Odyssey of a Wayward Traveler

At the start of 2005 18 months after his wife Loretta lost her battle with cancer Ray Uzanas sold his house in Rhode Island and began a journey of self discovery renewal and adventure. Rays was a 21st century odyssey where he not only came to accept his past loss but also passionately and privately experienced the challenges and joys of traveling around the lower 48 states. For 20000 miles over a period of nearly six months Uzanas crossed the country on its less traveled byways with little advance planning using only the logistics of the situation and his interests to determine his route. Finding the elusive Venus fly trap growing in the wild sleeping in a tree hut in the forest of Georgia solo hiking within the barren White Sands of NM encountering a curious and hungry bear in Sequoia talking photography with a former Ansel Adams student in Mendocino often crossing the path of Lewis & Clarks 1803/05 expedition observing the predator/prey drama in Yellowstones Lamar Valley meeting tribal elders of the Crow Indians in Montana participating in a Nebraska cattle auction walking the Field of Dreams baseball diamond - and much more - are part of his unforgettable odyssey. His visits to such places as Wounded Knee South Dakota his (strictly investigational) stop at a Nevada brothel and exploration of several dinosaur fossil beds provide insightful provocative perspectives. Uzanas takes the reader on a trip to both the well-known and the off beat treasures of U.S. history and culture and he accomplishes this with unbridled curiosity and enthusiasm. Rays odyssey is a personal memoir and travelogue that stimulates the readers sense of adventure and learning. It will be especially inspirational to baby boomers retirees and young people interested in independent travel and it is one mans attempt to cope with the loss of a loved one.