Book excerpt: 1960 Wow! What a year is the eyewitness account of a year viewed by a newly minted college grad who wanted to see what life was like beyond his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Leaving his longtime girlfriend before the altar was even reserved, he headed west armed with little cash and loads of hope. The hitchhike produced not only miles of travel but a long and winding collection of the curious and remarkable from the devout Benedictine monks to the down-and-almost-out drifter relentlessly searching for a wife he could call his own. The journey starts at the outskirts of Pittsburgh. It coils its way across the continent to the fog-shrouded hills of San Francisco, then returns across parched rattlesnake country and rolling highway to the smoke-wreathed hills of home and a first job just in time to witness the Pittsburgh Pirates' 1960 World Series miracle.