Decent info, dull writing
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.
Great details a great guided how to guide
Cycling accross country is something I plan on doing some day. This book gives you a detailed route on where to go. The authors are alot older then I am which gives me hope of doing this in the next couple of years. Over all the book has great information, equal to anything you can find on the web. Which is one of the reasons I bought it. The only comment I would have would be to add even more editorials and personal ramblings on the things they saw and did.
A "must" for cross-country bikers & armchair travelers.
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.
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