by Ray Jason
Before
I found my way to the Wide Waters, I spent a lot of time on the
Asphalt Seas. I hitch-hiked tens of thousands of miles around the
U.S. during my college years. The catalyst for this was my desire to
feast on the visual cornucopia of the continent. And I also hoped to
discover the special American spirit of nobility and brotherhood that
Walt Whitman and Woody Guthrie celebrated through poetry and song.
I
wore a rugged, brown, naval aviator’s jacket from a surplus store
and carried a small, tough suitcase that I adorned with decals from
my travels. This was well before the back-pack era and the relative
ease of thumbing rides with hippies in VW vans.
One
other item that also traveled with me was an envelope filled with my
favorite quotations. When waiting for a ride in some inhospitable
spot, I would pass the time finding comfort in the wit and wisdom of
these insights and observations.