It didn't take "forever," but almost!

Looks like I wanted to write a book after Bikecentennial '76...

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From my B'76 journal:

8/19/76

Well, it’s over. It didn’t really hit me until this morning when Len and Loree left...Reading over this journal has really helped me remember a lot of places I forgot. It’s terrible that my memory is so bad. Sometimes I wish I kept a better journal of the places we stayed but I enjoyed doing things instead of stopping all the time to write things down. I’m sure when I see my pictures I’ll really remember things.

10/12/76

It’s strange, but after two months I’m beginning to get a feeling that this trip has affected me deeper than I thought. And, as yet, in an undisclosed manner. Every now and again I get a small inkling of a deeper change. maybe it hasn’t really changed me, but merely reaffirmed my position with myself. If any of this makes any sense it’ll be strange...I can’t put my finger on it, but somehow I feel that I’ve been deeply affected and in a very unique way. Can’t explain it. Oh well.

10/18/76

Been going through my pics with my maps and I can’t believe how it helps my memory! I know now that once I get it done I’m going to try to write everything down – it’ll take forever to do, but if I do a little at a time and do it by notes and outline, eventually I’m going to have a book! (For myself at least.)

First signing of my book!

Funny how my 1976 idea was pretty much how I approached writing Facing Sunset.

First I transposed two journals (and two small spiral notebooks) I kept during my bicycle ride to Montana onto my Mac computer. Then, with photos, maps, and the Internet to stimulate my memory, I added every detail I could remember.

The computer program, Scrivener, was critical in keeping more than 250,000 words organized, along with saving links to researched items and photographs I hoped to use in the book. After eight drafts, three editors, and more than a few "beta" readers later, I reduced my word count to about 140,000. And five years to the day I departed on my journey, Lilith House Press released my book, Facing Sunset.

Signed the first copies today. (Thanks Julie!)