A Hole in the Wind: A Climate Scientist's Bicycle Journey Across the United States

by David Goodrich

An epic bicycle journey across the American hinterland that explores the challenges of climate change alongside a diverse array of American voices.After a distinguished career in climate science as the Director of the UN Global Climate Observing System in Geneva, David Goodrich returned home to the United States to find a nation and a people in denial. Concerned that the American people are willfully deluded by the misinformation about climate that dominates media and politics, David thought a little straight talk could set things right. As they say in Animal House, he decided that "this calls for a stupid and futile gesture on someone's part, and I'm just the guy to do it." Starting on the beach in Delaware, David rode his bike 4,200 miles to Oregon, talking with the people he met on the ultimate road trip. Along the way he learned a great deal about why climate is a complicated issue for many Americans and even more about the country we all share. Climate change is the central environmental issue of our time. But A Hole in the Wind is also about the people Dave met and the experiences he had along the way, like the toddler's beauty pageant in Delaware, the tornado in Missouri, rust-belt towns and their relationship with fracking, and the mined-out uranium ghost town in Wyoming. As he rides, David will discuss the climate with audiences varying from laboratories to diners to elementary schools. Beautifully simple, direct, and honest, A Hole in the Wind is a fresh, refreshing ride through a difficult and controversial topic, and a rich read that makes you glad to be alive.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Travel, Environment, Cycling, Climate Change, Nature

277 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 6, 2017

Reviews

[Brady · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted so badly to like this book, but was disappointed. Who edited this thing? I can't really blame the author - he's a climate scientist who had a good idea. The editor couldn't put it together very coherently. Would have loved to have a better mix of climate science (both the author's observations from his ride as well as the actual science and data behind it) woven in with info about the ride. It was too disjointed and unfocused. The author was very interested in some Native American history and the Underground Railroad, but it derailed any momentum he was building about the climate science. In my opinion, that's the editor's problem more than his. He also interspersed observations from several other distance rides he'd done over the course of 16 years. Again, this could be interesting information in building a story, but it felt like it was haphazardly pieced together to the point I was having trouble keeping track of which trip he was referring to. It's too bad - this book had a tremendous amount of potential but never lived up to it. Maybe there wasn't enough meat to his stories from the road - I have no idea. But it could have been so much more.

The appendix at the end where he really gets into the climate science is great stuff - if he could have woven that more into the book, I think it really would have had a great impact.

[Katie Atmakur · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so incredible i love every page of it the author of it is so talented!!

[Lori Grecco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part travelogue, part history lesson and part scientific study, A Hole in the Wind provides an incredibly accessible look at climate change and its everyday impact in our country. Thankfully Goodrich's message resonates with hope and good humor. I'm not a cyclist, but this book had me browsing the websites of local bike shops. I will definitely be recommending this read to others.

*I received a copy of this electronic ARC from NetGalley*

[daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

i'm embarrassed to say it took until new jersey phase #2 to read MY GODFATHER's book, but y'all, my godfather wrote a book and jan kublick is a character.

[Booknblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for travel books and especially those involving slow travel of walking, bike riding, kayaking, rowing or walking with a donkey. I've recently discovered a sub-genre of these, of people traveling long distance for a cause as Walk to Beautiful: The Power of Love and a Homeless Kid Who Found the Way , Jimmy Wayne walks across the US to highlight the needs of foster children, andTrespassing Across America: One Man's Epic, Never-Done-Before (and Sort of Illegal) Hike Across the Heartland, Ken Ilgunas walks the length of the Keystone Pipeline to bring attention to it and the environmental dangers. A Hole in the Wind: A Climate Scientist's Bicycle Journey Across the United States by David Goodrich is one such book. Upon retirement Goodrich decided to bike across America to see for himself how climate change was effecting the country and get grassroots impression of people's reaction to it:

Climate’s not really that complicated, and I thought that I could explain it if given the chance. As I approached retirement, the idea came that maybe I could just ride my bike across the country and talk with people. My inspiration came from the movie Animal House: “This situation requires a really futile and stupid gesture on somebody’s part, and we’re just the guys to do it.”

