I'm an author, adventurer, and educator. My literary focus is writing realistic adventure fiction for young men aged 12-18. The current state of literacy and education in our country concerns me, especially the ongoing struggle and decline seen with boys and young men in academia and beyond. Literacy and education have a special place in my life. Not because I was a good student and loved school or reading as a child or teenager. Rather, I generally disliked both school and reading. Intellectually I was bored to death and most teachers failed to inspire me, connect what we were doing in classrooms with the “real world”, or effectively communicate how our curriculum material was valuable and useful later in life. It wasn't until my senior year in high school that I read my first book cover-to-cover - "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer. Prior to reading Krakauer I had only skimmed the bare minimum of books and survived English class on Spark/Cliff Notes to get through. While academia was a mostly negative experience, eventually I learned to cope by immersing myself into the world of sports, video games, music, and real life adventure. Even though I struggled academically during high school, I excelled throughout most of college and in the “real world”. I tried on a number of different careers before ironically deciding that I wanted to teach and work with young people. Much to my surprise, this involved becoming an author. Over the years, I've watched countless smart and talented young people have similarly negative academic experiences. Despite their potential to be successful, many have been inadequately prepared by our education system, communities, and sometimes even their families. Our youth are one of our greatest assets and I share a responsibility to invest fully in their future. Watching these young people struggle has inspired me to invest my energy and resources into the development of products and programs that will better serve and inspire youth to reach their potential. Influencing positive change in literacy and education requires innovation and refinement within the media publishing industry. In 2012 I began strategically forming a team through Adventure Lit Publishing to help do our part in supporting young people as positive influences while advocating for healthy change in how we prepare them for success in life. Outside of writing, I continue to work in outdoor recreation, education, and youth ministry. I am an advocate for experiential learning and outdoor education. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, exploring wilderness areas, embarking on crazy road trips, climbing up to high places, and flying or driving just about anything I can get behind the controls of. On the lighter side I’m a movie junkie, music lover, tea guru, foodie, and gadget geek. Most people just call me Cassidy.
Hi! I'm a young writer and was wondering where you wrote your first book and what inspired you to finish it. Thanks! : )
Hi there!
Thanks for reaching out.Â
I wrote my book at home and in coffee shops, tents, cabins, and in my jeep all around the United States and parts of Canada. I started at my home in the Pacific Northwest, then continued writing as I traveled around the northern US and southern Canada on many trips driving and exploring wilderness areas between the west and east coast over the course of a few years.Â
The story is quite visual and uses real places, so it was important to be in the field in order to better describe and understand how things work and fit together. Basically, I kept a few notepads and pens with me at all times, and made an effort to write most days, especially while on trips.Â
I finished the story because I enjoyed it, but I also don’t like unfinished projects and it kept me up at night until it was done. It took me roughly five years to complete the project with some definite dry spells here and there, but I refused to give up and it worked out reasonably well.Â
Hope that answers your question. Keep writing and don’t give up— even if it takes a while.  Â
Keep your eyes out for my new book to be released in the next few months.Â
A field guide to help you build an awesome portable outdoor kitchen, and plan delicious and efficient meals to feed your crew on the next adventure or backyard BBQ.Â
The ALP Project Rover has been a 2 year restoration nightmare/disaster. After an emotional and mechanical journey that thrusted us deeply into the Type II and Type III Fun categories of which I would rather not repeat, the 1988 Rover is back to life and our adventure resumes along the roads and trails less traveled. Guess we'll have more fuel for book writing soon.
Hey Cassidy! My name is Andy Berg. I enjoy following in on your adventures from time to time and feel we share a lot of the same interests. I have a quick question for you in regards to your Jeep! I have a 2001 Cherokee that I love taking for spontaneous road trips as well. I am wondering what tire size and lift (if any) you have on yours. I recently stumbled upon your post with you and your Jeep heading from Oregon/Washington to Maine and noticed your subtle setup. Thanks! -Andy
Hey Andy, thanks for the question and sorry for the delayed response.
I feel the most practical/functional lift kit and tire set up for the XJ are the BDS front coils and Old Man Emu springs in the back. 2-3" of lift with Pro Comp MX6 shocks, and Goodyear Duratrac 235/75/15 tires.
You’ll be able to tackle most trail challenges short of rock crawling or any of the more extreme stuff that require extensive modifications.
BDS also makes a complete suspension replacement kit that is pretty stellar but more expensive.
If you stay under 3" of lift you won’t have to worry about adding a slip yoke eliminator kit to the transfer case and drive shaft connection, nor will you have to mess with extending brake lines, fuel lines, or electrical wires, or order the special shocks for lifted trucks. There are other complicated and expensive modifications that are encouraged once you lift 3" or more and go with bigger tires.
There are certainly a lot of folks that lift their rigs without modifying everything else but they also break stuff more frequently, usually in less-than-convenient locations, and see increased wear and tear on components which all translates to spending more money on increasingly complicated systems…
After months of planning, challenges, and headaches, the ALP Project Rover gets a 4.6L conversion with a Stage II Crower Cam and some other goodies. Up next: As soon as we import a special manifold from Europe or magically source it locally, we'll be testing a new and fully programmable EFI system that should allow us to achieve over 300hp and 18-20+ mpg. If this all works then our new set up should be more cost effective, powerful, and fuel efficient than the popular but elusive diesel conversions. Given the challenges we've faced so far, who knows what lies ahead. We hope to soon report with news of a more capable exploration vehicle, and backcountry adventures to support writing and education.
It had been raining all night, the wood was soaking wet, and our traditional fire starters didn’t work. When my friend dropped a slice of pepperoni on our stove and it burst into flames he realized we could start our fire. I was in disbelief at his unconventional ways but it worked.Â
After months of scheduling conflicts, my brother Matt and I were able to continue our efforts to develop a new line of overland focused bumpers for Land Rovers and Jeeps.
Hoping we can prototype this spring. Not going to lie, it's very handy having a brother who is also an engineering and solidworks guru.Â
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