Road Scholar

Great book, documenting the "early days" of Alaskans flyiing the bush. In 1943-46, my dad (Army Air Force pilot) became friends with Bob and wife Tilley through my dad's flying the Aleutian chain. Dad said Bob's instructions on flying through the weather of Alaska saved his life several times. At the end of WW2, Bob offered my dad a job flying with Bob's developing Reeve Aleutian Airline. My dad was going to accept, but my mom said "NO WAY" because she didn't want to become a widow. She had joined my dad at Elmendorf AFB in 1945, and was Bob and Tilley's baby-sitter. My dad reluctantly gave in, and went on to do 28 years as an US Air Force officer, with Command Pilot status in the Strategic Air Command. I've always thanked my mom for putting her foot down with my dad, as I might not be writing this...Pilots in Alaska had a high loss rate!

As someone who listened to the Doobie Brothers practice in the old "Grist Mill" in Los Gatos CA, circa 1970-71, and attended MANY of their concerts in both the Bay Area clubs and a special hid-away-in-the-redwoods bar called the Chateau Liberte', THIS is a righteous read.