Watson - Home on the road: further dispatches from the ends of the earth

Its tempting to think Catherine Watson has seen it all. She has established herself over the past thirty years or so as one of the truly gifted travel writers in American journalism. Yet in this dazzling collection of travel pieces there isnt a taint of been-there/done-that. The eye is keen and kind, the writing by turns sharp and lyrical, the destinations ever a surprise. Whether shes mushing with sled dogs in Alaska, mourning loss in Tibet or visiting old Fort Snelling at home in Minnesota, this is a writer of grace and curiosity. And rare passion. Whats bestyou can trust her to be the traveler you wish you could be. She has the uncanny grace of one truly at home in the world. A magic carpet collection by one of our best.

Patricia Hampl, author,

A Romantic Education, Virgin Time, Blue Arabesque

In Home on the Road , Catherine Watson explores the world with a refreshing warmth and compassion, revealing as much about people as she does about place. She is a poetic storyteller, a wise observer, an intimate companionthe best guide anyone could want.

Larry Habegger, executive editor, Travelers Tales Books

All travel writers should have Catherine Watsons curiosity. She travels far and wide, and often into peoples homes and lives. Her stories get beneath the surface, grab hold of you and linger.

Michael Yessis, co-founder,

the on-line travel magazine, World Hum

Home on the Road indeed! What obscure corner of the planet has Catherine Watson not investigated with her eyes open, her notebook ready and her wits alive and thrumming? Mongolia, Tibet, the Falklands, the Canadian Arctic, the Jordan desert following Lawrence of Arabia. Do you wonder what the human mind does with a scorpion sting in Costa Rica? Even the ancestral cabin in Minnesota becomes a place rich, strange and productive of wisdom. Though journalism gave birth to these essays, they are, in fact, literature, little windows into the mystery of how human beings live on this planet, and what insight we can harvest from traveling among them.

Bill Holm, author, The Heart Can Be Filled Anywhere on Earth,

Coming Home Crazy, Windows of Brimnes

Other writers may evoke the sights and sounds of a place, but Catherine Watson captures the soul.

John Flinn, executive travel editor, San Francisco Chronicle

I think Id go all over the world with Catherine Watsonand through her honest, perceptive and inviting essays, I probably have. This collection shines with the enthusiasm of a traveler who looks for the best, not the worst, wherever she goes. Her curiosity, humor, warmth and openness to new experience enliven every account of her travels to places as diverse as Tibet, Alaska, Bimini and Death Valley. Home on the Road also displays a polished writers grace and finesse. A beginning writer could find an education simply by studying each carefully crafted opening sentenceand then, reading on, learn about shape, tone and style. In writing as well as traveling, Catherine Watson clearly knows how to get where she wants to go.

Susan Allen Toth, author, Blooming, My Love Affair with England

This is a must-read book for all of you who need to stop dreaming about travel and just go do it! It encourages you to eliminate the word later from your vocabulary and see the world. So burn those travel brochures and read Watsons adventuresstories that take you beyond the well-known icons to the real experiences that make travel so wonderfully addictive.

Peter Greenberg, travel editor, NBC Today Show

As she did in Roads Less Traveled , Catherine Watson touches on details that illuminate an over-all sense of the culture of her subject. If you savor armchair traveling or appreciate good writing, dont miss this book.

Joan Drury, founder, Norcroft Writing Retreat for Women;

author, Those Jordan Girls

I left each essay imbued with a sense of having been there with her, of experiencing the peoples, traditions, history and culture of the places she writes about, and I could not help but respond with similar joy.

Beryl Singleton Bissell, author, The Scent of God

Catherine Watson has a unique talent for writing about her experiences in a way that appeals to both those who travel and those who just dream of travel. A rare combination of insight and heart.

Gerry Spiess, sailor and author, Alone Against the Atlantic

I am a keen armchair traveler, or in the case of my household, a sagging sofa traveler. Thankfully there are travelers like Catherine Watson. In a time when talk about travel seems to be all about tasting the most bizarre food and finding the most eco caches, Watson reminds us that travel is all about the people. Whether she is (inadvertently) ghost-hunting in Arkansas or (reluctantly) chewing betel nut in Vietnam, Watson makes herself truly at home in the world, making herself into family wherever she goes. This collection showcases even more of Watsons witsometimes sly, sometimes knee-slappingas in tales like Adventures in Porcelain, in which she describes such foreign plumbing atrocities as the Electrocution Shower and the Burning Ring of Fire. She also courageously addresses her and our post-9/11 fear, of travel in particular but of the world in general, in the essay, Cold War Within: What I count now are my freedoms, and my freedom to move around this world was too hard-won.

Lucy Vilankulu, editor, Minnesota Literature

Any woman aspiring to be a travel writeror a traveler, for that mattershould familiarize herself with Catherine Watsons work. Watsons writing is measured and clean. She paints vivid images of the people she meets, the trails she hikes and the betel she chews, not with long, over-the-top paragraphs crammed with adjectives, but with one-line metaphors that hit straight home. She is a pro, and that comes through in each and every essay.

Kelly Westhoff, GoNomad.com

Copyright 2007 by Catherine Watson

The material in this book was prepared by Catherine E. Watson while employed by The Star Tribune Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was (with the following exceptions) first published in the Star Tribune newspaper or its predecessor, the Minneapolis Tribune , between 1973 and 2004, Copyright, the Star Tribune Company. Reprinted by permission. The Star Tribune retains certain copyright and syndication rights. Exceptions are two freelance articles: Roshan , first published by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2006, and Easter Island , which appears here for the first time, Copyright Catherine E. Watson, 2007.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

ISBN 978-0-929636-76-4

Ebook ISBN 978-1-934690-77-2

LCCN 2007929630

Cover photo: Sunset, the Galapagos , by Catherine Watson

Star Tribune. Used by permission.

Cover design by Kyle G. Hunter

Book design by Wendy Holdman

For the young onesdeep breath now
Jonathan, Rebecca, Emily, Elizabeth, James, Charlie,
John, Helen, Will, Andrew, Matthew, David and Joe.