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Cycling Reflections #2
Pilgrim Spokes: Cycling East Across America
The Journey Continues... Book 2 in the Cycling Reflections series
A Captivating Adventure Reflected in Beautiful Prose
Pilgrim Spokes weaves a story around the eastern half of Hanson’s cross country bicycle journey, continuing the saga begun in his award-winning previous book, Pilgrim Wheels. More than just a journal of a bike ride across the country, Hanson’s delightful and beautifully written story takes the reader on an engaging pilgrimage of observation and reflection. often hilarious, sometimes poignant, and always inspiring, it’s a must-read adventure that will stir your soul.
A Captivating Adventure Reflected in Beautiful Prose
Pilgrim Spokes weaves a story around the eastern half of Hanson’s cross country bicycle journey, continuing the saga begun in his award-winning previous book, Pilgrim Wheels. More than just a journal of a bike ride across the country, Hanson’s delightful and beautifully written story takes the reader on an engaging pilgrimage of observation and reflection. often hilarious, sometimes poignant, and always inspiring, it’s a must-read adventure that will stir your soul.
- GenresAdventure
296 pages, Paperback
Published June 15, 2016
25 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
About the author
Neil M. Hanson
6 books23 followersA lifelong cyclist, Neil Hanson's two-wheeled adventures have taken him across America, along the Natchez Trace, and throughout northern Italy. Originally from Kansas, Neil currently lives in Colorado, where he navigates his bicycle up and down the inclines of the Rocky Mountains. His books include Pilgrim Wheels, part one of the deep and introspective journey story woven around his cross-country trip that concludes in Pilgrim Spokes, as well as a how-to minimalist-touring guide, The Pilgrim Way.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 4, 2018
Pilgrim Spokes by Neil M. Hanson is a beautiful testament to life in America. I’m not really sure what I was expecting when I decided to read Pilgrim Spokes. I thought to myself that Neil Hanson is only halfway decent at keeping an interesting journal it should be pretty good. To my delight and surprise Pilgrim Spokes is so much better than a journal and Neil Hanson is actually one hell of a writer. He records his journey with the pen of a poet and the eye for detail of an artist. The conversations are interesting and he describes the people he encounters along the way with a knack for seeing through and capturing an essential part of a person in one encounter.
I loved Pilgrim Spokes. I love unstructured travel for the sake of seeing America or anywhere else with the idea to experience Nature and people in a way that a tourist can’t imagine and probably doesn’t want. Pilgrim Spokes is part two of a journey that started in Monterey, California. The first book, Pilgrim Wheels, took the reader eastward to Medicine Lodge in Kansas. Pilgrim Spokes takes us from Medicine Lodge, all the way to Annapolis, Maryland. I didn’t read the first book but I intend to. This is some of the best journey writing I’ve ever read. The outline and structure are good but the writing is superlative. Neil M. Hanson excels at capturing dialogue and writing descriptions of beautiful places. If you dream of travel and the road you want to read this book.
I loved Pilgrim Spokes. I love unstructured travel for the sake of seeing America or anywhere else with the idea to experience Nature and people in a way that a tourist can’t imagine and probably doesn’t want. Pilgrim Spokes is part two of a journey that started in Monterey, California. The first book, Pilgrim Wheels, took the reader eastward to Medicine Lodge in Kansas. Pilgrim Spokes takes us from Medicine Lodge, all the way to Annapolis, Maryland. I didn’t read the first book but I intend to. This is some of the best journey writing I’ve ever read. The outline and structure are good but the writing is superlative. Neil M. Hanson excels at capturing dialogue and writing descriptions of beautiful places. If you dream of travel and the road you want to read this book.
June 8, 2016
Author's review: Just to make sure the caveat is out there... :) The things I like most about this latest book is that if feels much more personal and connected. I suspect that comes from the fact that there's far more dialogue in this one, not to mention that many of the experiences, feelings, and reflections shared are deeply personal.
