A California cyclist has published his memoirs from a 1992 cross-country bicycle tour in the book, “Bicycling Beyond City Limits.”
Michael Foley and five other young bicyclists from Chico met each other at a weekly ride and decided to embark on the journey. The 55-day bike tour took them across 10 states and 3,300 miles from Chico to Santee, South Carolina.
The book describes the trip in 55 chapters, telling how the six deal with their moods, their ever-changing surroundings and a general lack of funds — they camp a lot.
A review in the Chico Enterprise credits Foley's descriptions of the natural world. The reviewer also quotes excerpts from the book that demonstrate Foley and his companions realize that, even though they're still in the US, much of it is foreign to the Californians.
“It almost feels like we've entered a foreign country,” Foley writes. “From … racial remarks (to) the little kid yesterday who waggled his middle finger at us.” And then there's the fried foods. “Fried chicken, fried chicken fingers, fried steak, hush puppies, french fries, and fried potatoes. Oh yeah, and white bread.” One waitress responds to their complaints: “But it's fried in real grease!”
In excerpts published online, Foley tells about their attempts to camp in a Tennessee town:
Last night, looking for directions to a camp, we stopped in at the police department. We received directions to a grassy field. It turned out to be a dirt lot with big holes. Eager for rest, we pitched camp on the baseball field instead and were asleep by eleven-thirty. An hour later, flashlight beams bounced off the tents, followed by a siren. Our new friends, the police. “You boys have to leave. Right now! I mean it, let’s go!”
While riding through Arkansas, he gets to one of the essential benefits of bicycle touring:
Every day brings some kind of new learning experience, sometimes simply through the interaction with people within their environment. Often the unexpected small town—which may not even be on the map—bears a surprise, as might its residents. Many times I wonder who would even know that such places exist, but now I can say, I’ve been there. I know what it’s like and I’ve met the people.
“Bicycling Beyond City Limits is available online” for $17.95.
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