Queen of the Road: The true story of a young woman's travels across the United States in the late 1960's and early '70s. (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781492999942)

Karen Powell-Riggs grew up in Detroit, Michigan and began to travel at the age of 15. She traveled over 20,000 miles when she was between the ages of 16-21, during the years 1969-1974 (hitchhiking most of the time). Her first experience hitchhiking long distance was not by choice, but after her bus ticket home was stolen at the Second Annual Atlanta Pop Festival (Jimi Hendrix's last U.S. concert before his death) in 1970. That furtive brush with hitchhiking totaled 753 miles back home. The urge to travel and a lack of money precipitated other trips in the next four years.