Washington, D.C. is a big town, with a population density of approximately 10,000 people per square mile and a metropolitan population of more than 8 million people.  If a person in the Washington suburbs was being menaced by two murderous thugs, do you think that person could successfully escape using a horse, and not be noticed?

This is Rick Reynolds' quandry. Rick is alive today in the Washington suburbs, an avearge guy, about 30 years old. He is reasonably handsome and strong, has a good job and several interesting and equally sucessful friends. Rick has a good life but a secret in his past is coming back to haunt him. He happens to be carrying an ancient artifact that could be super valuable in the wrong hands. Rick realizes that any potential public drama or violence will cost him his hard-earned job and comfortable life. He wants to escape the pursuers and dump the artifact in a place where it can never be found. To get there, he has to cross the metro area, south to north. There are about 8 million people between Rick and the dump site, a burning abandoned mine near the Gettysburg, PA, battlefield park.

Remember, Rick needs to lose the pursuers and not draw unnecessary attention to himself or his task. Oh yeah, at some point in the chase, he has to travel, on a tight deadline, from Virginia to Maryland to Pennsylvania using a "borrowed" horse. And not be noticed! Is this possible? Actually, this chase is a central scene in the book and is absolutely realistic, based on the capabilities of a good, strong horse, available greenspace, potential places to ford the Potomac River and fortuitous directions and routing.

In other words, today in 2011 you can ride a horse from the southern suburbs of Washington to the northern suburbs all the way into Pennsylvania and not draw a lot of attention. But you have to be saavy and maybe a little bit lucky!

Along the way, you might meet famous Civil War figures, generals and everyday soldiers, world famous Indian fighters, authors and maybe even a future Supreme Court justice. You may even stumble into a Rebel-Yankee skirmish or two! So pack your Colt .44, your cavalry saber and maybe your favorite iPhone GPS app, saddle up and come along for a fast-paced, amazing ride!

Gettysburg Passage, adventure-fantasy fiction, by John Callahan, available from Amazon for just $2.99. Download a sample chapter or read the many positive reviews by readers here.

Concepts discussed in the book: ancient, lost civilizations, Babylon, Indo-Europeans, the Civil War, Gettysburg, Western Civilization, Hittites, time travel, archaeology, ancient and modern weapons, car chases, philosophy, religions, Ark and Dove, Maryland colonization