"TREK" by Rand Bishop

TREK by Rand Bishop
Publisher: Weightless Cargo Press (August 20, 2019)
Category: Memoir, Travel, Politics, Culture Tour dates: Oct-Nov, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-7330299-0-2 Available in Print and ebook, 384 pages

Book Review

I was totally glued to the book right from page 1. It kept me hooked not just with its brilliant unique premise but also with its gently moving and awesome narration. When Bishop, at 67, decides to undertake the seemingly impossible task of trekking and hiking all the way from Southern California to Central Oregon Coast, he is riddled not only with physical implications of his knee issues, but also with objections and reprimands from near and dear ones. He is aware that there is no turning back, but he is bent upon pursuing this for one mission: to do something about the meanness he has observed in the nation that he loves with all his heart. Once he starts on his journey with his cart, the PilgrimMobile, as he calls it, it actually dawns that the world isn't as mean as he presumed it was, and there is still warmth and love in humans. I totally loved Bishop's take and portrayal, and the underlying message in the book that all hope is not lost yet. It's a massive feel-good book, and reading about the numerous encounters that Bishop has, and his varied experiences only adds to the loveliness of the narration.
I am so glad for having read this book. I'm really thankful to Teddy Rose from Virtual Author Book Tours, the publishers Weightless Cargo Press, and the author Rand Bishop, for gifting me a copy of this book for an honest review.

Description TREK by Rand Bishop

2017, America was turning mean. Heartsick, Rand Bishop couldn’t sit idly by. His action plan, however, had friends and family questioning his sanity. At 67, on bad knees and arthritic feet, with minimal camping experience and zero knowledge of long distance hiking, Rand set out to walk 900-miles, from Southern California to the Central Oregon Coast. How an aging pilgrim managed to survive a 90-day test of will and endurance is only a fraction of this inspiring tale. The newfound hope Rand gained by listening to and interacting with a thousand people from nearly every walk of life is the true heartbeat of the TREK story.

Advance Praise TREK by Rand Bishop

“I love this book. I laughed, I cried, I walked down memory lane. I drove a big truck for 12 years, many by myself. I know those roads and my feet hurt just reading about this journey. Thank you, Rand, for sharing your story.”-Nancy B. Thompson, Amazon “The author’s musings on this once in a lifetime adventure make the reader feel as if she is on the trail alongside, experiencing all the emotional highs and lows without getting blisters on her feet. I loved every word; every page; every chapter! TREK is a delightful a book ~ I didn’t want it to end!”-Robyn Taylor-Drake, Amazon “I loved turning to TREK when I couldn’t take the news any longer. It was like I was able to follow along in my worn down tennies — go at the pilgrim’s pace, meet the people he was meeting, see what he was looking at, while feeling the swoosh of trucks zooming by way too close and way too fast. More than a trek, this is a journey of discovery!”-Randall Platt, Amazon

Excerpt

JESSE

“I was thinking… maybe I’ve got a peace pilgrim on my hands.”

The raspy voice is jovial and friendly. And, the man’s introductory

statement, referring to the banner on my cart parked

nearby, is undeniably glib.

I’m sitting on a bench at the Coos Bay Tug Boat Pavilion,

reading my paperback, and finishing the remainder of a two-day-old

sandwich. A grinning character is peering over my shoulder.

“Well,” I reply, “I guess you’re right.”

“Mind if I sit down?” he asks, not waiting for an answer. Jesse

is in his late forties, fifties at most. He has a sharp, pointed nose

and a pair of pale-blue, Paul-Newman-neon eyes. A navy-blue

stocking cap is pulled down over his sandy, medium-length shag,

and his ginger beard has, recently it appears, received the worst

weed-whacking in the history of mankind.

“I thought maybe you were fishing for swordfish,” he quips. I’m

pretty sure that’s what he said. His words are extremely slurred. So,

it’s difficult to be exact. The smile, now spreading across his rutted

face, is more maniacal than impish.