It's been a journey for me to learn how to effectively use dialogue in a non-fiction book, learning to balance along the broad line where an exactly accurate record of the words said are on one side of the line, and a reflection of a tone and spirit of a conversation lies on the other side of the line. In this book, I've learned to feel comfortable walking along that broad line, focusing on the spirit of the true story rather than a reporters concern for an exact rendering of a conversation.
A colleague used to remind me often that there's sometimes a big difference between being "accurate" and being "precise." If we focus too much on precision, we often lose the ability to depict the real truth and accuracy of the story. In fact, it's a favorite tactic of deceit - fill an account with meaningless, contradictory, misleading, but perfectly accurate details in a way that leads the observer to the wrong conclusion.
My intent in my writing isn't to lead the reader to any conclusion, but to tell a story in the most accurate way possible, letting the reader see through the lens that colored my view of the story, trying hard to point out other lenses through which the story could be viewed. It's my hope that I've done that well with Pilgrim Spokes - as the writer of the story I feel really good about continuing to learn and grow, sharing stories like this in a way that let the reader feel what I feel and see what I see, to ride along on the adventure with me.
Storytelling.
It's been a journey for me to learn how to effectively use dialogue in a non-fiction book, learning to balance along the broad line where an exactly accurate record of the words said are on one side of the line, and a reflection of a tone and spirit of a conversation lies on the other side of the line. In this book, I've learned to feel comfortable walking along that broad line, focusing on the spirit of the true story rather than a reporters concern for an exact rendering of a conversation.
A colleague used to remind me often that there's sometimes a big difference between being "accurate" and being "precise." If we focus too much on precision, we often lose the ability to depict the real truth and accuracy of the story. In fact, it's a favorite tactic of deceit - fill an account with meaningless, contradictory, misleading, but perfectly accurate details in a way that leads the observer to the wrong conclusion.
My intent in my writing isn't to lead the reader to any conclusion, but to tell a story in the most accurate way possible, letting the reader see through the lens that colored my view of the story, trying hard to point out other lenses through which the story could be viewed. It's my hope that I've done that well with Pilgrim Spokes - as the writer of the story I feel really good about continuing to learn and grow, sharing stories like this in a way that let the reader feel what I feel and see what I see, to ride along on the adventure with me.
Storytelling.
May 27, 2020
Great read
Book two now finished and enjoyed every minute of it. He doesn't fill in to much detail of every thing so that makes reading easier to understand. I'm not good at writing reviews but when I really enjoy a book I like to let people know. There has been lots of books I would start and don't finish cause if the beginning doesn't catch my mood of the story then I won't read it. But both his books kept me reading till the end. Wonderful life.
Book two now finished and enjoyed every minute of it. He doesn't fill in to much detail of every thing so that makes reading easier to understand. I'm not good at writing reviews but when I really enjoy a book I like to let people know. There has been lots of books I would start and don't finish cause if the beginning doesn't catch my mood of the story then I won't read it. But both his books kept me reading till the end. Wonderful life.
May 25, 2017
In this second book, Neil refines his ability to pull the reader into the second half of his journey riding across the country. This is not a 'how-to' but moreso gives you a peek into the thoughts, reflections and challenges of one mans pedaling pilgrimage. An easy and fluid reading experience.
January 30, 2019
Epic Journey
A great read and wonderful writing to help you see, feel and experience the journey across country on a bike. Reflection on life and the wisdom gained through the journey shared in words was delightful.
A great read and wonderful writing to help you see, feel and experience the journey across country on a bike. Reflection on life and the wisdom gained through the journey shared in words was delightful.
June 2, 2020
Not to bad but not that great.
Skipped over a lot of the opinions and navel gazing towards the end of the book, there is just so much of it and it doesn't add to the experience, except to the author. I can take and like a little of it but not pages of pontificating. Well written and informative. This is the authors story and his experience so it's very real so take from it what you want.
