I was born in Anamosa, Iowa then at the young age of two we moved to Hampton, Iowa. I graduated from Hampton Community High School in 1963 and in the fall of that year joined the Navy to become a missile technician on nuclear powered submarines. After the Navy, I attended Clemson University and graduated with a degree in financial management then received a Master's of Business Administration from Appalachian State University. My first job out of college was in the tax department of a Fortune 500 company and then in 1989 I took a position in public accounting. In 2007, I retired from public accounting. I have ridden across Iowa 14 times and my interest in the towns along the route resulted in researching the towns and writing this book.