Cycling Across North America: A Leisurely Route from Coast to Coast [Paperback]

Lue Christian (Author), Shannon Christian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 2000

The essential guide for anyone who wants to cross the American continent on a bicycle. Describes a route that's both manageable to ride and historically and scenically interesting. With detailed route maps and descriptions.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Shannon and I searched, in vain, for a book to show us it was possible for an over-the-hill couple to bicycle, unsupported, across the continent, a book that would give us: 1) a route with motels on an average of 50 miles apart, 2) a route with a minimum of tough climbs and maximum elevations around 7,000 feet, 3) a route where we would not suffer extreme temperatures. So, we would have to design our own tour, and from this we would write the first book to offer a laid-back tour for cyclists of all ages looking for a fun trip and leisure time to see the Real America.

But why not drive our proposed route, just to be certain the route we had in mind had all the elements we were looking for? We were both retired, so time wasn't an issue, and it was a good insurance policy We left in our van, pad and pencil in hand, and drove the back roads to Bakersfield, California where we took a left and climbed over the Tehachapi Mountains, headed for Barstow. There we joined Route 66 and followed it to Wilmington, 50 miles south of Chicago. We left Route 66 and headed east through northwest Indiana northeast through Michigan to Port Huron and entered Canada Threading our way through farm country, we reached Toronto, then headed north along Lake Ontario. Bordering the St Lawrence River we traveled to Montreal and on to the City of Quebec -- the end of our tour. We had tracked 3800 miles.

We could do that, we discovered. The route encompassed all our requirements. It was a go!

The preparation began when we returned home, putting together daily route instructions from the notes we had taken, figuring out a list of what to carry with us, and conditioning ourselves at a gym during the winter months. We wrote to dozens of tandem couples along our route and received 21 invitations to overnight with them on our tour.

We decided on a spring departure of April 10, weather permitting, which would get us into Quebec around the l0th of July. We couldn't have picked a better window and were only about four days off our original schedule due to storms. We rode up into Quebec City on July 13, relieved it was over but yet sorry because it had been truly the most exciting and memorable three months of our lives!

From our book we hope to lead the way for countless cyclists who feel a long tour like this is too difficult for them. All they may need is proof from an overthe-hill couple like us.

To allow a more diverse range of routes from which to begin and end the tour, we have offered three alternate routes --two from the actual West Coast, San Francisco and Santa Monica, and one leaving the Main Route in Montreal and ending in Boston, Massachusetts on the East Coast.

About the Author

Lue and Shannon Christian crossed the continent on a tandem when both of them were in their early seventies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Cycle Publishing (February 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892495244
• ISBN-13: 978-1892495242
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #432,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #95 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Cycling > Excursion Guides

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Decent info, dull writing, March 2, 2007

By 

Christopher W. Donner "cdo" (philadelphia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cycling Across North America: A Leisurely Route from Coast to Coast (Paperback)

If you are looking for information about a potential route to ride across North America, then this book is decent. There are small maps that are likely useful (although a bit too small), and admittedly very detailed descriptions of a route that is completely possible for an average cyclist. There are additional comments about the areas you are passing through, tips for food and lodging, and some advice about things like fixing saddles and replacing tires when they wear out.
However, if you are looking for an interesting narrative of a trans-American journey (which is what I was looking for when I bought this book), keep shopping. I have given up reading halfway through the book. The writing is banal and full of tired cliches and overused phrases, and the whole book is badly in need of an editor. Here's a couple of winners from around page 110, where I finally gave up:
"The vastness is almost mind-boggling for a city person." (This is what they mustered up to describe New Mexico near Albuquerque.)
and "It's truly a window into the golden era, giving you a 'deja vu' of a time warp from a Star Trek episode." (I mean, what does this sentence even mean?)
The book is full of stuff like this. You get the feeling that they made some notes in a notebook, with a side comment saying "more detail later" and when it came time to write the book just couldn't remember exactly how things felt. So, good enough, huh?
I don't want to criticize too much, because the book has some value as a detailed guidebook with passable maps (did I mention they really are a bit small to be useful?). And I do envy the Christians for what they accomplished - something that I hope to do sometime soon, although following a more meandering route. But the book really could have been published as a series of maps with some side notes and not lost a thing.
As for me, I'll be looking elsewhere for either a better narrative or a decent set of maps with a bit more detail. If I find either of those - and I'm pretty sure I will - I'll be recycling this book pretty quickly.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiration to this desk-bound, would-be cyclist!, October 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cycling Across North America: A Leisurely Route from Coast to Coast (Paperback)

This book gives me hope that I might yet embark on the bicycle trek of my dreams. The authors share anecdotes and opinions along with ample details of their impressive (at any age), journey across North America.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must" for cross-country bikers & armchair travelers., April 5, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cycling Across North America: A Leisurely Route from Coast to Coast (Paperback)

Lue and Shannon Christian's road trip adventure, published as Cycling Across North America: A Leisurely Route From Coast To Coast, begins in Fresno, California and picks up Route 66 to Illinois, and then travels through Indian and Michigan, then on into Canada, finally finishes up in Quebec City. The Christians averaged 53 miles a day, totaling over 3700 miles in all, and with very little climbing. But it is much more than just a pleasant travelogue adventure, it also services as a superlative planning guide for others seeking their own sense of wonder in a cross-country trip by bicycle. By following their established routes, fellow travelers can enjoy the sights and pleasures the Christians found when they made their three month journey. Cycling Across North America is valued and pleasurable reading for armchair travelers, and a "must" for anyone seeking a successful and memorable cross-country bike trip of their own.