One Mile at a Time: Cycling through Loss to Renewal

by Dwight Smith

This story of one man's healing solo bicycle journey, 13,784 miles around the perimeter of the U.S., is both amazing and inspiring.

Genres: Travel

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2004

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read nearly a dozen a cycle-touring books so I know the genre quite well. After reading the overview of this book I was expecting a far more personal account than what the author offered. I found this one to be a bit dry, although it still managed to inspire some wanderlust in me so a minimum 3 stars for that.

[Madalene · Rating 3 out of 5]

A record of traveling the entire perimeter of the U.S. by bike in 1984, full of bits about lessons learned on the trail and the realities of meeting people in small towns throughout the way. While the author clearly has some judgmental tendencies to work through, it's interesting to see how many people assume he needs to travel with a gun to be safe - completely contrary to the actual experience, where stranger after stranger pay for a meal, invite him to their homes for a night's sleep in a warm bed, or offer suggestions for the best roads to take ahead. I suspect that this tendency hasn't changed that much in the last 30 years, but also that being a white man in his 60s cycling alone made it easier for these very pleasant interactions to occur. Overall enjoyable, if a little dated.