Chasing Zorba: A Journey of Self-Discovery in a VW Bus

In 1972, after graduating from college, Jerry Steimel set out on a cross-country road trip in a 1966 VW Beetle he called Zorba -- named after the literary figure, Zorba the Greek. In Zorba, the author Nikos Kazantzakis had created an image and a philosophy about life that inspired Steimel. Zorba’s commitment to grasping tightly to the present and living life without fear was something he strived to adopt.

On his road trip in 1972 Steimel aimed to explore America’s back roads--the country sharply divided over the war in Vietnam--and break away from his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Along the way, he sought to gain a deeper understanding of himself and the path his life would take. His goal: get to California and see what he could learn along the way.

However, the Beetle he chose for the journey suffered mechanical failure on the first day in a small town in Alabama, only 300 miles from the journey’s starting point. Resisting a return to his hometown, Steimel attempted to sustain himself in Pensacola, Florida. After a month, his resources were expended and he was forced to return to Louisville and put his dream of driving across America on the shelf.

Receiving a Masters Degree in social work, Steimel pursued a career working with disadvantaged children in a variety of settings, ultimately settling on the East Coast. He married and raised two daughters--a life well-lived--and he continued to pursue Zorba’s approach to life holding the author Kazantzakis in his mind as a mentor. But always a feeling lingered that he had some unfinished business.

Forty-five years after his first attempt at a cross-country road trip in an old VW, Steimel retired and began searching for a vintage VW bus that could help him fulfill his dream. It was 2017, the first year of the Trump Presidency and the country was again in conflict with itself. Steimel took his dream off the shelf, and in a 1973 VW bus began a new journey of self-discovery on the back roads of America. He saw the road trip as a test of how close he had come in life in his pursuit of Zorba the Greek.

It was a dream deferred, but not forgotten.

＂＂This is a story about far more than one man’s quixotic quest to recapture his youthful adventure; this is a philosophical and cultural exploration of multiple decades, while still being an entertaining and whimsical ride. There are thousands of people considering taking their lives on the road, making this a timely, amusing, and relatable read.＂ - The Self Publishing Review Book Awards.

FINALIST - 2021 NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Jerry Steimel was born in Louisville, Kentucky, where he spent his youth and undergraduate college years at the University of Louisville. He departed Louisville in 1974 to attend graduate school at the University of Chicago, receiving a Masters in Social Work. During a forty-five year career in youth work, he worked in various settings assisting disadvantaged youth. These included the court system of Chicago, a residential program in Maine, an outdoor adventure program in Massachusetts, and as the director of a shelter for runaway teens in the Boston area. The final years of his career were with Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston as Executive Vice-President of Operations. He is married and has two daughters. Now retired, he lives in Newburyport, Massachusetts--when he is not wandering the country in his 1973 VW bus.