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PART 1
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A SEASON
TO WANDER
A WILDERNESS PAST
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The journey begins in Oregon. In my VW van I traveled to Provo,
Utah, crossed the Colorado Plateau, visited the Superstition Mountains
and Tucson in the Arizona desert and parked it in El Paso, Texas.
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PART II
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JUAN OLD CHEVY
AND JACKASSES
TO THE ANGELS
or
ANAHUAC AL DEDO
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From El Paso, TX, to Tapachula, on the Guatemalan border, I hitchhiked
from ruin to ruin and museum to museum, enjoying the changes of ecology
and climate as much as the changes of pace and prices. Sites visited
include various museums, Teotihuacan,
Monte Alban and Izapa.
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PART III
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DIOS MUNDO AND
WINTER DAYS IN THE
LAND
OF ETERNAL SPRING
or
WHERE HAVE ALL
THE MAYA GONE?
TO CUT CANE SENOR.
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In Guatemala soldiers were everywhere and the atmosphere was charged.
I stopped in Solala, Panajachel, Antiqua and Guatemala City. A side trip
to the south coast led me to Dios Mundo. The blend of modern concrete,
colonial adobe and Mayan mystery kept me well distracted from the surrounding
political tensions. People warned me that I'd be killed if I continued
south.
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PART IV
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PERHAPS NOT
ALL
DAYS
WILL WE BE
IN THIS WORLD
or
ATENCION TODO PASAJERO.
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Central America was a war zone, beyond a doubt. And the problems
spilled over the borders. I snooped around a lot about illegal aid to the
Contras. Mr. Reagan's 100 million dollars was being felt everywhere. My
writing drew lots of attention. Strange and suspicious things began to
happen. Spies aren't so hard to spot after all.
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PART V
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CARNIVAL
SKEWERED,
COCKROACH IN
THE CORRIDOR
AND
BYE, BYE BOGATA
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Just after waking up on carnival morning I met a mugger and a few
minutes later was assaulted by two men who seemed to be robbers, but they
forgot to take my money! Who were they really? I got stabbed nine times,
nearly bled to death, and flew back to Arizona to lay low and recover.
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PART VI
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TRUE HISTORY
ON THE ROCKS
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Journeys have a way of taking there own turns. We must adapt. I hitched
back to Texas and then drove slowly back to Oregon via the best rock
art sites along the way. Mr. Reagan's illegal war was still in the air
and inescapable, even when wandering the backcountry of Southeast Utah.
I escaped into the remote desert, contrasting past and present.
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