I've been writing ever since my junior year in high school when I typed up the story of my first official bicycle adventure on my Grandmother Armstrong's manual typewriter in Louisville, Ohio, in 1973. This early process of writing lyrics, poems and my first adventure story documenting my thoughts and life experiences began a very circuitous path for me, one that would become an integral and consistent part of my life. My early lyrics and poems were generally written during three distinct time periods, and reflect my attempt to document my unformed feelings concerning adventure, travel, rock lyrics, life and love. These were intense periods of imaginative creativity and reflect a time of intense searching that laid the foundation for what was to become a lifetime of writing. Ultimately, my original lyrics and poems included in this volume collectively are best viewed as having laid the literary foundation that would later culminate in the adventures, stories, novels, philosophy, songs and blogs I have written to date and plan to publish sequentially throughout 2018 and beyond. On Wednesday, September 22, 1976, my friend Bruce and I departed on our bicycle adventure of over 8,000 miles around the United States on a journey I call 'The Great Adventure.' Our adventure lasted through June 1977 - and was the single greatest decision of my life, as it was the bold decision I initially made to blaze my own trail and chart my own path in life despite all the naysayers - a decision that would ultimately lead to the many future adventures and writings of mine that would follow. My hope is that my personal stories and adventures will inspire you to live your own adventures in life someday - so that you, too, can one day look back on a life well lived, knowing you did your very best to live your hopes, dreams and passions in life! Cheers! Mark
About the Author: Initially, I wrote my lyrics, poems and log books of my trips and adventures in pencil, pen or a type of medium-tip felt pen, and when not adventuring I would occasionally write passages as to what the rest of my life had been like in-between adventures. I somehow managed to keep all these pages of writings intact and together through the late 1970s and early 1980s, and went on to expand my writing horizons by writing a small book of philosophy in 1978 called 'In Search of the Meaning of Life (A Book of Philosophy).' Later on, I also began a series of writing exercises that documented my thoughts and feelings of the moment in a form of journaling. I never forgot Laura's comment about perhaps one day writing a book of my early lyrics and poems, which helped focus me to preserve and safeguard the early writings of my life. I kept a logbook during our bicycle adventure of over 8,000 miles around the United States with my friend Bruce in 1976-1977, where I updated the events of each and every day on the road. From this initial experience of journaling while on the road during The Great Adventure, I went on to keep logbooks of all my later adventures as a matter of habit. It was important to me to keep a record of my life and adventures from early on, due to the fact that everyone thought I was foolish for leaving college and was throwing my life away. During those early adventures of mine I still had no idea what I would do with my life and sought out adventure as a way of stalling for time, so as to give myself both time and space to eventually figure out what I would do when I grew up. I have attempted to write about my life's experiences, lyrics, poems, philosophy, songs and thoughts in a way that inspires you, the reader, to live all your hopes, dreams and passions in life as well. For we only get this one life to live, and it might as well be the life we've always dreamed of and imagined it could be! Cheers! Mark