Where the Rivers Meet

As a young boy growing up in Ames, Iowa, Mike was athletic, super competitive and adventurous (to a fault) ... When Mike reached his teenage years, athletics faded away, adventurousness continued and a rebellious streak kicked in. He remained a good student, yet the contrarian in him often sent things sideways ... His college years were tumultuous. He spent a semester at the university of Wyoming before being "asked not to return." From there he attended Southern Illinois University, where he excelled as a student ad a rebel. He participated strongly in the Vietnam War protests and, unfortunately, was drafted into the US Army during his second semester at SIU. He and the army did not see eye to eye ... Mike continued his adult life as a rebel and an adventurer. He tried SIU a second time, then left and went into the construction business, married, and spent time in California and Texas. Although he always found his way back to the Chicago area, he was often planning the next road trip. Music, camping, and parties were mainstays on his docket. He was a writer, musician, cook and dog lover, but serious bouts of depression haunted him ... Mike packed a lot into his life. His surviving family members and friends just wish he would have given this world more of a chance. Where the Rivers Meet is the posthumous publication of the novel that he completed before his early death.