R.P. Wollbaum is the eldest son of the eldest son and while his grandfather was not the eldest son, he liked to say he was the first of his family to be born in the province of Saskatchewan in Canada.
Born in Saskatchewan, RP, at a young age, moved with his family to Alberta Canada, where he has spent the rest of his life. Like the characters in his novels, RP met his partner in high school, is the father of two boys and still waiting on some grandchildren.
Being an eight hour drive from the rest of the extended clan, both paternal and maternal, visits with family were rare when he was growing up and always rewarding. His maternal grandfather sold and raised Morgan horses and RP was riding almost as soon as he was walking. Visits with his paternal grandparents were special. One of his uncles being only five years older than he. Often the old timers would converse in German when they didn't want the young ones to understand what they were saying. They thought.
Their German was mixed with a lot of English words and it did not take much to figure out what they were saying.
RP learned a lot about the early days in Canada when his ancestors first arrived in the early 1890's and even heard some stories about when his ancestors were in Russia. This sparked RP's interest in history, which has served him well in researching material for his books.
When asked the right way, RP will admit he can speak three languages. English, French and German. None of them well. He is currently trying valiantly to learn Russian.
RP was asked to join the Alberta ski team when he was younger, but declined saying it was 'boring'. He played high school football and was a member of a team that went undefeated all season, until the last play off game. The fastest player on the team, he was asked to play receiver for his senior year, but declined. He wanted to be the hitter not the hittee. Besides, other things in his life became more important. Fast cars and Marg.
When drag racing was king, RP had a 1969 Pontiac GTO with a bored out 455cuin engine. He tried his hand out at stock car racing and circuit racing but found them boring, then found his passion. Rallye. 'Nothing beats the feeling of being on the edge of control going sideways around a corner at 60 miles an hour with a 30 foot drop off inches from your rear tire.'
On the verge of receiving a national sponsor to run the Canadian ralley series. RP and Marg had a heart to heart and RP decided that since the two rug rats were now the age when they were actually little humans, it was time to hang up the helmet.
RP draws on his real life experiences for many of his back country scenes in his novels. He spent many nights in the back country wrapped up in a tarp looking up at the stars while his buddy Barney munched the lush grass beside him. Running out in the pitch dark of a -30 night, when the Chinook winds blowing in, snapped a guide rope on the wall tent. Placing a bottle of 'wobbly pop' in a pot of water on the wood stove in the tent to thaw it out enough to drink. It being so cold and still that you could hear some one having a conversation a half a mile away. Barney being buried in the muskeg up to his knees, swimming together across a river in full flood. The feel of a 2 pound trout on the end of the line, the sun coming up or going down over the mountains, the Northern lights so bright and low you can almost touch them. and most importantly, the feel of the cute blond beside you, her head on your shoulder looking deep into the camp fire.
RP and Marg were married in 1973. She was 18, he turned 19 two weeks later. At 22 years of age they became parents for the first time. An incedent in one of the novels of the series is based on real fact. A family reunion of RP's maternal extended family was being held at an uncles farm. RP and Marg hitched up the travel trailer to the trusty old 4x4 and rug rats in tow arrived. As normal, RP was immediately, mercilessly attacked by the family as was Marg. After a little while, RP found Marg in the trailer bawling her eyes out. The family had especially singled her out and once RP told her the facts of life, she was shortly just as bad as the rest of them and fit right in. RP experienced the same experience when he first met Marg's extended family in Germany and to their glee, gave as good as he got right from the start.
These days, RP can be found playing around in his large yard in Didsbury AB, or touring the country in the 'Buss', when he is not pounding on the computer working on the latest instalment of the Bears and Eagles saga.
Born in Saskatchewan, RP, at a young age, moved with his family to Alberta Canada, where he has spent the rest of his life. Like the characters in his novels, RP met his partner in high school, is the father of two boys and still waiting on some grandchildren.
Being an eight hour drive from the rest of the extended clan, both paternal and maternal, visits with family were rare when he was growing up and always rewarding. His maternal grandfather sold and raised Morgan horses and RP was riding almost as soon as he was walking. Visits with his paternal grandparents were special. One of his uncles being only five years older than he. Often the old timers would converse in German when they didn't want the young ones to understand what they were saying. They thought.
Their German was mixed with a lot of English words and it did not take much to figure out what they were saying.
RP learned a lot about the early days in Canada when his ancestors first arrived in the early 1890's and even heard some stories about when his ancestors were in Russia. This sparked RP's interest in history, which has served him well in researching material for his books.
When asked the right way, RP will admit he can speak three languages. English, French and German. None of them well. He is currently trying valiantly to learn Russian.
RP was asked to join the Alberta ski team when he was younger, but declined saying it was 'boring'. He played high school football and was a member of a team that went undefeated all season, until the last play off game. The fastest player on the team, he was asked to play receiver for his senior year, but declined. He wanted to be the hitter not the hittee. Besides, other things in his life became more important. Fast cars and Marg.
When drag racing was king, RP had a 1969 Pontiac GTO with a bored out 455cuin engine. He tried his hand out at stock car racing and circuit racing but found them boring, then found his passion. Rallye. 'Nothing beats the feeling of being on the edge of control going sideways around a corner at 60 miles an hour with a 30 foot drop off inches from your rear tire.'
On the verge of receiving a national sponsor to run the Canadian ralley series. RP and Marg had a heart to heart and RP decided that since the two rug rats were now the age when they were actually little humans, it was time to hang up the helmet.
RP draws on his real life experiences for many of his back country scenes in his novels. He spent many nights in the back country wrapped up in a tarp looking up at the stars while his buddy Barney munched the lush grass beside him. Running out in the pitch dark of a -30 night, when the Chinook winds blowing in, snapped a guide rope on the wall tent. Placing a bottle of 'wobbly pop' in a pot of water on the wood stove in the tent to thaw it out enough to drink. It being so cold and still that you could hear some one having a conversation a half a mile away. Barney being buried in the muskeg up to his knees, swimming together across a river in full flood. The feel of a 2 pound trout on the end of the line, the sun coming up or going down over the mountains, the Northern lights so bright and low you can almost touch them. and most importantly, the feel of the cute blond beside you, her head on your shoulder looking deep into the camp fire.
RP and Marg were married in 1973. She was 18, he turned 19 two weeks later. At 22 years of age they became parents for the first time. An incedent in one of the novels of the series is based on real fact. A family reunion of RP's maternal extended family was being held at an uncles farm. RP and Marg hitched up the travel trailer to the trusty old 4x4 and rug rats in tow arrived. As normal, RP was immediately, mercilessly attacked by the family as was Marg. After a little while, RP found Marg in the trailer bawling her eyes out. The family had especially singled her out and once RP told her the facts of life, she was shortly just as bad as the rest of them and fit right in. RP experienced the same experience when he first met Marg's extended family in Germany and to their glee, gave as good as he got right from the start.
These days, RP can be found playing around in his large yard in Didsbury AB, or touring the country in the 'Buss', when he is not pounding on the computer working on the latest instalment of the Bears and Eagles saga.