Rhythm Guitar

Often people ask me what it’s like to work alone. While true I’m not confined to a cubical, have to label my lunch or fight for parking – to say that I’m a solo artist is a bit of a misnomer. With almost everything I do there is a collaborative element to it. Sometimes it’s obvious, like with the film I’m currently working on (check the preview HERE) and other video projects I’ve done, there is often a music element created by somebody else. Usually these tunes are provided by old friends – in the Cycling the Sandbox trailer you’ll hear a couple of tracks by my friends in dDub (Camel Song and Hesitate No – off of their latest release Medicine Man, check them out HERE). Sometimes old friends really means old friends, for my Abridged - Day 75 video I used a track called Unable to Pick Up written and performed by Jeff Munt who I went to kindergarten with – talented guy.

Sometimes the collaboration takes on a more subtle form – when I’m doing my day-job of researching and writing for Lonely Planet I get all sorts of help from people all the time. When I’m on the road I get heads up on cool things, points in the right direction and other forms of collaboration that make my job not only easier, but possible. Once I get into the office the book becomes a very collaborative effort with co-authors, editors, cartographers and designers all working together to make a great book. With all this in mind, I’m actually pretty keen to share with you a whole bunch of names. These are the names of people who’ve helped out with various projects over the past few years. It’s a big list; I’ve had lots of help. You might see your name; you might see a name you recognize - I wanted to take the time to say thanks. These books wouldn’t have been possible without you!

The list
Canada:
Big thanks to: Kelly Sutherland, Henry Roberts, Don Bender, Ryan Collyer, John Creary, Dave & Anne Frick, Bryan Haggarty, Craig Kitchen, Joanne McPherson, Paul Newmarch, Ned Myopus, my Attorney Gavin Harrison and to all great people I met on the road. To My Grandma K, philanthropist, world traveler and a great Canadian – we miss you. Mom and Dad for all your support over the years, and most of all to my wife Sophie – for everything.

Caribbean Islands:
Thanks to my fellow authors, our fearless leader RVB, the dynamic editing duo of Marina Kosmatos and Lucy Monie and the cartography skills of Alison Lyall. On the islands I was showered with help from too many people to mention, here are some of the all-stars: Porter Williams, Delana Modeste, Zuri Reid, Nigel Fleming, Mark McLean, Melanie Clifton-Harvey, PJ Jones, Smitty, Ned Myopus, Adrian Nankivell and Neal Hitch & Family. And a big thanks to all of the hoteliers, restaurateurs and fellow travelers whom I met along the way, and most of all to my wife Sophie – for everything.

Cycling New Zealand:
It’s my name on the title page, but this book was most definitely a team effort. So a huge thanks to all those contributed, great and small. To my terrific editors: Janine Eberle, Bridget Blair. Kiwi cohorts and fellow LP scribes: Charles Rawlings-Way, Errol Hunt, Brett Atkinson, Peter Dragicevich and Sarah Bennett. To all the great people who opened their homes to me, pedaled trails with me and shared their experiences for the benefit of this project: Tim Miller, Alice Hill, Christian Martin, Adrian Nankivell, Debbie Nelson, Dan Gerard, Dan Bainbridge, Louise Parker, Mark Banham, Ned Myopus, Brett Black & Toby Stanton. To all the cyclists, travelers and random folks I met on the road who offered such great honest advice, thank you! To mom and dad for buying me my first bike all those years ago and to my wonderful wife Sophie – for everything.

Hawaii:
Much mahalo must go to all those that helped with this edition – first to my wonderful Editor Emily Wolman and superstar co-author Sam Benson. Cheers to the many people who helped so graciously while I was on the road: Jeff Bushman, Kyle Bernhardt, Grace Dixon, Ann Shaver, Ned Myopus, Adrian Nankivell, Toby Stanton, Chase Jarvis, Celeste Brash and Kieran O’Leary. Many thanks to Jack Johnson and Eddie Vedder for providing the soundtrack and as always to my wonderful wife Sophie - for everything. Aloha.

Lots of names and lots of help. Thanks. There are some repeat offenders in there including my wife Sophie who deserves to be thanked 4 times in this email, even more if I had the space.

The genesis of this post has a lot to do with my love of collaborative efforts on art projects. I’ve loved working with guys like Jeff Munt and the whole dDub crew, its great fun. Are you a fellow artist? Do you make music, shoot pictures, video or write words? Drop me a line, I’m always looking for the next partner in crime!
Cheers
Scott