Skipped over a lot of the opinions and navel gazing towards the end of the book, there is just so much of it and it doesn't add to the experience, except to the author. I can take and like a little of it but not pages of pontificating. Well written and informative. This is the authors story and his experience so it's very real so take from it what you want.
December 5, 2016
Reviewed by Ben Green for Reader Views (11/16)
“Pilgrim Spokes: Cycling East Across America” by Neil M. Hanson was a fantastic surprise. Usually I find memoirs from independent authors are a bit of a mixed bag. Generally speaking, they cover interesting events that the author experiences; for example, exciting times in history. They are also often poorly written, or if they are well written, lack any reason to be interesting. Worse, some are poorly written and have no particularly interesting or meaningful topic to comment on. “Pilgrim Spokes” however, does not have this problem. From the very first page, you can tell the author is an excellent storyteller who knows how to pull the reader into the story. Hanson crafts moments with words that read like memories in a very stream-of-consciousness style. The writing style allows you to feel like a participant in the event rather than simply someone reading about a recollection of past events. “Pilgrim Spokes” though technically a memoir, reads more like a traditional story.
There is a lot I like here; it's not just that Neil writes well. Instead of focusing on himself, he focuses on places, people, and relationships, and all of them are crafted into real, tactical things through his writing. Unlike so many other writers who simply follow a template of writing without creating characters, setting, or any real meaning, Hanson turns everyday activities like stopping for breakfast into meaningful moments by focusing on everyone except himself. The real secret here is that the book is not really a memoir as much as it is a documentary of American life east of Kansas. Neil uses himself as a backdrop to tell amazing stories about his encounters along the road. There is a decent amount of cycle jargon, which I am not qualified to speak on, as I am not a cyclist. I personally found it informative and interesting but whether an actual cyclist would or not, I cannot say.
In the end, I found “Pilgrim Spokes: Cycling East Across America” by Neil M. Hanson to be one of the most enjoyable books I have reviewed this year and I give it four out of five stars. It is hard to find anything wrong with this book. It is long and the second book in a series. The font is small and the chapters are solid; the author clearly was not trying to write a quick read or your typical $1.99 e-book. Be prepared—this might be one of those books you read with a couple books in between or on a really long road trip. It is an excellent read well worth the time if you have it. Just know what you are getting into and that if you do get into it, you won't regret it.
“Pilgrim Spokes: Cycling East Across America” by Neil M. Hanson was a fantastic surprise. Usually I find memoirs from independent authors are a bit of a mixed bag. Generally speaking, they cover interesting events that the author experiences; for example, exciting times in history. They are also often poorly written, or if they are well written, lack any reason to be interesting. Worse, some are poorly written and have no particularly interesting or meaningful topic to comment on. “Pilgrim Spokes” however, does not have this problem. From the very first page, you can tell the author is an excellent storyteller who knows how to pull the reader into the story. Hanson crafts moments with words that read like memories in a very stream-of-consciousness style. The writing style allows you to feel like a participant in the event rather than simply someone reading about a recollection of past events. “Pilgrim Spokes” though technically a memoir, reads more like a traditional story.
There is a lot I like here; it's not just that Neil writes well. Instead of focusing on himself, he focuses on places, people, and relationships, and all of them are crafted into real, tactical things through his writing. Unlike so many other writers who simply follow a template of writing without creating characters, setting, or any real meaning, Hanson turns everyday activities like stopping for breakfast into meaningful moments by focusing on everyone except himself. The real secret here is that the book is not really a memoir as much as it is a documentary of American life east of Kansas. Neil uses himself as a backdrop to tell amazing stories about his encounters along the road. There is a decent amount of cycle jargon, which I am not qualified to speak on, as I am not a cyclist. I personally found it informative and interesting but whether an actual cyclist would or not, I cannot say.
