Dare To Do It! I follow My Dreams! is a memoir of Nancy Rubesch's life. This book tells the stories of the many journeys that Nancy and her husband have taken. Writer, Mark Jenkins, said: "Real adventure - self-determined, self-motivated, often risky - forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world." Those are the kind of trips recounted here. The world is becoming more interdependent. As a consequence, it is important for people to get acquainted with other cultures, to understand other perspectives and to remove stereotypical thinking.
From the author:
"I wrote this book to inspire people to go out into the world and find their adventures. When I grew up, travel was only available to the very wealthy. I had no money, but I was able to find ways to travel anyway. I believe that if a person wants something bad enough, he or she can find a way. One has to be proactive, and one has to be determined. There may be roadblocks, but with creative thinking, these can be overcome.
The majority of the adventures that Jim and I experienced were in foreign countries, but equally important was our last trip cycling across North America. This trip was the most challenging because, by that time, both of us were in our seventies. Jim had multiple health problems, and, in fact, had just had a pacemaker implanted in his chest before we left. I mention this because, as I said earlier, if one wants something bad enough he or she can find a way. We were determined to complete the four thousand mile trip under our power. We ignored the skeptics who had stereotyped us as too old for such a journey, but we also recognized the need to make practical plans so that we could be successful. The adventure was, in fact, such a success that we hope to make another cycling trip to other parts of America.
Dare To Do It! does take some courage. The traveler is confronted with the unknown. But that is what makes travel so exciting - exploring, discovering and ultimately succeeding in going out into the world, meeting the challenges and coming home a more knowledgeable and empathetic person."