ALSO BY KEN ILGUNAS Walden on Wheels: On the Open Road from Debt to Freedom An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC 375 Hudson Street New York, New York 10014 Copyright © 2016 by Ken Ilgunas Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader. Blue Rider Press is a registered trademark and its colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC eBook ISBN 9780698198388 FRONTMATTER MAP BY MEIGHAN CAVANAUGH Penguin is committed to publishing works of quality and integrity. In that spirit, we are proud to offer this book to our readers; however, the story, the experiences, and the words are the author’s alone. Version_1 Ten percent of author royalties will be donated to the Prairie Plains Resource Institute, an educational land trust based in Aurora, Nebraska, dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and stewardship of native prairies, and to their use for educational purposes. CONTENTS Also by Ken Ilgunas Title Page Copyright Dedication Epigraph Map 1. Escape from Prudhoe Bay 2. Preparation 3. The Hitchhike 4. The Oilman 5. The Gunmen 6. The Great Plains 7. The Teacher 8. The Ogre and the Leprechaun 9. The Posse 10. The Farmer 11. The Electrician 12. The Denier 13. The Deputy 14. The Governor 15. The Stranger 16. The Dog 17. The Night Walker 18. The Preacher 19. The Cop 20. The Hiker Photos Bibliography Acknowledgments About the Author Wanderer, your footsteps are the road, and nothing more; wanderer, there is no road, the road is made by walking. Antonio Machado