So who are these Hlasny fellas?
This trip would not have happened if not for my parents' belief in my writing, and in the potential of the journey to yield valuable insights into travel and life. This will be the first of many times I thank them for their unwavering support for this book, and for everything I do.
Besides, if this whole idea is a dreadful flop, I know I'll still sell one autographed copy of Given Latitude (for an upcharge, of course ;-).
Robert and Adam Hlasny, 2016
Psst! It's pronounced LAZ-nee
ABOUT ROBERT HLASNY
Dr. Robert Hlasny - "Dad", for short - grew up in central New England. He met my Mom while attending grad school in Cincinnati, and after two years of shivering in Ottawa they settled in the bucolic Lakes Region of NH, where they've resided since the early 1980s.
By day, he's a licensed clinical psychologist and Director of the Fischler Counseling Center at Plymouth State University. On the weekends he can be found piloting his 18-foot Boston Whaler on Lake Winnipesaukee, enjoying nature or spending time with family.
One of his most memorable trips was visiting Great Britain in 1975 to co-present his sleep research at an international conference (the audience stayed awake, I'm told). After admiring Edinburgh's historic marvels, he and Mom coaxed a Vauxhall southbound through Chester and ambled across Wales' Gower Peninsula.
More recently, he's spent time in Utah, horseback riding near Park City and scrambling through Arches National Park.
ABOUT ADAM HLASNY
I grew up in Laconia, NH, surrounded by resplendent lakes and leafy hills. After grad school in Pennsylvania, I got hitched in 2009, lived in NY and Conn, and returned to the Granite State in 2012, where I've lived with my lovely wife Alyse and beautiful 6-year old daughter Julia ever since.
I'm a transportation planner by trade, but travel has been my passion since childhood. I can't quite explain my yearning to be on the move, especially to those who don't understand travel's way of enticing folks into its spellbinding grasp.
This world has so many places of unutterable magnificence, and I'm always conscious of how little I've truly seen. Some of my all-time favorite travel experiences are Lisbon, Portugal, Cusco, Peru, Italy's Amalfi Coast, driving the Pacific Coast Highway from LA to the Bay, and being most anywhere in the lakes or highlands of NH.
I'm a man of faith and family, steadfastly curious about the world's people and places. I'm grateful for life's oft-overlooked moments: fireflies' gentle summer glow, a tranquil mountain stream's eloquence, Julia's radiant smile.
From an early age I had road trip fever.
Here (circa 1990) I'm seen hanging out in the family buggy while my little brother Evan poses casually in stylish period clothing...