To be clear Goodrich is no light weight he has had a long and distinguished career in climate science. As his publisher states, "David Goodrich worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and served as the Director of the UN Global Climate Observing System in Geneva, Switzerland. He retired as head of NOAA's Climate Observations and Monitoring Program. In addition to his cross-country bicycle trip, he has ridden down the Appalachians and across Montana, South Dakota, France and Spain. He lives in Maryland.." It is great reading a book written by an expert, but perhaps as important is the ability to spin a good yarn and describe scientific details in such a way that it is easily understandable to the lay person and Goodrich pulls that off with ease.

By riding along with Goodrich we can see the effects of climate change from the erosion and disappearance of the barrier islands on the Atlantic coast, the increasing frequency of storms in the midwest, the heightened summer temperatures in the great plains, the dying off of lodgepole pines in the Rockies and the increasing number of fires in the west. Along with that we get an interesting look at America on bicycle.

The one element which I marked the book down for a bit was that he included a few other bicycle trips which he took in the book and it was not immediately clear that he either moved forward or back in time from his Trans-am trip in 2011.

For anyone who is interested in climate science, I would encourage you to read this book. It made the Forbes list of important ecological books to read this year.

[Helen Marquis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel tempted to buy several copies of this book and send it to all the idiots in the White House who just withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement, but I guess they'd just dismiss it as fiction, and then make a big bonfire out of them, thereby increasing their pollution output...
This is a factual account of one climatologist's journey from the East Coast of the US to the West Coast on a bicycle, during which he bears witness to the irreparable damage that mankind is exacting upon our planet. From sea level rises submerging parts of the East Coast, to a new Dust Bowl developing in the flyover states, to forest devastation, to fracking, to waste management, all the evils that man does are encapsulated here.
This book should act as a screeching alarm that the time to act is now. Climate change is real and happening now. In lieu of strong leadership, the onus of responsibility now remains with the people. If you want your children to have a planet that is still inhabitable. An extremely timely essential read.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Hole in the Wind features a retired climate scientist touring from Delaware to to Oregon, speaking with people along the way about how climate change is impacting their lives. Having studied climate and ocean dynamics for decades, Goodrich was disappointed at how politicized the subject became, and hoped to communicate the reality better from his informal, two-wheeled vantage point. Goodrich also connects some of his prior bike tours across parts of the US to the narrative, particularly when they're relevant to his mission, as when he compares two fire seasons across the same stretch of road. Moving from Delaware to Oregon, Goodrich observes highly specific expressions of environmental impact: eroding barrier islands in the east, poisoned groundwater in the midwest, dying trees from beetles that short winters do not kill, declining aquifers, and the longer, more severe fire seasons in the west. Although this train of disasters might make the book sound gloomy, most of its content is based on Goodrich's bicycle journey, particularly the friendly people he meets along the way, and the challenges inherent in biking thousands of miles, through rain and hail and fire season. (Only wind deters Goodrich: the flatlands of the American interior proved more challenging than Pennsylvania hill country, as headwinds stopped him in his tracks. I think Goodrich is on the right track on communicating science; stories of how ordinary people's lives are being challenged and stressed -- not from potential threats but from a visibly deteriorating environment -- work better to drive the point home.

[audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A memoir of bicycling across the United States, a thing I am always very much in favor of, paired with a lot of data and observations on climate change. The two... don't really blend very successfully.

The author stated that he set off across the U.S. to talk with people about climate change, and that happens maybe four times total. The rest of the time, the author reminisces about climate change organizations that he's led (this is the tale of his immediate post-retirement ride) and talks about the big climate picture.

So... kind of what it says on the tin?

I did enjoy the author's tales of bicycling, especially as he embarks on the trip as an older person, and it's one of a number of bikepacking trips he's taken, so he shares observations on what bits of the landscape have changed in the intervening years, and how. Ditto for how well his knees held up throughout.

One thing I did have trouble with was that at multiple points during the book the author remarks not just that he's meeting nice people / people are treating him well, but that he simply can't understand why anyone would feel nervous about bikepacking by themselves, or riding by themselves, because there's no danger at all from other people!

Sir, I--

MMMMf. GRAH.

