South to Alaska A True Story of Courage and Survival from America Heartland to the Heart of a Dream (Audible Audio Edition) Nancy Owens Barnes Rushing River Press Books
Download As PDF : South to Alaska A True Story of Courage and Survival from America Heartland to the Heart of a Dream (Audible Audio Edition) Nancy Owens Barnes Rushing River Press Books
A true story of courage and survival, South to Alaska carries listeners from the heartland of America to the last frontier... the hard way.
Born in the dusty heart of Oklahoma in 1916, 10-year-old Melvin sees a photograph of a cabin in the Alaska wilderness in his fourth-grade geography book and dreams of living there. Nearly 50 years later he builds a 47-foot boat in his Arkansas backyard, launches it on the Arkansas River, and cruises 10,000 miles to Alaska by way of the Panama Canal. Melvin has never been south of the United States/Mexico border and has never been on a boat in the open ocean.
"Learn by doing", he says.
In South to Alaska, author Nancy Owens Barnes takes listeners on two journeys. On one, listeners follow a young boy's dream that begins in a one-room, Oklahoma schoolhouse in 1926, and ends decades later on an island in southeast Alaska. On the other, listeners become a passenger aboard the Red Dog as it cruises along the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico where, in 1973, Melvin begins a solo journey along the Caribbean coasts of Mexico and Central America, through the Panama Canal, then into the Pacific Ocean to Alaska. Plagued by mechanical problems, international fraud, violent ocean storms, threats of foreign jail, illness and loneliness, Melvin fears a deadly end before reaching the place of his dreams and returning to the woman he loves. South to Alaska chronicles Melvin's 10,000-mile journey through a dangerous world he knows little about, to a world he cannot forget.
South to Alaska A True Story of Courage and Survival from America Heartland to the Heart of a Dream (Audible Audio Edition) Nancy Owens Barnes Rushing River Press Books
If you’ve been fortunate to read “Ecology of Cracker Childhood”, by Janisse Ray - then you will thoroughly enjoy “South to Alaska.” Ms. Barnes weaves a descriptive narrative of mainly her father building his beloved “Red Dog’ boat in his backyard in Arkansas - on his quest (not so much his mothers) to take the boat down the Gulf - thru the canal up the Pacific coast to and to start a new life up in Ketchikan, Alaska.This is not a linear story. Nancy gives us marvelous ‘flashbacks” unto the lives of both her Mother and Father, living a hard life in Oklahoma during the depression... (made me grateful for the life I have!)
I found it fascinating to get a peek into a life, I can only read about, and Ms. Barnes does it with much color and insight.
On his way out of Galveston, Melvin has some issues with the boat and some shady characters ... and not to spoil this part, but it could have easily been a deal breaker.
But her Dad grew up in the depression, and people just didn’t know the word “quit”. Thru some very greedy people, Melvin will not let his dream die ..... I think I might have.
Ms. Barnes has carefully reconstructed her father’s journey, thru his log book and interviews with her Dad etc. She ends the book with the
life they ended up dreaming about and sharing together. Enjoy...
Thank you Nancy!!
I can’t praise this book highly enough for it’s genre. It was a nice escape from the 9 - 5. Enjoy!!
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South to Alaska A True Story of Courage and Survival from America Heartland to the Heart of a Dream (Audible Audio Edition) Nancy Owens Barnes Rushing River Press Books Reviews
At the introduction to my comments, I want to highly recommend this book to anyone who believes that perseverance, self-reliance and determination are character traits worthy of chronicling. On the surface, the book is the story of one mans journey, using a boat he built, and his tribulations along the way. That aspect of the story alone makes the book a worthwhile read but as you follow the details of the journey it is clear that the story has so much more to show.
The book is really two stories. One is a story of a determined man aspiring to fulfill a dream and the second, a love story of a man for his wife and the love of a daughter for a father. It is a chronicle of the life of a simple man who believed in self-reliance, love of family and foremost, love of his wife. The tender way his daughter describes his journey and his life are a tribute to the man and his principles. His character was the stuff most of us aspire to. He worked hard to achieve his goals and did not demand nor expect accolades for his achievements.
