Riding with Ghosts (Eye Classics)

Cover; Title Page; Copyright; Acknowledgment; Contents; Riding with Ghosts; Map; Introduction; Leaving Seattle; Hockney Landscapes; Big Hole Battles; Craters of the Moon; Shooting Stars; Road to the Rockies; Red Mountain Pass; Winter Wonderland; Mesa Verde; Hitchhiking Detour; Back to the Saddle; Canyon De Chelley; Navajo Days; Hopi Horizons; Border Country; South of the Border; Map; South of the Border; Floating on the Old Wharf; Beach Bums; Bag Lady; Copper Canyon; Doom Mongers; In the Steps of Pancho Villa; The House of Eleven Patios; Bad Decisions in the Valle; Testosterone Taxco.;Frank and often outrageous, this is an account of a 40-something Englishwoman's epic 4,000 mile cycle ride from Seattle to Mexico, via the snow-covered Rockies, mostly alone and camping in the wild. She runs appalling risks and copes in a gutsy, hilarious way with exhaustion, climatic extremes, dangerous animals, eccentrics, lechers, and a permanently saddle-sore backside. We share her deep involvement with the West's pioneering past, and with the tragic traces that history has left lingering on the land. When she rides the faded trails of the vanished American Indian nations sh. Frank and often outrageous, this is an account of a 40-something Englishwoman's epic 4,000 mile cycle ride from Seattle to Mexico, via the snow-covered Rockies, mostly alone and camping in the wild. She runs appalling risks and copes in a gutsy, hilarious way with exhaustion, climatic extremes, dangerous animals, eccentrics, lechers, and a permanently saddle-sore backside. We share her deep involvement with the West's pioneering past, and with the tragic traces that history has left lingering on the land. When she rides the faded trails of the vanished American Indian nations she displays a strong sensitivity to the atmosphere of the spectacular landscape, as if the moments of its vibrant past are hanging in the air, only waiting for her to conjure them up vividly--sometimes with humor, and frequently with passion. As she travels, the ghosts of Lewis and Clark, Chief Joseph and Geronimo, Custer and Crazy Horse--all the legendary figures of the Old West--ride with her Cover 1 Title Page 2 Copyright 3 Acknowledgment 6 Contents 8 Riding with Ghosts 13 Map 14 Introduction 15 Leaving Seattle 26 Hockney Landscapes 31 Big Hole Battles 45 Craters of the Moon 56 Shooting Stars 73 Road to the Rockies 91 Red Mountain Pass 103 Winter Wonderland 117 Mesa Verde 125 Hitchhiking Detour 134 Back to the Saddle 154 Canyon De Chelley 165 Navajo Days 177 Hopi Horizons 188 Border Country 198 South of the Border 207 Map 208 South of the Border 209 Floating on the Old Wharf 218 Beach Bums 232 Bag Lady 244 Copper Canyon 253 Doom Mongers 260 In the Steps of Pancho Villa 269 The House of Eleven Patios 279 Bad Decisions in the Valle 289 Testosterone Taxco 296 Bikini Anna 309 Confused in Guatemala 317 Pacific Waves 328 Rats at Sarah’s House 338 Deep Waters 350 Sandinista Country 361 Down the River 369 Dripping Trees 376 EBC,Converted Gwen Maka, a forty-something Englishwoman, was told by everyone that her dream was impossible. Gwen's solo ride takes us across the deserts and vanished Indian trails of the American West, over the snow-peaked Rocky Mountains, down Mexico's Baja coast and finally into the sub-tropics of Central America. Her journey is intertwined with the legends of past events; as she rides through unwordly landscapes, the ghosts of the American Indians and pioneers who shaped the Americas travel with her. Riding with Ghosts is Gwen's frank but never too serious account of her epic 7,500 mile cycling tour. She handles exhaustion, climatic extremes, lechers and a permanently saddle-sore bum in a gutsy, hilarious way. Her journey is a testimony to the power of determination. "First published in Great Britain in 2000, as Riding with ghosts and Riding with ghosts: south of the border"--T.p. verso.