It’s 1970, and Rob and Jake luck out with high draft numbers in the first draft lottery to draft young men to fight in the Vietnam War. In Rob’s brand-new Datsun hatchback, they set on a road trip with no fixed destination.

Their journey begins at Duke University. With friends like Horney Ray, Doctor Boo, and Trimly Jimly, they witness anti-war protests, civil rights upheaval, and even an unexpected run-in with Janis Joplin at a campus party. History of the era unfolds around them as they chase adventure across the country.

From the riotous Newport Jazz Festival to selling Lucky Dogs in New Orleans and encountering a street preacher known as the Apostle of Love, their travels become a crash course in life, independence, and self-discovery. Each new city — and each new character — brings them closer to understanding the world.

A love letter to an era and a tale of youth on the brink of change, Richard C. Stuecker's COASTING AMERICA captures the spirit of the 1970's — a time of upheaval, music, restless dreams and the open road ahead.

The North Pole Letters