Road Trip Summer

“I was surprised, as always, by how easy the act of leaving was, and how good it felt. The world was suddenly rich with possibility.”

— Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Forty Bucks Is Forty Bucks

By Sam George

It’s fun traveling with a millionaire, especially one who typically flies coach—and who doesn’t mind driving.

We were cruising down the Pan-American Highway, winding our way south from Panama’s capital city to the distant Humedales del Golfo de Montijo and the classic reef break at Santa Catalina. Yvon Chouinard was behind the wheel of our rented white Sentra, best friend Jimmy Hunter riding copilot, while I found myself rolling through the Panamanian countryside in the back seat. From this relaxed position I could see a wonderland of towering white clouds piled up over the Altos de Campana to the north, filtering the sunlight so everything it landed on stood out clear and distinct, like the separate elements of a 3D photograph: a column of