In the end, I found “Pilgrim Spokes: Cycling East Across America” by Neil M. Hanson to be one of the most enjoyable books I have reviewed this year and I give it four out of five stars. It is hard to find anything wrong with this book. It is long and the second book in a series. The font is small and the chapters are solid; the author clearly was not trying to write a quick read or your typical $1.99 e-book. Be prepared—this might be one of those books you read with a couple books in between or on a really long road trip. It is an excellent read well worth the time if you have it. Just know what you are getting into and that if you do get into it, you won't regret it.
February 12, 2017
Having read Neil's first chronicle about his cross country trek, Pilgrim Wheels, I was expecting at least the compelling narrative that put me on the road right with him. In Pilgrim Spokes, you will feel not only on the road with him but pedaling every mile he traveled, every hill, every person he met and you might even feel like you're his part time riding partner Dave.
Pilgrim Spokes is brilliantly written in the first person account only Neil could have done for this exciting adventure from coast to coast. I actually met Neil in Denver at the REI flagship store a few years ago and looked forward to reading his books. Now that I have followed him across the country in book form, I will highly recommend you do the same with this and his first book. Neil is an amazing rider and writer who not only captures his bike dreams but gives you insight to his life and probably yours too.
Pilgrim Spokes is a "I can't put it down" book and you might even shed a few tears as you read certain sections. It's that good. And you'll smile. And if you get up and your legs are sore, well, that is how good he is in telling his story. Well done, Neil!
Pilgrim Spokes is brilliantly written in the first person account only Neil could have done for this exciting adventure from coast to coast. I actually met Neil in Denver at the REI flagship store a few years ago and looked forward to reading his books. Now that I have followed him across the country in book form, I will highly recommend you do the same with this and his first book. Neil is an amazing rider and writer who not only captures his bike dreams but gives you insight to his life and probably yours too.
Pilgrim Spokes is a "I can't put it down" book and you might even shed a few tears as you read certain sections. It's that good. And you'll smile. And if you get up and your legs are sore, well, that is how good he is in telling his story. Well done, Neil!
August 22, 2016
There were parts of the book that I liked and parts that I did not enjoy.
As a cyclist, I was looking forward to the story of the epic bike ride across the country. That's why I took the publisher up on the offer for a review copy of the book. The bike ride was epic. At least this half of it. The other half of the ride from the West Coast to the middle of the country is in a separate book.
I found the introspective thoughts on the ride, and what compels him to ride, and what keeps him pedaling to Atlantic Ocean to be thoroughly enjoyable.
I didn't like the dialogue. Dialogue is hard to write. It's hard to write in fiction. It's even harder to write in non-fiction when you are trying recreate the scene and the message. I found the dialogue to be distractedly wooden. Bad enough to have stop reading the book at several points.
But like any long journey, you just have to keep turning the pedals. He does capture the joy of long bike rides:
"On one hand, this has been the adventurer of a lifetime, and I don't want it to end.... On the other hand it this unexpected sense of accomplishment that's building inside me with each pedal stroke. The accomplishment needs a ribbon tied around it, a point of completion."
As a cyclist, I was looking forward to the story of the epic bike ride across the country. That's why I took the publisher up on the offer for a review copy of the book. The bike ride was epic. At least this half of it. The other half of the ride from the West Coast to the middle of the country is in a separate book.
I found the introspective thoughts on the ride, and what compels him to ride, and what keeps him pedaling to Atlantic Ocean to be thoroughly enjoyable.
I didn't like the dialogue. Dialogue is hard to write. It's hard to write in fiction. It's even harder to write in non-fiction when you are trying recreate the scene and the message. I found the dialogue to be distractedly wooden. Bad enough to have stop reading the book at several points.
But like any long journey, you just have to keep turning the pedals. He does capture the joy of long bike rides:
"On one hand, this has been the adventurer of a lifetime, and I don't want it to end.... On the other hand it this unexpected sense of accomplishment that's building inside me with each pedal stroke. The accomplishment needs a ribbon tied around it, a point of completion."
Want to read
October 25, 2016I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways. It is autographed.
Want to read
December 14, 2016Good thoughtful read.. Less about the trip than about the adventure and reflection.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews