Tag around the world

Come Aboard Dove for an Unforgettable Voyage

Reg Spittle Leave a comment

I begin with advice for parents: Don’t give Dove to your kid if you want him or her to live a life in one place, or even in one country.

And definitely hide the book unless you want to encourage youthful thoughts about adventures that pose life-threatening risks.
The kid in the book is now 75 and lives in Montana, but I wonder if he would have supported such an undertaking for either of his children.
Robin Lee Graham was 16–yes, just 16–when he sailed from California, westward in 1965, destined to become the youngest to sail around the world alone.

Many at the time questioned his father’s wisdom. What was he thinking? How could he let him go? I would ask those naysayers: What if his dad had tried to stop him?

His mother tried everything to block his trip, but his dad had sailed with Robin extensively and knew the journey may have been a huge risk for even the most experienced sailor, but he refused to squelch his son’s spirit for adventure and solitude.

Five years later, Robin returned a married man (still sailing solo, though), about to become a father, and was a global celebrity built by three major stories and photo spreads in National Geographic magazine. There were also countless stories about his journey by media outlets worldwide. Courage beyond belief, luck, emotion, dreams, naiveté, extreme loneliness, depression, and two (sometimes three) cats were his companions. Based on the numerous close calls Robin survived, maybe he was the one with nine lives.

If you follow my book reviews, you know I am a sucker for adventure stories. I love following people, young and old, who reject the comfort of their couches in favor of the hardships, uncertainty, and joys of traveling long distances on their feet, boat, bicycle, or other conveyance.

Dove is a great book. Robin wrote it along with Derek Gill, first publishing in 1972. It is based on the recordings he taped and sent home during his many stops along the way.

I will resist the temptation to tell you more. If you read Dove, you will be glad I stopped here.

Bicycle Odyssey: Feel Adventure Up Close

Reg Spittle 5 Comments

For me, life without adventure is not life at all.
As I near my 70th year, I seek even more exhilarating experiences, whether backpacking the long-distance trails of Europe or exploring the trails and bikeways of the USA while traveling in a small travel trailer.

When I can’t get out there, I pursue adventure through reading about others’ experiences. Bicycle Odyssey took me on the trip of a lifetime.
Consider what author Carla Fountain and her husband Dermot accomplished in a year. Planes, trains and buses transported them and their bicycles to the United Kingdom, continental Europe, Kenya, Uganda, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Bali, and many more places. They rode in weather and situations that would keep most of us indoors.

The American couple quit their teaching jobs so they could spend the night in a tent while hippos shook the ground around them. They snorkeled off the Kenyan coast. They survived the dangerous roads of India, where truck drivers honked rather than move over. They confronted their fears with courage.

Fountain uses her journal to recreate the 1991 journey and her story comes from her heart. Her account feels fresh, brought to life through recreated conversations and fascinating details about cultural experiences. Her adventure causes Fountain to re-evaluate her life, including her marriage. She is introspective in a relatable way.

As much as I feel compelled to tackle risky experiences, I doubt I will come close to an adventure like Fountain’s. However, her story inspires me to stretch the boundaries of my life.