If it had come up once, I'd have blown it off like, oh, you're not someone who other people who've had terrible experiences can confide in; different (pedal) strokes, etc. But he brings it up at least half a dozen times: why would you feel nervous about riding by yourself? There's no danger! He can attest to that! He never felt in any danger, silly!

And when you spend more time willfully ignoring the danger of traveling solo in the United States for different types of people than you do talking to people about climate change, it makes me wonder what the actual agenda was here. Good writing, though.

[Mubeen Irfan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A climate change scientist, who has worked in Geneva for a UN observatory, and an avid bicyclist decides to ride from east coast to the west coast with an aim to ask people on the way as to what they think about changing climate, while experiencing impacts of weather on his ride.

Global warming, ocean warming & acidification, tornadoes, rising sea levels, flooding, rampant wild fires, insects cleaning out forests etc are all those impacts which the CO2 increase has brought to the world. But the author has not given up on this world, yet. If the world can mend the depleting ozone layer through sheer will and enforced policies, we can do the same with global warming.

It's an easy read which is a part travelogue where the author touches American history of the towns and states he passes through. Solid 4 stars.

[Kristopher Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dangerous book that gives me ideas for a long ride of my own . . .

[Erhardt Graeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a charming travel book that makes you want to try long distance adventure cycling, perhaps for the meditative experience but mostly for the chance to earn a fraction of the stories the author David Goodrich collects about the changing face of small town America, the American landscape, and our global climate. As a retired climate scientist with decades of experience at the intersection of climate science and policymaking, David is well positioned to connect the reality of climate change to the small and large impacts it's having across the United States. He offers some of the best break downs of what climate change is and how to understand the way it is changing the weather and the day to day experience of people connected to the land in deep ways (hint: this is all of us in the end). He ends the book with a reality check about contemporary political debates and what we can and should be doing to address humanity's role in accelerating global warming. I'm really pleased with this choice for Olin College of Engineering's 2019 summer reading.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part memoir about cross-country bike trips, part historical reference, and part climate change book.
The day-to-day things the author sees drive home the point that our world and climate are changing right now.

[Doug Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a cyclist, I had high hopes for this book, but was ultimately disappointed. For one thing, although he made his main cross-country trip in 2011, there were several other shorter trips in the past few years. He would often digress into talking about one of these and I occasionally got lost as to which trip he was talking about. Also, as soon as he disclosed the time of year and direction he was riding (east to west), I automatically knew what he was in store for, so had a bit less sympathy for his days and miles of fighting headwinds, and his later struggles over the mountains that occurred toward the end of the trip instead of the beginning.

The book, though, was mainly about climate change as he saw it occurring across the country. This was interesting at first, but soon became repetitive and a bit heavy-handed. I know a good bit about this and don't need to be convinced, so a lot of this was a bit tiresome to keep reading.

What I did enjoy were some of his shorter trips with a historic theme, such as following the trail of the Nez Perce Indians. This was where I did find something new and of interest since I was not familiar with the details of that story.

Someone new to cycling and/or climate issues might find this book to be more interesting than I did, and would rate it higher.

[Art Enyedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Hole in the Wind is the chronicle of David Goodrich's ride across America. Goodrich was a climate scientist before retiring; he worked on ships, collected satellite data, and managed a large international agency to gather more information. After retirement, Goodrich decided he to ride across the country, and speak to Americans about climate change and why it is so important. Yet the book actually contains almost no record of conversations with ordinary citizens about climate change. Goodrich says Americans will freely talk about floods and droughts, but mention global warming, and suddenly no one will talk any further. Climate change is the topic that shall not be named. He mentions climate change to some midwesterners, but senses immediate hostility and so drops the subject, lest they accidentally run over his bicycle further down the road. Goodrich makes his ride in 2011, I imagine the situation would be even more intense ten year later - climate change is even more apparent, but the denial is even more virulent.

Goodrich makes four big mistakes on his cross country ride (I rode from Seattle to Washington D.C. in 1989, so I have an understanding of what his trip was like).

Mistake #1: Goodrich rides alone. Yes, he was successful, but this is a foolish, dangerous choice. (I rode with two other friends). It is amazing that Goodrich was able to push himself through such challenges while riding on his own. If I had faced such obstacles by myself, I probably would have quit.

