Magic Trip

In 1964, Ken Kesey was an author who had published two popular and critically acclaimed novels, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Sometimes A Great Notion. At the same time, Kesey also had a strong bohemian streak and in the late 1950s had been a volunteer in a research experiment sponsored by the United States military on the effects of an unusual new drug called LSD. Kesey came to believe the LSD experience had the power to reshape America's psychological and spiritual landscape, and he continued using it with a handful of trusted friends and colleagues. In 1964, Kesey and several of his fellow psychedelic explorers -- including Neal Cassady, a close friend of Jack Kerouac who helped inspire the book On The Road -- bought a 1939 International Harvester school bus, fixed it up with bunks, painted it with bright, abstract designs, and set out on a cross country voyage to explore America and share their new vision with those they met.