”

I was going against the prevailing SE winds in the Gulf of Mexico which is typical for the region during late January early February. I was a week into the trip when I woke up early on the eighth day about 100 miles out of Key West, Florida. I calculated that, since the winds were shifting, my estimated time of arrival was in 12 hours.

It's now 28 months that I've been traveling the world hitchhiking. My goal- circumnavigate the Earth by spending hardly a dime on transportation. So far, I'm accomplishing that goal... but not without crazy days from the people I meet on the open road. As you can imagine, getting a ride in 923 different vehicles has allowed me not only to meet a lot of nice people, but also get closer to the odd, the strange and the bizarre folk of this insane planet we all call home. This is just one of the many "xtreme" encounters I've had:

It was the end of the summer of 2001. During my first summer break as a student I had worked out in California on the “Work USA Student Scheme” for the last 3 months and had spent the last few days in Nashville, Tennessee, a stopping point before heading back to New York for the flight home.

To the Port Authority, a recommendation.

To entice volunteers, we portrayed it as a “Fear Factor” type experience, with the possibility of fame for those who reached the goal. There was also the promise of a free one-year membership to the Auto Club, including all member discounts.

I had been solo sailing the Gulf of Mexico for six days. It was nothing but Probability, my Valiant 40 sail boat, and I battling a vicious squall with gale force winds and 25 foot breaking waves for nearly a week. On top of that, my GPS and loran were malfunctioning and I had the flu. I didn’t know what other misfortunes could possibly cross my path.