Miles from Nowhere: A Round the World Bicycle Adventure

Rating:
Summary: Great book for anybody interested in cycling or travel
Review: Very well written book. Not your usual travelogue. This is a real story. Unfortunately the author was killed in a cycling accident shortly after the book went to press. She was a great writer who really covered the "earthy" parts of the trip

Rating:
Summary: My favorite book of 2003
Review: When I picked this book up off of the sale table, I thought it might be a bit outdated, (having been written in the late 70's.) What a gem! The chapters on riding in the Middle East are riveting. The chapter on riding in Florida is maddening. The people Barbara and Larry meet throughout their travels are amazing. And as you finish the book, you'll feel genuine sadness that Barbara is no longer with us. I felt as though I lost a friend. With only a few weeks left in the year...I think this one will stay in the top spot for 2003.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite book of 2003
Review: When I picked this book up off of the sale table, I thought it might be a bit outdated, (having been written in the late 70's.) What a gem! The chapters on riding in the Middle East are riveting. The chapter on riding in Florida is maddening. The people Barbara and Larry meet throughout their travels are amazing. And as you finish the book, you'll feel genuine sadness that Barbara is no longer with us. I felt as though I lost a friend. With only a few weeks left in the year...I think this one will stay in the top spot for 2003.

Rating:
Summary: Opens your eyes, but be ready with a tissue
Review: With all the reviews posted here, it's hard not to sound like a "me-too" reviewer... But there are some aspects of this book that can still be called out. [FIRST] Prospective bike tourists tend to think of equipment, conditioning, and education as the tasks they need to do in preparation. But if you're taking on something as significant as a world tour, you'd better be prepared to trust your touring partner, because the stress will be on your relationship. Barbara brings this out beautifully, both in describing the changes she went through with her husband Larry, and the contrast between their growing partnership and some of the more parasitic folks they picked up along the way. [SECOND] Something Americans don't often "get," even when we take conventional tours, is how very different this country is from other parts of the world. Barbara's graphic descriptions of cycling through Egypt (frightening) and India (just very crowded and no privacy) bring this home in a unique manner. And, were the Savages brave or stupid to travel through bandit-terrorized areas of Thailand? She leaves just enough ambiguity to our imagination so that we have to think it through ourselves. [FINALLY] An activity that was for 10-mile, casual spins became a daily routine, and I hate to see Barbara and Larry boarding that plane for California at the end of their journey. I want to know that they'll continue their ride, seeking further adventures -- and it hits me hard to learn that Barbara was killed in a cycling accident while the book was at press. This book grew on me, as good stories do, and I wanted to believe at the end that I could pick up the phone and somehow invite Barbara and Larry out for a ride. I have to "settle" for doing it myself some day.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: You will be enthralled in the story as you trek across the globe with the author and her companions. Their experiences will amaze you and you will not be able to put this book down