Travels in a Strange State [Paperback]

Josie Dew (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2000

Following "The Wind in My Wheels", Josie Dew recounts more of her travels by bicycle. This time she describes a journey across America and Hawaii, on which she met a variety of unusual characters and experienced incidents which aroused a wide range of emotions. During her eight months on the road she saw race riots in Los Angeles, suffered intense heat in Death Valley, and witnessed sexual tantric seminars in Hawaii. From Utah to the Great Lakes, via improbable places such as Zzyzx and Squaw Tit, she offers a personal memoir of the United States as seen from the seat of a bicycle.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'an action packed and entertaining tale...' 19 Magazine 'it is her well-developed sense of the ridiculous which makes her adventures so entertaining.' TODAY 'You might not let your daughter do it. But then again, if she could produce such an entertaining book as this, you just might.' GUARDIAN --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Josie has cycled 280,000 miles across 43 countries, some by accident. The survivor of 5 continents, several wonky knees and a handful of worn-out bottom brackets, she is still firmly fixed in the saddle. WIND IN MY WHEELS was shortlisted for the 1992 Travel Writer of the Year Award. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown UK (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0751505757
• ISBN-13: 978-0751505757
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 3.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,075,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Single white female crosses USA on two wheels? Huh?, June 18, 2000

By 

Lynette Chiang (Eugene, OR, USA (since March 2001)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Travels in a Strange State (Paperback)

Lone women adventurers are a rare breed. And when you add two skinny wheels and a small tent you become the subject of both admiration and suspicion wherever you dare to peddle - are you alone? Aren't you scared? Isn`t it dangerous? Are you married? Why not? Do you have kids? Why not? Are you looking for a boyfriend? Why not? As a lone female cycle-tourer of three years running I was excited and reassured to read of Josie's enthralling zig-zag across the States, a land of big empty spaces, thundering 24-wheeled lorries and crazies hiding behind bushes with sawn-off shotguns, according to every third cyclist you talk to. ''Little lady, if you're not going to (insert foul request here), you'd better get the hell outta my way", a travelling friend once recounted. So I was comforted to read of the incredible warmth and hospitality of the American people she peddled into in between the long, lonely and dusty stretches. The book is written in an upbeat, positive style, as you would expect from a fearless 20-something lass. It is perfect to inspire the younger female cyclist or she who craves to progress from the safety but relative restrictiveness of bicycle-club touring. For older (35+) cycle tourists, of which there are a majority since it is a recreation that begs for more money and time, the recounting might seem a little lightweight, for it is not tainted by the weariness and 'why the hell am I doing this, if I see another stone circle I will scream' that creeps in as you cover more and more bitumen and gravel track. The book simply says, cut loose girl, there's a whole lotta highway and byway out there to explore, and you can do it. I have cycle-camped alone in supposedly edgy places like Nicaragua and Cuba but the States still remains a scary prospect. I'll just have to read this book again before I go!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Go Girl!, November 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Travels in a Strange State (Paperback)

Josie Dew continues to be a fun read. Her delight in Bryce Canyon was a joy to read. She is a gutsy, young woman with a sense of humor. I hope she keeps cycling and keeps writing. I also recommend Wind In My Wheels.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars plenty of fizz but wheres the soda, March 17, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Travels in a Strange State (Paperback)

the intrepid Josie Dew is back on her bike again.this time its coast to coast via a straight line right through the heart of the good old u.s.ofa.I cant wait until she comes to Australia so she can tell the world how sunny the continent is,how friendly the people are and how much like the rest of Europe we turned out to be.