with Beth Grigsby's debut memoir, "One Excellent Adventure."
Beth and her husband Jeff took a giant leap of faith, secured leaves from their jobs, and embarked on a summer road trip from their home state of Minnesota to head out west in 1972. Travel would become for them a way to escape the mundane corporate world, satisfy their wanderlust as they explored new places. Their original goal was 12 months but in the end scaled back to a three month summer road trip.
This was the time of no Internet consulting, so trip planning was just the old fashioned way with travel books, road atlas and state maps to help figure out routes, places to visit and campground locations. "Travels with Charley" the classic book by John Steinbeck and "On the Road Reports with Charles Kuralt, journalist for CBS Sunday Morning Show influenced them and they thought they could do it too.
With anticipation and excitement, a new truck-1972 Chevy El Camino
a tent
camping equipment, personal belongings
a map and a small red diary to record their journey they began their trip out West. At that time Beth had a vague yearning to someday pen a memoir or novel .
This memoir taps into that desire that many might have to ditch their work life, seek out a new adventure and explore the vast lands of the USA.
Beth's memoir is informative and descriptive with her journal entries on what it was like to travel across the country in the mid 70's camping along the way. The reader will experience the beauty and majestic splendors of state and national parks with Beth's descriptive entries. You will admire Beth and Jeff's resilience as they faced relentless rain the first part of the trip and the challenges of camping life. Beth captures for the reader the joy of expected moments of fine dining on a ferry and a birthday surprise. The reader will chuckle with their unexpected and uncomfortable encounter being at a risque Las Vegas review.
14, 000 miles later Jeff and Beth arrived safely back to Minnesota with money in their pockets and an adventure they would never forget. Seeing such breathtaking scenery with sweeping vistas and meeting new people were rich experiences that could never be matched. A break from the corporate life allowed time for personal reflections and a renewed energy to move on with life.
"One Excellent Adventure" is available on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=one+excellent+adventure+by+beth+grigsby
Beth has her BA in marketing communications. She and Jeff live in Prior Lake, Minnesota. They have two grown children and five grandchildren. They continue to follow their adventuresome spirit being avid travelers.
The small red diary became Beth's inspiration to someday pen her story despite experiencing a variety of health setbacks along the way. Beth is to be admired for her diligence and persistence to publish this book.
What a joy to see "One Excellent Adventure" published.
It kept me reading and when I had to put it down I could not wait to continue. They endured the rain and cold and I felt it. I felt the frustrations of their plans gone wrong. Their rewards were the beauty of the land and being together.
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