Thanks to my pilot and motorcycle buds who’ve let me pick their brains: Sonny Caudill, Scott Ireton, Steve Arlow, and others who want to remain anonymous.
My friend Rod Robinson provided valuable color commentary on living in Bolivia and driving the Death Road as a young missionary.
Jujitsu master and dear friend Professor Ty Cunningham continues to provide invaluable instruction on the way of strategy and the philosophy of violent conflict.
Ray and Ryan Thibault of Northern Knives in Anchorage talk to me for hours about all things bladed and allowed me to field-test their Severance design in all kinds of ways — though none quite as interesting as what Jericho did.
Talking to Professor Matt Wappett via Facebook was entertaining and enlightening, but I wish I could travel to Idaho and attend one of his ethics classes in person. It would be great fun to discuss evil. Thank you, sir, for allowing me a peek into your curriculum.
I’ve never run the Dakar, but sometimes I pretend when I’m riding my GS on the back roads of Alaska. The timing of the race is perfect to get a motorcycle fix during our long winters. Third only to the Olympics and the World Cup, the Dakar is followed by millions of fans around the globe, but most Americans have never heard of it. ADVrider.com has numerous threads on the event, with a particularly great one that gushes like a fire hose giving minute-by-minute updates contemporaneous to each stage. A special thanks to Ted Johnson for sharing an advance copy of his wonderful book, Tales from the Bivouac, that is just chock full of great photos and details of his experience on a Dakar team.
To my gun-toting friends: many, many thanks for all the lessons — about tactics and life in general. You will, I hope, find little bits and pieces of yourselves within these pages. To quote Robert Louis Stevenson: “Of what shall a man be proud, if he is not proud of his friends?” You give me much to be proud of.
And finally, for my wife, Victoria — an icon of patience — thank you for helping me plot and plan and connive.