It is clear that he made his way through life giving and not asking. He undertook a daunting journey with confidence and overcame numerous obstacles that life has a way of presenting to us. He did so with grace, persistence and determination. Herein lies the foundation of the story.
It is well worth the time to read and having once read, reflect on the kind of love a daughter had for her father that would lead her to put in the time to chronicle his life.
Hats off for a true story written well. There were a couple reviews that mentioned "repetitive". Mr. Owens spent months by himself on a boat on the open ocean. This repetitiveness helped the reader to understand what this was like "day in and day out". She wrote of the characters' weaknesses and strengths in a readable, realistic way. Mrs. Barnes can congratulate herself for her rich heritage, for staying closely enough entwined in her family's life to be able to produce their story, and for having the wisdom to share it with others.
Although we have all heard the old adage "never judge a book by its cover" that is still something I find myself doing and what I did with this book. Even though the book description is clear that this story was about a mans voyage, by boat, to Alaska I assumed the book would be more about Alaska than it was. I love stories about survival in the Alaksa wilderness. Althought this book is about adventure and survival, very little of it actually takes place in Alaska.
This is a true story of a man who built a boat and sailed it from the Gulf of Mexico to Alaksa. His daughter tells us the story years after the fact by collecting his own testimony and comBining that with information found in the ships log book. While you know from the beginning that he makes it, the author still manages to keep you on the edge of your seat. Some of the events are so fantastic they almost seem unreal but you know they must be real because they are too wild to be made up.
The book is an excellent story of adventure, family, love and a passion for having a dream and seeing it through to the very end. The book was excellent just not what I had been expecting.
An amazing story and journey undertaken by this seemingly unassuming, gentle man, whose worst response to all the troubles he encountered was "Rats". To be honest, I did skim through many of the log entries, but the story itself was captivating. This man, and indeed, the whole family encountered so much travail and so many hard times, it is inspiring to have read how they persevered and succeeded. I highly recommend this book whose story and people will stay with me for a good long time.
Nancy Owens Barnes is a gifted writer! This remarkable true story of her parent's dream to live in Alaska and travel there by building their own boat and negotiating a travel route "south to Alaska" kept me reading all night - learning about the inland waterway, the route down to the Panama Canal and up the Pacific Coast was illuminating. The courage and talents of her father and the patience of her mother amid frustrations, was inspiring. I also commend the author for writing a "clean" book -- free of the profanity often used in memoirs and altogether unnecessary. This is a book to share, to learn about the sea, the central American countries bordering the ocean, the dangers of currents along the Pacific coast, the variety of fish and birds along the coast, and ways to overcome adversity. I can't praise this book enough. Read it for yourself and learn something new! I did! Find out why this couple wanted to live in Alaska and what they did there after the long voyage of the "Red Dog" in 1973. Amazing book!
If you’ve been fortunate to read “Ecology of Cracker Childhood”, by Janisse Ray - then you will thoroughly enjoy “South to Alaska.” Ms. Barnes weaves a descriptive narrative of mainly her father building his beloved “Red Dog’ boat in his backyard in Arkansas - on his quest (not so much his mothers) to take the boat down the Gulf - thru the canal up the Pacific coast to and to start a new life up in Ketchikan, Alaska.
This is not a linear story. Nancy gives us marvelous ‘flashbacks” unto the lives of both her Mother and Father, living a hard life in Oklahoma during the depression... (made me grateful for the life I have!)
I found it fascinating to get a peek into a life, I can only read about, and Ms. Barnes does it with much color and insight.
On his way out of Galveston, Melvin has some issues with the boat and some shady characters ... and not to spoil this part, but it could have easily been a deal breaker.
But her Dad grew up in the depression, and people just didn’t know the word “quit”. Thru some very greedy people, Melvin will not let his dream die ..... I think I might have.
Ms. Barnes has carefully reconstructed her father’s journey, thru his log book and interviews with her Dad etc. She ends the book with the
life they ended up dreaming about and sharing together. Enjoy...
Thank you Nancy!!
I can’t praise this book highly enough for it’s genre. It was a nice escape from the 9 - 5. Enjoy!!
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