Mistake #2: Goodrich carries too much stuff. We made the same mistake, our bikes weighed 50 lbs at the start. One of the advantages of traveling with companions is that the weight of the tools can be spread between more riders, Goodrich has to bring it all himself. On page 234, Goodrich lists all the items he brought. I would discard some of the clothes, all the cooking gear, and probably the tent/sleeping bag too - and rely on traveling from motel to motel. We found ourselves getting rained upon so much that we ended up in motels a lot of nights just to dry out the tent from the previous nights soaking. Goodrich describes pushing his bike up some of the steep hills in the Appalachians. We never had to walk our bikes, but his description of the steepness of the roads is spot on. Crossing the Appalachians was much harder than crossing the Cascades or Rockies.

Mistake #3: Goodrich starts much to early in the season. He begins his ride on May 1st, and spends 3 months riding - meaning he finishes in July. May and June are the wettest months. Goodrich is a climate scientist - how could he make this mistake? Of course he gets soaked. (We started June 1st, which also was too early, but moved up our original start date of July 1st because the wife of one of my fellow riders was pregnant and due in September. Originally, we planned to start riding on July 1st. Because we rode in June, we got soaked as well, though it sounds like Goodrich's storms were worse than ours). If Goodrich had started on July 1, his three months of riding would have been July, August and September and he would have had a much drier experience.

Mistake #4: Goodrich rides from East to West, from Delaware to Oregon. It is an incredible mistake, an amazing blunder to be made by a professional climatologist. The prevailing winds are from West to East, and, as any cyclist knows, riding into the wind is hard. When we came down from the Rocky Mountains (we rode the Northern route of the TransAm), the wind blew us across Montana and North Dakota. We literally sailed. The wind is so strong and so constant that we could go up small hills without even pedaling. One day, we rode 137 miles without hardly trying. It took us 40 days to ride from Seattle to D.C. Goodrich, however, has to fight that wind every day. It must have been exhausting. I was just 28 years old when we rode across, Goodrich is retired, and yet found the strength to fight his way through. It would have been so much easier if he had just gone the other way. The title of the book, A Hole in the Wind is Goodrich's dream that the wind would simply stop and he could just ride in peace.

The book contains a section where he describes later rides - in particular, a ride Goodrich did in 2014 from Illinois to South Dakota, gets a couple of chapters where Goodrich digresses to talk about his ride in South Dakota to Stronghold Table. Most confusingly, the chapter about his South Dakota adventure was followed by a chapter about riding through Nebraska - I thought the narrative had returned to his cross country ride. But Nebraska was followed by a chapter on riding across Kansas, which made no sense. I finally figured out that the Nebraska chapter was also part of his 2014 ride to South Dakota.

A later section describes a ride through Idaho and Montana during the fire season of 2000. Again, I got confused about which chapters were describing his TransAmerica ride and which sections were about his earlier ride. Goodrich rides over the Going-to-the-Sun highway in Glacier National Park. That was also part of our itinerary on our cross-country ride, but when we got to Glacier in June, we were told that the Going-to-the-Sun was still buried under snow and was being cleared by front-end loaders to move the huge drifts. We ended up crossing the Rockies at Marias Pass, the lowest pass over the Rockies north of New Mexico.

Goodrich chooses to end his book on an optimistic note. Yes, altering climate change will be hard, but humans can wean themselves off of fossil fuels. He points to the success of restoring the ozone layer as an example of humans correcting a catastrophic mistake. I am more fatalistic than Goodrich. The ozone hole was not politicized by wealthy, nihilistic sociopaths who apparently care nothing about the fate of future generations. The challenges facing mankind over the next 100 years are enormous. Will humanities billions be reduced by war, famine and natural disaster? Or will people around the world work together for the common good of all?

