I grew up in Western North Carolina near the Blue Ridge Mountains. True events of my exciting life, what I call "growing up in the fast lane," with adventure, romance and street drag racing qualifies me to tell the story to people who actually experienced those times as I did and to new generations about those magical times in the 1960's. Even though time has marched along and big changes have come for me and America, I can never forget growing up barefoot with the dirt between my toes, the smell of cotton-candy at the county fair, fried chicken on Sunday, home-made ice cream or cutting into a cold watermelon with the family. I'm a lifelong native of the county I was born in. These are the things that made me who I am today, and the reason I wish to share them.