The Great American Wagon Road

Book excerpt: The Great American Wagon Road is the story of three completely different individuals who by chance find themselves traveling together to California. First we meet Leatherwood, a drifting street musician with a mysterious, tragic past. He hitches a ride with Paul, a stiff academic on a spiritual quest. But everything changes when they cross paths with Lara, a Grateful Dead fan who is returning to the mainstream after two years on the road. The book is first and foremost a compelling road narrative and a description of the dynamics of a sexual triangle. But the novel goes deeper, as it probes the classic themes of death, spirituality, love, and identity. Finally, it is an unforgettable rendering of the American Experience. The Great American Wagon Road is Book One of the trilogy, A Pilgrimage to Ojai. Book Two, narrated by Lara, is titled The Gathering at Big Sur. And Book Three is Paul's Ojai Journal. Each book is narrated by one of the three main characters and each is complete unto itself. However the three together form parts of a whole powerful story.