A Day With John Steinbeck

When I was in high school-- the late '60's-- John Steinbeck was by far my favorite author.  I think Sweet Thursday was the first of his books I read soon followed by Cannery Row, Of Mice & Men, Tortilla Flat, and In Dubious Battle.  Over the years I've added many others to the list: The Wayward Bus, The Red Pony, The Pearl, The Winter of Our Discontent, East of Eden, and others.  So it's been a huge treat to visit Steinbeck's home town of Salinas, CA-- the Salinas Valley is the setting for much of his writing.

This is the house in Salinas, then owned by his parents, where Steinbeck was born in 1902 and where he lived until the age of 19 when he left to attend Stanford.  All things "Steinbeck" are a big industry in Salinas.

I spent the late morning and most of the afternoon visiting the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas.

In 1960 Steinbeck made a tour of the U.S. with his dog Charlie in this pickup truck camper.  He recounted his trip in the book Travels With Charlie.