“No, actually,” I tell him, suddenly feeling slightly uneasy about

this imposition, “I’m just reading my book.”

“I’m taking a break,” he announces.

“From what?”

“Life,” he clarifies.

“Well, this is life,” I remind him, gesturing out to the expanse

of water in front of us, glittering in the early afternoon sunshine.

“Who’s got all the money?” Jesse demands, as if I must have

the answer. “Everybody’s got more money than us.”

“Is that true?” I respond. I don’t want to argue with the guy.

So, I think it best to reply with a question. It’s clear he’s made the

assumption that, like him, I must be homeless. Exhibits “A” through

“E”: I’m sitting on a bench in a public place in the middle of the

day, next to the cart I push, reading a tattered paperback book,

eating a sandwich that looks like it might have been retrieved

from a dumpster.

“I don’t have any money. Who’s got all the money?” Jesse seems

intent on sticking to this theme. “That seven hundred I get every

month? Don’t go very far… Wooo! A few days later, it’s gone. I just

want my next beer. Where does it go? I have some friends. They

need something, I give it to ’em. How much do I end up with?

Twenty, thirty bucks, maybe.” Jesse laughs. “I just want my next

beer.” He pauses, draws in a breath, exhales, and shakes his head

at what he believes is the sad, unfair truth: “Everybody’s out to

beat the other guy.”

Now I have to disagree. “That,” I tell him, “hasn’t been my

experience.”

“Oh, yeah,” Jesse insists. “It’s true. Everybody’s out to beat the

other guy.” He abruptly jolts to his feet. “Well, thanks for the visit,”

he says, and careens away at a forward-leaning pitch.

I haven’t quite finished reading another paragraph when Jesse

plops back down. “Yeah, there’s life going on out there,” he observes,

now gazing out over the rippling harbor. A pelican tucks its wings

and plunges 40 feet out of the sky into the water. “We’re just sitting

here watching life go by.” After a chuckle, he repeats the same

statement, this time quieter, as if he’s relishing his own wizened

observation. “We’re just sitting here watching life go by.” After a

lengthy pause, he wants to know, “You smoke weed?”

“Nope,” I answer.

“Oh, well, that’s just about all I got for ya. I’m just trying to

get my next beer.”

Having determined there is no mutually beneficial barter to

be struck here, Jesse makes his second and final exit, presumably

to “take a break” somewhere else and continue his quest for that

elusive next beer.

A few minutes later, a pair of police officers stroll down the

boardwalk, eyes peeled for some well-known local character who,

one informs the other, was last seen rummaging through a trash

can near this location. Key words overheard from their interchange

suggest that the person of interest might be challenged with mental-

health issues. I wonder if they might be talking about a fellow

named Jesse, with whom I just had an undeniably odd conversation.

Writing Awards Rand Bishop

First Place Nashville Screenwriting Conference for the original screenplay Tin Roof. Three Star Award The Tennessean.

About Rand Bishop

Oregon native Rand Bishop is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, platinum music producer, musician/singer, author, and lifelong activist for peace, justice, and equality. In his 45 years as a music-business professional, Rand recorded for major labels, shared stages and harmonized with legends, contributed compositions to more than a dozen feature-film and TV soundtracks, several stage musicals, and amassed more than 300 tunesmithing credits. Rand has authored five published books, is an optioned, award-winning screenwriter, a produced playwright, and, for six years, penned a bi-monthly column for American Songwriter Magazine. He has served on the boards of directors of three non-profits and currently acts as music director for the Central Oregon Coast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. In June, 2019, Rand premiered his original, one-man, musical, stage performance, TREK on Stage. Website: http://www.randbishoptrek.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/randbishoppage/

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Giveaway TREK by Rand Bishop

This giveaway is for the winner’s choice of one print or ebook copy of the book. Print is open to the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. There will be 3 winners. This giveaway ends November 1, 2019, midnight pacific time. a Rafflecopter giveaway

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