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Bicycling beyond the Divide: Two Journeys into the West
by
Daryl Farmer
On a journey begun twenty years earlier, Daryl Farmer, a twenty-year-old two-time college dropout, did what lost men have so often done in this country: he headed west. Twenty years later and seventy pounds heavier, with the yellowing journals from that transformative five-thousand-mile bicycle trek in his pack, Farmer set out to retrace his path. This is his story of purs...more
Hardcover, 331 pages
Published
March 1st 2008
by University of Nebraska Press
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"It's not about the bike," as Lance Armstrong would say. This book is about Daryl Farmer twenty years ago and Daryl Farmer now, looking back on his headstrong naivete when he biked a loop around the West with no cell phone, no bank card, and little regard for food or planning. The older Daryl Farmer is looking to reconnect with his past and with the West of his dreams when he sets out to ride that route again. I read this one slowly, feeling like I was going along for the ride, bit by bit. It is...more
this was a mostly-enjoyable tale of a dude riding his bike for thousands of miles, and the people & places he sees. all i ever think about these days is how i want to quit my job & ride the bike trail to DC with my boyfriend, so this book kinda allowed me to live vicariously. i coulda done without the occasional comment on waitresses/bartenders cleavage. and i could have done even less without that totally weird paragraph about how americans are "unhateable" because we've contributed thi...more
I had the pleasure of taking Daryl Farmer's creative nonfiction class at SFASU in 2009, so I felt compelled to read his book and see if he could walk the walk. Guess what? He can!
Bicycling Beyond the Divide tells the story of two bicycle trips he took through the West - the first when he was 20 years old, the second when he was 40. I have to admit - it took me a while to get into this book. I was expected a plot, action, characters, but what I got was a slow, meditative journey on time, youth,...more
Bicycling Beyond the Divide tells the story of two bicycle trips he took through the West - the first when he was 20 years old, the second when he was 40. I have to admit - it took me a while to get into this book. I was expected a plot, action, characters, but what I got was a slow, meditative journey on time, youth,...more
I really enjoyed this book of adventure and self discovery. In addition to describing his two bicycling journeys, Farmer also provides information about the areas and locales where his journey takes him. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the outdoors or is introspective. To be fair, I met Daryl in grad school at UNL. He was one of the most gifted writers there.
The story of a man who rode from Colorado Springs, north to Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, back to Colorado. He had done the trip as a 20-year old, and again 20 years later, and tells the two stories together. It was the tale of a very normal college professor from Lincoln, Nebraska, who meets interesting people and fun places all across the West, telling their stories and his interactions with them. It was inspirational and made me want to do a similar trip.
What a great read! This young man, (middle aged man?) graduated from high school at Coronado High School. He took a bike trip when he was 20 and then again when he was 40. He compares the two trips and his own persona at the time of the two trips. Funny and poetic and a fast read.
A very interesting tale of two bike rides across the west made by the same man 20 years apart. Beautifully written, descriptions of the scenery, the people he meets along the way, and a no holds barred account of the difficulties he encounters as well as the triumphs.
Pretty good book. I was really looking forward to reading. Would have been much better if I was more familiar with his bike route. This is really a story of the west with biking thrown in.
This is a gorgeous, gorgeous book, memoir combined with ecocriticism combined with observations about community and how Americans connect with each other. Lovely and insightful.
Well worth your time. An introspective and entertaining look at life as the author duplicates a long ago bicycle ride through the west.
Top notch. Farmer digs into his own psyche, the locals, the scenery, etc. No stone is left unturned. Not just a travelogue.
Jun 26, 2008
Randaljohn
added it
eh, entertaining but did not meet my expectations. Imspired me for a long bike tour and also to visit Montana again.
This is an inspiring read, made me want to get out there and ride or backpack again.
Apr 05, 2013
Amber
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Sep 07, 2012
Rob S
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Jul 04, 2012
Liss
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Jun 18, 2011
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Daryl Farmer is the author of Bicycling Beyond the Divide, a road narrative about the West, which has just received a Summer 2008 Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writer's Award. Farmer's work has appeared in such journals as Haydens Ferry Review, The Laurel Review, Quarter After Eight and Prairie Schooner. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. in creative writing from the University of Nebraska-Linco...more
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