From the Great Smoky Mountains, to the Philippines, to the Caribbean Sea, to the North Pole, author Branan Ward weaves an inspiring and compelling narrative that spans the entire globe. His is a life of hitchhiking, flying (and crashing) airplanes, hoboing on trains, canoeing rivers, sailing ships, and manning war submarines. A geography teacher by day, Ward's life is reminiscent of the iconic characters in action-adventure movies.
Join him on his exotic travels to Greenland and hard labor jobs, like gold mining, oil drilling, and road building across the Yukon. He has spent nine decades running-not from anything but toward a rich and full life. This memoir is a true account of how big dreams can lead to unforgettable experiences, as he finally, at age seventy-seven, fulfills his lifetime goal of visiting the Potala monastery in Lhasa, Tibet-this on a solo trip around the world.
Treat yourself to a rare experience from one unstoppable geographer's journeys around the world, experiences in the classroom, and ultimately his spiritual awakening that is both entertaining and contagious. At ninety-one Ward keeps active by painting portraits and the occasional mural, and by inspiring everyone around him to stay young at heart.
About the Author: Since he was a child, Branan Ward has always made a habit of running away from home in search of adventure.
Eight decades later, nothing has changed.
During the first half of his life, Ward was a hitchhiker, hobo, member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary and merchant marine, World War II sailor, Alaskan pilot, tug boat skipper, and gold field worker, to name a few. Then he decided to go to college.
In 1950, he completed a master's degree in geography, with a minor in anthropology, from California State University at Los Angeles. He then spent thirty years teaching at the high school and college levels, organized an amateur ham radio club, and continued to travel the world. At age seventy-seven, he circumnavigated the world on a solo trip and realized his lifelong dream of seeing the Potala monastery in Tibet.
At ninety-one, he keeps busy painting murals and portraits.
