The American Outback, 1 Sept. 2021

The American Outback is not just a series of books, it is a state of mind, an ideal for living. I have been living out of my minivan for sixteen months now. Although adapted to it, there is an awareness of being a traveler and not a nomad; I want to have a home base, a cabin of maybe 200-300 square feet, on a rural piece of land. The goal is combine having a home base with a job that allows me to travel whenever I want. This is where the concept of the American Outback comes in: There are ways to reach these goals, but sacrifices need to be made---that cabin will probably not have indoor plumbing or electricity. I've been living like that since May of 2020, the only thing that has really bothered me (about living in my van) is having to cook outside; the cabin would provide an alternative.

This is just my version of the American Outback, my little spot on the frontier between what we have considered normal life (life in a suburb, rent/mortgage, longterm job in some sort of office) and newer ways of living including minimalism, sustainability, and living a life closer to nature. I believe in the healing power of getting away from the hectic world of expressways and shopping malls, this is what caused me some disillusion last month: I took the gig as a camp host, in part, because I wanted to help people (campers) get back to nature. The thing is, most people don't want to deficate in the woods and go without modern comforts like indoor showers, microwaves, and the ability to stream movies. Most people want to bring those things in the form of a large trailer and they want to roar around lakes in power boats or jet skis. I overlooked that, it was naive of me; I have chalked it up to experience and am moving on.

The first American Outback book, Disappearing is a Young Man's Game, is available on Amazon. (I am terrible with links, just Google my name and "The American Outback" and you will find the book). That book is about a five year struggle between a life in a city with a long term job and partner who had different needs with the desire to travel and all the amazing places I saw on vacations. Vacations, so finite, cramming all this travel in a week or two, rushing around from place to place when we should just be savoring them. Disappearing is a Young Man's Game is a love story, the love of a partner you continue to struggle with and the love of the beautiful, lost places you want to explore deeper and deeper.

The second American Outback book, No Signal, is about outfitting a van and living out of it for a year; the learning curves, the uncertainties, the triumphs, and the joys of the lifestyle. I have sent to the editor I work with and am hoping to have it out by the end of the year---it depends on how much work I need to do.

This summer I was contemplating going to Europe next year: Spain, Ireland, Portugal at the very least. Three weeks, just traveling on a shoestring. For a week I was sucked into fantasies of struggling with the Portuguese language and riding trains through foreign countries---and then I remembered how much of the U.S., our country I haven't seen. I started to think about the places I wanted to go and it became bigger than that. The third American Outback book will be called Our Country and will include interviews from people of all political spectrums, getting in their heads---that dude with the massive U.S. flag flying from his trailer, what does the flag mean to him? What does it mean to the bearded hipster in Portland? So...in Spring of 2021 to plan is to travel in March and April through the South, Midwest, and East and take notes for Our Country.

Okay, the clock is running down on the motel room and I have lots of things to do while I have signal. I have talked a lot about the non-fiction books but if you prefer fiction I have four books up on Amazon, check them out! Until then, thank you for being here and we'll talk again relatively soon.

Izk