LAUREEN DIEPHOF, AUTHOR "WALKING OVER THE EARTH"
Laureen Kruse Diephof has been a world traveler most of her life, but it wasn't until she was 74 years old and took a solo journey to the Arctic Circle and Sahara Desert that her adventures resulted in a book.
“Walking Over the Earth” chronicles her exciting year-long solo journey that began in the frigid Arctic Circle, traversed half a world away to the world's most imposing desert and explored some of the world's most vast and diverse cultures.
Equipped with only a tiny suitcase on wheels, a computer bag and camera, the irrepressible Aromas, California resident relied on her resourcefulness and extensive travel experience, working out her itinerary while on the road.
“Walking Over the Earth,” which includes photos by Diephof, not only explores some of the world's most spectacular vistas, but some of the colorful people she met on her journey. The 400-page narrative has not yet been published.
Diephof is a longtime writer and photojournalist, working as a photojournalist for South County Newspaper organization in Monterey County from 199 to 2012, and writing for numerous publications over the years.
They include Going Dutch magazine in Den Haag, Netherlands; Hoopa Indian newspaper in Hoopa, California; Indian Drum newspaper in Ignacio, Colorado and the Watsonville Pajaronian in Watsonville, California.
Diephof also wrote about her journey and challenges upon returning back to the U.S. in a two-year blog, www.expatlaureen.com, which included her experience joining AmeriCorps.
She is currently writing feature stories for the Salinas Californian newspaper in Salinas, California.
She has also been asked to speak about her adventures to a variety of clubs and organizations, including the Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay; two engagements at both the Soledad and Gonzales Rotary clubs and King City Rotary Club; a private party in Soledad; at the Half Moon Bay Senior Citizens Recreation club; and GEMS at Half Moon Bay, a Methodist Church senior organization.
During her Arctic journey she was interviewed and filmed for National Icelandic Television while staying in a small Icelandic village on the Arctic Circle. She was also interviewed on King City radio station KRKC while staying in the same village. The radio interview was streamed on the Internet.
After serving as a member of AmeriCorps, where she was a volunteer coordinator for the Arts Council for Monterey County, she used the stipend she earned there to teach English at a Buddhist Pagoda in Cambodia. While in Cambodia, she was a guest on a talk radio station, answering questions from callers on-air.
Diephof was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California with a bachelor's degree in sociology. She also attended graduate school at the National University in San Diego.
In addition to her extensive travels, she has lived in The Hague, Holland, and in San Joaquin de Flores, Costa Rica.
Diephof is a member of the Central Coast Writers branch of the California Writers Club in Monterey, California. She holds a private pilot's license that she earned in Durango, Colorado. She has three sons, three grandsons and one granddaughter.