Goodrich mentions in his book that he has ridden the Camino de Santiago. I hope he does a writeup about that experience, because that sounds really interesting.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodrich paints a grim tableau of a world reeling from climate change. The book recounts his cross country venture to witness firsthand the ever worsening effects of climate change, from coastal communities and small islands like Tangier Is. being inundated to forests in the Rockies ravaged by the pine bark beetle which is no longer controlled by less frequent winter cold temps. On a lighter note, Goodrich’s description of his cross country bike ride is instructive for anyone who plans the same. This is a very important read for anyone who cares about people and the health of the planet.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long trail cyclists will enjoy the trail stories the author shares. He includes side trips from other rides, which can throw the reader off the East to West narrative. There is some about climate change, but as the author finds out, people don't want to talk about it- but will share their weather change observations.

[Preston Pendergraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I don’t give hardly any 5 stars but this book is really that good. Loved the part about the guy running out in the street with the mask and pitchfork. I laughed for 15 mins over that. Learned a lot about climate change too without boring/dry technical writing. Really like the author and his writing style, hope he writes another book!

[Sara Goldenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it a lot. Interesting subject and well written!

[Tony Valente · Rating 5 out of 5]

So there I was, in a small book store, just before the Seattle to Portland. Ghese days I prefer to read on Kindle. But I love small independent book stores. So when I stumbled on a book that combined two of my passions, science and cycling, the book just jumped into my hands. Damn I am glad it did...

n 2011, David Goodrich retired from being a Climate Scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Some people at retirement look for a rocking chair, others look for an RV.

David decided to ride across country from Maryland to Oregon on a bicycle. Being one who is approaching his mid 50s, I love stories like this.

But there is more...

Being a climate scientist, he tool the trip to document the effects of climate change and, when possible, help educate people about it. 

Some may think this is a strange combination. Why would someone use a bike to do this?

Well, first off, there is no better way to see and experience the world than from the back of a bike.  Hemmingway once said: 

“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.”

Given his past vocation, he had traveled much of the Untied States in the past, on and off the bikes. This trip on a bike allowed him to see the effects of the warming climate as well as talk to people along the way. He spoke to high school science classes as well as mid-west farmers. He wove in science with his battles with headwinds. In short this was a book that was at the same time entertaining, educational and thought provoking. 

He fully admits that there are people, mostly of the same political influence, who will flat deny that humans have any effect on climate. These same people, though, can provide anecdotes of the vast changes that have happened in a very short time. Dryer hotter years, more severe storms, longer droughts, and major crop failures. 

He points out time and time again that YES climates do go through changes. They always have. But these changes take centuries, not decades! The Carbon Dioxide we keep pumping into the air makes it worse, and will continue to do so.

As Goodrich points out, the winters are shorter, the snowpack is less, and the fire season continues to get longer. All due to Climate change. He also goes into great detail about the trees dye offs due to bark beetles. The winters simply are not cold enough to kill them anymore. It is devastating the trees in the rockies, and has worked its way into Idaho. How long till it hits my Cascades?

He is not a doom and gloom. He points out that the world came together in 1987 to sign the Montreal Protocol. This ended the use of the chemicals that were killing the ozone layer. If we can do this once, we can do it again. (AKA Paris Accords...). If we don't, though, I worry my grandkids will not enjoy the snowcapped Mt Rainier I grew up with. 

I myself have seen how far the Nisqually Glacier has receded since I was a kid of the 70s. Goodrich tells that its probably too late to save the glaciers in Glacier National Park, but maybe we can keep the Cascades white in the winter.

David is an excellent story teller. He is able to tell the story of this trip, while comparing it to later rides, as well as historical events. He weaves in Lewis and Clark, the Underground Railroad as well as gold rush and the pioneers. He succeeded in teaching more about the climate than I ever knew, as well as making me want to ride cross country on the bike. 

In short, this is an excellent cycling and science book! I invite anyone who has ever considered a cross country ride, or wants to know more about what we are doing to the world to read this.

I give it 5 stars! 

