I might be residentially-challenged but I'm not homeless. "Our house is right here everywhere around us.
We don't need houses, Chef Mark says, outstretching both arms and looking around. There is a part of him that seems happier to be living amongst all the characters that call the streets their home: the homeless, the street kids, the travelers, the RVers, the hippies, the disabled, the mentally-challenged, and the rest that society neglects. Usually people will laugh and drop some change, then Chef Mark will get up and start doing a makeshift tap dance. I need $1.82 for the Church of Malt Liquor, he might say. If he asks for change on the streets it's never in a pitiful way, he tries to make it comical. He's always found creative ways to get donations from people on the streets, like making a fold-out, cardboard sign that reads: People like Chef Mark, who's lived homeless on the streets for over a decade. I also have the new friends I make on the road and there is an endless array of diverse people to meet, some of whom end up being influential people in my future.
This is not a trip of luxury taking the long way from Michigan to California, but at least I have two of my closest friends to go with me along the way as we meander the cosmos of humanity and bloom in the life-force of the country's beautiful landscapes, looking for freedom and a new place to call home. I must leave home, or rather, I must embrace the country, the world, as my home to survive the trip. I must place myself in the void to accomplish this task. Strangely, I can find the independence and stability that has eluded me for 24 years through experiencing the struggle of living amidst the chaos of the road. Not only do I want to discover America during my journey, but as a bonus I will get to discover myself. But I want to discover what America has to offer to make it the so-called greatest country in the world. It looks like a horrible time to leave broke to try to find a new home. This is what pushes me to leave my small hometown and travel America, coincidentally at the same time of the 2008 Financial Crisis and later Great Recession fall-out. To grow, you must face your fears and follow your dreams. But doing so will block you from ever experiencing progress. You will feel defeated and you will want to quit, turn back and run to the safety of what's familiar. This true story you're about to embark on will test your wits, challenge your perceptions and extinguish all expectations. Sometimes it takes living on the streets to find out what you're made of, even if you don't have a clue when you start your journey. Sometimes you have to get out of the house to find your true home. Read moreĬHAPTER ONE: What the Hell Are We Thinking? They have no other option other than to succeed and this true story shows that dreams are always within reach. They must make their way by their wits, trust and music. Every mile they traverse is not determined, nor guaranteed. But instead of being debaucherous wanna-be rockstars, they are determined entrepreneurs creating progress, despite a crumbling economy. Follow the band mates as they travel the country in a 32-year-old RV with barely any money, trying to survive and live out their dreams of moving from Michigan to California to pursue music. It's an adventure, as well as a coming-of-age story for the three main characters as they transition from pent-up young adults always playing catch-up with their lives, to independent adults in control of their life's pursuits.
The main characters follow the synchronicity of life down the unseen roads of America, sometimes putting themselves in danger, to embrace adulthood and discover their potential. The book is the roller-coaster story of the rock band, Ashes to Light, through a cross-country RV trip and seven-year career, overcoming obstacles and personal torments to succeed as humans and help to change the music landscape of the Central Coast. Follow on an epic road trip and take a look at American life across the country throughout the 2008 financial crisis and decade-long recession in the book, Urban Campers: Finding Home on the Road During the American Financial Crisis.
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