High in the Rockies, at an age when most are beginning to think of retirement, Spike Hampson decided to build himself a boat and take a long voyage. With little in the way of know-how and even less in the way of resources, he constructed a small river boat, named her Kobuk, and set off from Wyoming. His first attempt ended in failure, but a few months later he tried again and this time found success. Over the course of two summer seasons, he passed through the continent and reached Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada. The voyage covered nearly five thousand miles, the last thousand on the open sea. This is his story. Solo voyagers are a different breed, diehard individualists who tap into personal resources that most of us don't realize we have. Going Home lets you see the world through the eyes of such a person.

High in the Rockies, at an age when most are beginning to think of retirement, Spike Hampson decided to build himself a boat and take a long voyage. With little in the way of know-how and even less in the way of resources, he constructed a small river boat, named her Kobuk, and set off from Wyoming. His first attempt ended in failure, but a few months later he tried again and this time found success. Over the course of two summer seasons, he passed through the continent and reached Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada. The voyage covered nearly five thousand miles, the last thousand on the open sea. This is his story. Solo voyagers are a different breed, diehard individualists who tap into personal resources that most of us don't realize we have. Going Home lets you see the world through the eyes of such a person.

Imagine this: a congenial loner with an abundance of demented ideas who at the age of sixty decides to seduce women and become an adventurer. His quest is not nearly so high-minded as that of Don Quixote, but his view of the world around him is no less deluded. The main difference, though, is that this story is true. With outrageous opinions and self-effacing humor, the author undertakes a solitary bicycle journey around the island of Corsica and then flies to the Caucasus region of Russia to spend time with an Internet girlfriend who can't speak English. Misadventures abound and each day brings something unpredictable. But the real story here is the lone author's interpretation of what it all means.