Over the Hills: A Midlife Escape Across America by Bicycle

Rating:
Summary: An interesting journey through rural America
Review: Over The Hills is the author's narrative of his 3000 mile, 60 day bicycle journey from Washington D.C. to Santa Monica, California in the mid-1990s. Though being 54 years old, the trip was not undertaken to salve any kind of midlife crisis. The motivation for the journey was a continuation of the author's sense of adventure perhaps overly developed by years of overseas assignments as a reporter covering dangerous situations. He was not a particularly fit or experienced bicyclist, but the trip was reasonably well planned in terms of equipment and supplies, the route, and overall and daily strategies.

The book is pretty much devoid of precise statistics and numbers. Not one date is cited; daily mileage is only occasionally mentioned; and outside of an occasional reference to miles per hour, little bicycle technical data is given. However, there is a surplus of daily minutia, such as the laborious exercise of washing clothes, oiling his bicycle chain, drinking milkshakes, eating coconut custard pie, etc.

In addition, the book consists of the author's observations, both on his psychological state and on his surroundings. The state of rural America is a constant theme. Most of the journey consists of passing through unevenly dispersed, decaying towns sitting on what were once main highways, but now bypassed by the Interstate system. Though life in those towns seemed to be isolating and difficult, he found an essential goodness in those he encountered. The author's own eating, smoking, and drinking habits did not put him out of step with the locals, who were mostly indifferent or unaware of cosmopolitan society.

The journey was by no means easy. The author admits to suffering from both loneliness and nagging doubts concerning his ability to complete the trip. The hilly and mountainous terrain, especially in Virginia, Tennessee, and Arkansas, proved to be very taxing. Occasionally, the planned route had to be deviated from or in some cases proved to have some unanticipated dangers. Despite these difficulties, the author seems to only partially appreciate his incredible luck on this journey. He had no serious bike troubles, experienced no crashes, was not once ill or injured, enjoyed unusually peaceable relations with motorists and individuals, and was not rained on even once in sixty days. On some occasions he was able to fortuitously obtain lodging.

As sort of complementary information concerning his trip, the author injects bicycle history into his commentary. The bicycle has an odd history. In the 1880s and 90s bicycling became immensely popular only to decline rapidly with the advent of the automobile. And though bicycle sales have surged in recent decades and tens of millions claim to ride bicycles, bicycles remain as a peculiar fit in our society.

The trip seemed to be ultimately satisfying to the author. It was an adventure that he successfully completed. Beyond that not much remains. No enduring relationships were formed. No contact is made with those encountered on the trip. The interest in bicycling has ebbed to pre-trip levels. Yet the experience does remain.

For the various readers interested in rural America, in an extended and difficult venture, or those contemplating a similar journey, the book has merit. Just being able to come along on the author's journey and experience second hand what he encountered is very interesting and even useful. Even though the routine was pretty much the same on a daily basis, the book did not really get bogged down. And there is a map of the journey including a breakdown of the trip into segments with roads taken.

Rating:
Summary: Not a Lamb but a Tiger
Review: Over the Hills is the product of a seasoned communicator relating an adventure that many may consider but few pursue. Though he portrays himself as an ordinary guy, riding alone on his Trek from Virgina to California is a high accomplishment. He aptly describes the physical and psychological demands of such a long time on the road. He also deftly weaves the history of cycling, his professional life as foreign correspodnet with the Los Angeles Times and his experiences on the road to provide a very entertaining book for both the general reader and those that have suffered through a multiple-day tour.

I put down his book while he was in Arizona because I wanted the book to last. He could have circled north to Seattle or just turned around and gone back to the East Coast and I would have eagerly read his tale. Lamb, or his editor, shows the good sense to not provide a day to day diary. He excludes a daily recounting of mileage, weather and road conditions, diet and equipment reports. Instead he gives us bits and pieces that really convey the feel of the trip. We come to appreciate how hard it is to get on that bike day after day. He also shows us a part of America that you never see unless you are on a bicyle.

So in the end it not only a story about David Lamb's great adventure, it is another telling of the unsatiable spirit for new horizons and a cultural tour of the country. Lamb's observations of the Heartland versus the Coasts couldn't be more relevant than it is today, most recently seen on the blue and red presidential electoral college map. His accounts of his encounters reinforces that the kindness of strangers is abundant.

He left me wondering as to some of his motivation, what he did in the months prior to his trip and his life with his wife. Yet all in all it was a most enjoyable read.

I thank him for his work and welcome a sequel!

Rating:
Summary: You're never too old (or out of shape)!
Review: There's probably a million other people out there who've dreamed of doing this same thing, and it's heartening to read about an ordinary person who goes for it: no athletic icon, not someone to put on a pedestal, but the guy next door. And if you've ever wondered about the history of the bicycle, he comes across some amazing information within the small libraries scattered across America! For the armchair traveler, and also as encouragement to those of us who might just go for it ourselves, after all!