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, an informative yet entertaining and accessible book about climate change that allows lay readers like me to understand how climate change is affecting the lives of real people all across the United States.
The author knows his subject. He also spent over 25 years studying this subject for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including career-capping stints as the head of the U.S. Global Change Research Project in Washington, D.C., and as the director of the UN Global Climate Observing System office at the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.
Most of the material for his book, though, comes not from his studying the topic. Rather, the book chronicles the authors 4200-mile bicycle tour across the United States from Maryland to Oregon in 2011 and his encounters with people affected by climate change. It has updates on the Dakota Access pipeline (which I feel like I understood for the first time) and the current administrations decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.
Whenever I read these stories, whether its sailing around the world or climbing Mt. Everest, Im always fascinated by the mechanics of how they did it. This book as all of that, too, and will have special meaning for bicyclists. One of his most fascinating chapters is an appendix detailing how he packed his bicycle for a three-month excursion.
Goodrich is a history buff, too, and his adventure is filled with historical anecdotes along the way. He traveled along portions of the Underground Railroad, and he tells the story of a shawl worn by a free black man who died in John Browns raid at Harpers Ferry, which according to the story he was told, would eventually swaddle Langston Hughes. He recounts the stories of Lewis and Clark, the massacre at Wounded Knee, and Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce.
Cyclists, adventurists, historians, and naturalists all will enjoy this book, whose larger message is something each of us needs to read.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fabulous book! Written in spare and elegant prose, this thoughtful story brings the reader along on the journey of a lifetime as the author (a retired climate scientist) pedals his way from sea-to-shining-sea, starting at Marylands Eastern Shore and riding all the way to the Pacific coast of Oregon.
On the face of it, the ride is about observing our changing world in an era when rising temperatures are transforming the face of the land and the sea, and challenging our every notion of what the future holds for our communities and our planet. Beneath, however, is the tale of a humble man who through endless tenacity and a well of patience struggles through rain and cold and heat and fierce winds, minutely observing all that he sees to bring us an up close and personal view of the state of our world. Along the way, he gathers what he calls land storiessome poignant, some uplifting, some deeply worryingbut all remarkable for what they teach us about our fellow citizens, our shared history, and this global ecosystem which must be protected if it is to sustain generations yet to come.
The book is full of meticulously researched scientific information, wry observations, witty insights, and just enough daring-do to keep a reader turning the page. I felt like I was along for the ride, soaking up from the comfort of my armchair the feel of the Chesapeake Bay in winter, the thigh-burning inclines of the Alleghenies, heart-pumping encounters with unpredictable canines, and glorious views of hills and plains and barrier islands.
This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to get past the rhetoric of the global climate change debate to understand at the county, community, or even individual level what global warming means for health and livelihoods and environmental preservation.

[Mike Koob · Rating 5 out of 5]

My local newspaper, The Frederick News-Post (Maryland) published my letter:
Author talk at The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center last week was so relevant to our urgent task to care for our common home.  Climate scientist and long distance bicyclist David Goodrich wrote “A Hole in the Wind” in which he describes the many ways and places we are ruining or seeing ruin of our planet including the fracking abomination conducted in Pennsylvania.  Thank goodness Maryland decided this last legislative session to ban hydraulic fracturing for gas.  That was a fantastic decision.  A proposed fracked gas pipeline under the Potomac River near Hancock connecting pipes in Bedford, PA to Winchester, VA is now in review.  There are unique water quality risks in the porous rocks this pipe would be buried in.  There is no reason to construct what we in tax work call 35 year property for a 20th century fuel. We need to rapidly build clean renewable energy. We need to electrify our energy and leave fossil fuels in the ground. Governor Larry Hogan has the authority to deny the 401 Water Certification Permit under the Clean Water Act for the Potomac Pipeline.  He ought to deny that permit.

[MaryJo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would like this book better than I did. I picked it from a list of "classic" books about the environment that came out around Earth Day. David Goodrich is a retired climate scientist who had worked at NOAA and served as the director of the UN Global Climate Observing System in Geneva, and this is the story of a trans America bike ride he took from Maryland to the Oregon coast in the spring and summer of 2011. He also interjects accounts of other long bike rides he has taken, some with other people. Unfortunately the writing is clunky, and the discussions of the other trips are not well integrated into the book. Also, I did not really learn much about climate science or about ways of talking effectively with people who have different opinions. If I were planning on a cross-country bicycle trip, this book would be useful for its information about what went well and what was difficult about the ride. I admire the effort of this trip, but the account was disappointing. I would have liked a richer account of his experiences with people along the way.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Dr Goodrich's book on a sunny Sunday afternoon in our backyard. It felt like watching a good movie.

