The author spent his childhood on a cattle, wheat and alfalfa ranch in Washington State. Upon graduation from college he served more than thirty years as an officer in the U.S. Army. His duty posts included Germany, Panama, Korea and Vietnam. After retirement he has worked at various endeavors: managing the family farm, school administration, travel planning, tour guiding, shrimp farming, a granite counter top business and writing books based on his travel experiences. His favorite pastime is toting his backpack as he travels each year, primarily to Southeast Asian countries. He has been married 59 years to his high school sweetheart, raising five children.