Beyond the Sunset, a travel memoir – Volume 1: Adventures Outside My Comfort Zone

Growing up in a small town in Pennsylvania, Sherry yearns to see beyond the limited perimeter of what she’s been exposed to. When she attends Dickinson College, just a short distance from her childhood home, opportunities ignite a flame that still burns in her today. During her senior year, she meets the love of her life, Mike Knowlton, and they embark on their first cross-country trip together. They explore the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone National Park, Acadia, and the Grand Canyon, to name just a few of their notable excursions. Before long, they find their way along the Appalachian Trail and the White Mountains of New Hampshire and eventually reach Canadian soil.

As time progresses, they fly to the Virgin Islands and then spread their wings all the way to South America, the North and South Islands of New Zealand, France, Italy, Greece, India, Nepal, Laos, Myanmar, and more. The African terrain is yet another of their destinations, where they visit Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa, among others. At each place, they build enough memories to last a lifetime and create an unbreakable bond between the two of them.

Beyond the Sunset: A Travel Memoir is the first of two volumes of Adventures Outside My Comfort Zone. It’s exquisitely written by award-winning author Sherry Knowlton. She takes readers on an adventure across the world. From the national parks of the U.S. Virgin Islands to the pristine waters of the Puerto Rican coast and far beyond, Knowlton recounts the details of each destination with clarity. She elucidates her early adoration of camping and hiking and then expresses her passion for the sea.

She and Mike become entranced with the ocean and its many wonders and share breathtaking moments like the one when they come face-to-face with a manta ray in the Polynesian island of Bora Bora. She writes, “…out of the depths of the lagoon, a giant shadow came sweeping toward us, its huge wings gracefully undulating.” She goes on to say their encounter felt like a “moment frozen in time.” Fascinatingly, she also documents one of their rendezvous with a Bengal Tiger in India. Coming close enough to touch it, she states that her paws were “as big as dinner plates” and “her golden-orange coat glowed like fire in the midday sun.”

In the final chapters of the text, Knowlton outlines some of the cultural, safety, and travel precautions to consider before sojourning far from home. Her recommendations are practical, time-saving, and thoughtful, and they range from how to blend in with one’s surroundings to registering with the State Department before departure. They’re an added bonus to an already noteworthy read. Her expertise, gift with words, and amazing photographs all contribute immensely.