South to Alaska: From the Heartland of America to the Heart of a Dream (Paperback)

by Nancy Owens Barnes (Author)
Key Phrases: port captain, father anchored, fuel dock, Red Dog, Nancy Owens Barnes, Pennock Island (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Author Nancy Owens Barnes is an able harbormaster, masterfully retelling her father s journey from landlocked Oklahoma and Arkansas to the wild Alaskan shore. --Nancy Steel, Special Sections Editor, Southwest Times Record

Rarely do I find a book so compelling that I can't put it down until I've reached the very last word. But the quixotically titled South to Alaska, by Nancy Owens Barnes, is that rare book ... It is the author's skill that makes this more than a travelogue ... Barnes has a knack for stringing words together to form crystal-clear pictures, and she does it with poetic grace. This is a book of adventure, but also a loving tribute to a man who had the courage of his convictions, the strength to make a choice and the audacity to follow the road less traveled. Owens, although born far from Alaska, typifies Alaskans. He saw a frontier and ached to explore it, and even though it took 50 years for him to arrive, once he did he fit right in. Our world is richer for his journey. --Libbie Martin, Book Reviewer, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Told with grit, like her father's journey. Through illness, loneliness, storms, even thievery and threats of jail from Mexican authorities, the tale will keep one riveted to Alaska. --Bryan Martin, Kodiak Daily Mirror

Product Description
Born in the dusty heart of Oklahoma in 1916, ten-year-old Melvin Owens dreams of living in Alaska. More than forty years later, to the astonishment of neighbors and friends, he single-handedly constructs the 47-foot Red Dog in his Arkansas backyard. After launching the boat in 1971, Melvin cruises along the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico where, in 1973, he begins an amazing journey along the Caribbean coasts of Mexico and Central America, through the Panama Canal, then into the Pacific Ocean to Alaska. Melvin has never been south of the United States border and has never even been on a boat in the open ocean. Thwarted by mechanical problems, nature's fury, illness, thievery and loneliness, Melvin fears a deadly end before reaching the place of his dreams and returning to the woman he loves. A true story of courage and endurance, South to Alaska chronicles Melvin's perilous 10,000-mile solitary journey through a watery world he knows little about, to a world he cannot forget.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: New Leaf Books (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930076061
• ISBN-13: 978-1930076068
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,079,245 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing and inspirational tale of one man's solo 10,000 mile expedition, as told his daughter Nancy Owens Barnes., February 2, 2008

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

South to Alaska: From the Heartland of America to the Heart of a Dream is the true life travelogue and biographical excerpt of one man's voyage by sea from Arkansas to Alaska. Melvin Owens single-handedly constructed the 47-foot "Red Dog" in his backyard, and launched it on the Arkansas River in 1971. He traveled the Arkansas River and Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico; in 1973 he began a solitary expedition along the Caribbean coasts of Mexico and Central America, through the Panama Canal, into the Pacific Ocean and finally to Alaska. To achieve his dream he battled mechanical problems, nature's ill will, sickness, thievery, and loneliness. An amazing and inspirational tale of one man's solo 10,000 mile expedition, as told his daughter Nancy Owens Barnes.

5.0 out of 5 stars An Armchair Adventure, December 29, 2007

By	Bonnie O'Neil - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As one who normally reads only fiction, I was expecting this book, a gift from a friend, to be hard to get into, & easy to put down. However, I was very pleasantly surprised, as from the first page, I was eager to keep reading to see what obstacles Melvin & Cecil Owens would overcome to realize their dream to live in Alaska. With each turn of a page, their determination leapt out to grasp hold of you & cheer them on. Melvin's solo journey through waters that would concern even career sailors, was exciting to read, leaving you not able to stop reading until you knew he was safe. This adventure grasped you from the beginning, leaving you with the knowledge that dreams are there to be realized, no matter what the obstacles.

4.0 out of 5 stars A great tribute to an amazing man, December 2, 2007

By	Bob Freeman (Broken Arrow, OK USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was one of those bewildered people who used to drive by the ship taking shape on the small Oklahoma farm, miles from the nearest navigable water, and wonder who was building it and why. I now know this was the first of two boats built by this artisan and adventurer and the beginning of an incredible journey.

His daughter has written a glowing tribute to this amazing man and his lifelong pursuit of his dream. She has crafted an exciting account of the dangers and hardships of his voyage and a touching portrait of him and his loving wife who stuck with him and shared in the ultimate realization of his dream.