Riding with Ghosts

Description

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.

Gwen was born in England in 1948 and spent her early years up trees, swimming and going on long bike and pony rides. In 1980 she moved to Norwich where she studied Development Studies as the University of East Anglia and later took a Masters Degree in Natural Resource Management at Edinburgh University. Now currently retired she currently lives in Norwich, England, where her passions of geology, canoeing and art are interspersed with periods of 'going somewhere'- usually involving long walks, bike rides or boat trips - with a tent.

Fascinating. -- Wanderlust Wanderlust A fantastic read. Cycling World A beautifully written book which achieves the delicate balance between poetic description, gritty humour and well-paced storytelling. Manchester Evening News Riding with Ghosts is written in a fluid and beautifully descriptive way. London Cyclist