Inspiration comes from many sources as is the case for Larry Lyon. Larry had shared the story of his uncles Joe and Arthur Lyon with his daughter Jenni many times, sharing not only the pictures from the incredible journey but sharing their spirit of adventure. What followed was years of work in tribute to his daughter Jenni.

Video of the shared Photo album from this incredible journey

Website http://manhattantomanagua.com/

Larry always shared with Jenni his dream and goal to publish a book about his uncles for the world to enjoy the remakable journey in 1930. Larry's daughter Jenni went on to an adventure of her own when she was a contestant on the CBS TV show Survivor Palua in 2004. 6 years later Jenni embarked on another journey after being diagnosed with breast cancer which she fought with every fiber of her being.   

 Larry’s daughter, Jenni, knew how important to him was to have this book published, which was made clearer when Larry found, after her death from breast cancer in 2010, a “wish pillow” containing a note written by Jenni stating her wish that the book would be published and made into a movie with her in the female lead role.

This wish, along with her indomitable spirit during her struggles with cancer, gave Larry the strength and courage to persist.  Larry plans to donate a portion of his proceeds from sales of the book to cancer awareness, research, and support in her name. He is very kindly donating a portion to Michelle's Place Cancer Resource Center in Temecula. Larry worked diligently for many years on his book to fulfil Jenni's "Pillow Wish" and it is now available on Amazon.

Larry and and Jenni's mother Jane, have been a part of Reality Rally to help raise funds for Michelle's Place since 2011 and have seen the work Michelle's Place does. 

Congratulations Larry. Your tribute fulifilling Jenni's "Pillow Wish" is admirable and now we can see why Jenni was so taken by this adventure of her Great Uncles.I have ordered mine and are excited to get lost in the pages of adventure and challenges.  

The Editor,author and nephew. 

  

1930: Manhattan to Managua, North America's first Transnational Automobile Trip. 

The ones who made it possible: The Adventurers. THE LYON BROTHERS, ARTHUR LYON & JOE LYON JR.

 

The Author.

Arthur Lyon

This book is based on 308-page typewritten and illustrated “transcript” that Arthur had written decades ago. "Central America through a Windshield" was Arthur’s account of the amazing journey he and his younger brother, Joe, had taken in 1930 from Manhattan to Managua in their 1929 Model A Ford Roadster.

BOOK ON PRE-ORDER NOW!

 Imagine setting out on a road trip in a 1929 Ford Model A Roadster, with the stated goal of traveling from Manhattan to Mexico and Central America, after only a week’s worth of preparation. This is exactly what brothers Arthur Lyon and Joe Lyon Jr. did on March 23, 1930. The Lyons acquired some camping gear, studied a few maps, and mounted in the car’s rear seat a fifty-five-gallon oil drum equipped with a gas feed for extra fuel. They divided up the princely sum of $324 in cash to fund their expedition.

The story related here is replete with the brothers’ accounts of the challenges the young men faced on their epic journey, including encounters with a fascinating cast of characters―and unforgettable brushes with fate such as a Mexican freight train that nearly ran them and their car off the rails. The amazing 1930 journey of the young Lyon brothers can be seen as the centerpiece of a larger story, of a pair of lives lived out not just as brothers but as partners in an emerging automobile age.

Read more of this remarkable story  http://manhattantomanagua.com/