The Summer of '62

Mixing fact with fiction, this novel is the story of four 18-year-old boys who are looking for some adventure in their lives while they are still young and in near-perfect physical condition. One of them watches a travelogue about California on television, and the idea is born - to cycle the state on ten-speed bikes and see a lot of new country. It sounded rather simple and easy, but they soon find out that the realities of life have a much different adventure for them. A summer of very hot weather and bad cooking. The food would keep a person alive, but that's about all. Quite often, they would get invited for dinner by a fellow camper, who felt sorry for them. They cycle the Great Central Valley of California, where it gets from 100 to 110 degrees almost every day in the summer. The only way to get away from the hot weather was to ride to a higher elevation in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains. They find a place of untold beauty in the Sierras and also beautiful girls. These four boys have to mature very quickly and become four young men in order to survive. Come along with them and see what life has to offer in Yosemite National Park and the Pacific Coast Highway of southern California, where they learn to surf the giant waves by the King of Surfdom, Big Daddy. This is the story of their big adventure, bear attacks, jail time, fights, girls who surf, and all. They found what they were looking for: adventure.

by Dennis Brudnak

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