Dr Goodrich's book is entertaining. But I also learned a lot about climate change, about riding a bicycle across the United States and about the kindness of strangers. There is something very appealing about riding your bike through this vast country. Dr Goodrich makes it clear that it is a safe and satisfying endeavor. He is not sugarcoating his experience. On his journey he had some close calls. Inclement weather, dehydration, exhaustion.

This book is for bike lovers and climate change activists alike. It will educate you about what climate change is doing to this country, about how to find inner strength in the face of adversity, about receiving unexpected help from strangers. You will also get to know Dr Goddrich, a truly remarkable person.

I wish I had enough gumption to ride my bike across country. This book makes you want to.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part travelogue, part history book and part call to action, David Goodrich's book was truly a delight to read - especially right now when most of us aren't going anywhere. I lived vicariously through him as he cycled his way across the United States, and introduced me to diners, coffee shops, and terrible-sounding motels in small towns along the way. I appreciated that he grounded his travelogue in the history of the land, its people, and quite often the horrors and injustices of colonization. Many quotes felt prescient for our current time and challenges. I also enjoyed the final chapter's summary of climate change, the challenges associated with making real and important headway toward reversing the warming trend, and the overall sense of hope and optimism that Goodrich has in humanity. I'm going to go adjust my air conditioner, and you should go pick up this book.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Hole in the Wind is a refreshing look at the impact of climate change on our country. Neither preachy nor political, scientist Goodrich eloquently presents us simply with what he sees on his bicycle journey across the nation. As we ride along, Goodrich pumps the reader full of current fact, rich American history, and a scrapbook of American lives touched by the economic, social, political, and scientific issues of our changing climate. Rarely is a book so full of fact a page-turner, but this one is just that. The authors warm humor and journalistic eye for detail make this a very readable and enjoyable book. "Sometimes," says Goodrich, "a glimpse of the past can provide us a clue to the future."

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Hole in the Wind is a refreshing look at the impact of climate change on our country. Neither preachy nor political, scientist Goodrich eloquently presents us simply with what he sees on his bicycle journey across the nation. As we ride along, Goodrich pumps the reader full of current fact, rich American history, and a scrapbook of American lives touched by the economic, social, political, and scientific issues of our changing climate. Rarely is a book so full of fact a page-turner, but this one is just that. The authors warm humor and journalistic eye for detail make this a very readable and enjoyable book. "Sometimes," says Goodrich, "a glimpse of the past can provide us a clue to the future."

[Donna Charlevoix · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of the journey of a cyclist from Delaware to Oregon, mainly focused on the process of riding across the U.S on a bicycle and also interspersed with observations on the state of climate in each state he passes through. The book is a relatively quick read with chapters organized by the states he passes through. He keeps out mundane detail but provides enough background setting to recognize the challenge (and fun) of riding every day for 3 months. The narrative is intermingled with his meetings with local folks who often talk to him about the weather and how it's changing of late. I was less of a fan where he veers off to talk about previous rides and where he provides some historical detail around why he's chosen some of those previous rides.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the read, especially the author’s descriptions of his travels, the people he met, and how he dealt with challenges. Goodrich has a self deprecating, warm sense of humor. That seems like a gift for one setting out to ride across America. He chose routes often for personal interest. I would have never thought to ride through the South Dakota badlands to see Wounded Knee. Now I would like to.

He wrote a section about global climate change, something expected since he’s a climate scientist. His comment that climate change was a conversation killer on his trip across America rung true, if sad for him.

Goodrich’s final chapter was a review of equipment. It validated decisions I’ve made recently on my own bicycle touring.

[Bob Rapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book held my interest throughout. The author thankfully avoided a daily journal approach and instead provided details of specific events or people he encountered. Although it flowed from east to west with state by state maps occasionally the author interjected information from another ride he had done over approximately the same section of the country. These were also interesting but a bit confusing the way they were presented.

He provided good information regarding bike touring and told a good story with the additional facts and truths concerning global warming. At times he repeated the same information but it is a crucial cont of our existence. At least he provided some glimmers of hope that we may slow or stabilize the warming.