The Road Headed West: A Cycling Adventure Through North America

by Leon McCarron

IT SEEMED A TERRIBLE SHAME TO MEET MY END IN IOWA; I couldn’t imagine anywhere more disappointing to die. If I were a betting man I’d have reckoned on the most dangerous thing in this state being sheer boredom. The scenery hadn’t changed for weeks and I was slowly dissolving into stimulation-deprived madness. My current predicament, then – attempting to escape through cornfields from a gun-toting alcohol-soaked rancher – was not something I expected. Just months after graduating from university, Leon received disastrous news: he had been offered a job. Terrified at the prospect of a life spent behind a desk, without challenge or adventure, he took off to cross America on an overloaded bicycle packed with everything but common sense. Over five months and 6,000 miles, Leon cycled from New York to Seattle and then on to the Mexican border, facing tornados, swollen river crossings and one hungry black bear along the way. But he also met kind strangers who offered their food, wisdom, hospitality and even the occasional local history lesson, and learned what happens when you take a chance and follow the scent of adventure.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Cycling, Adventure

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some people, the offer of a job with a regular salary is just what they are looking for. For Leon McCarron though the thought of being stuck behind a desk with no chance of adventure or seeing the world, filled him with dread. As he was in New York, he came up with the idea of cycling from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, not for any reason, just for the hell of doing it. Loading up his bike and trailer with much, much more than he needed, he embarks on his 6000 mile journey. A week or so later he was still cycling in New York state, as he hadn’t realised just how vast it was.

Slowly but surely he was building his fitness up but getting around 80 miles a day under his belt. He meets other cyclists as he wends his way across the States, sharing the journey and beginning what were to become lasting friendships. A brief detour into Canada to see Niagara Fall was soured when he returned into America and was detained by a very officious immigration official. They did allow him back after a chastisement about documentation. As he drops into the Midwest he passes mile after mile of cornfields on the almost dead straight roads, the highlight of the day being the zigzags when they correct the roads for the curvature of the earth. All across America so far, he had been given a warm welcome and helped by strangers in all manner of ways. This was to change when he accepted hospitality from a guy in a bar and headed back to his ranch. His mate was there and wasn’t best pleased to see Leon, and after one heart stopping moment he has to escape really quickly. Of all the places to die in the world, he didn’t want it to be Iowa!

Hoping to eek out his journey on a budget of $5 a day, he is fuelled by peanut butter and an absence of common sense. It is an easy and relative unchallenging read, with a certain charm to it. What is does show is that you do not need loads of planning or training to achieve a goal, sometimes you just need to climb on the bike and pedal. This one is a worthy addition to the fold of cycling adventure books.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

An honest recount by Leon McCarron's of his bike ride across North America. It is an inspiring journey which he took after feeling disconected in a 9 to 5 job. The book details all the ups and downs of his journey, from being confronted by a gun weilding drunken to the many friendships he forged on the road.

A brilliant read of an incredible journey, which I highly recommend.

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ach! A compendium of how not to do a long-distance bicycle ride:
* ride to Coney Island and back as conditioning
* start with a hangover
* head out of town on a bridge that's closed on Sunday
* take no maps
* ride across the continent into the prevailing winds (and then repeat going south along the West Coast)
* over-pack, including hauling a trailer
* have no experience in bicycle maintenance
* head for Canada without a visa (the author's Irish)
* not know how to pack a propane bottle to prevent it from out-gassing

And the author's not even curious about who he sees and where he's been. When he gets nears the Cascade mountains he writes, "In Leavenworth, a Washington town inexplicably modeled on a Bavarian village ..." Just about anyone in the Seattle area can tell you how Leavenworth decided consciously to use the Bavarian theme to accentuate the area's mountain sports when the fruit business declined in prosperity. Even if you didn't talk to locals, Wikipedia will tell you the story.

[Tuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

an interesting bike travel book in that author is total rookie bike rider, going from nyc to seattle, he makes it too! and ends up then going to mexico, then ends up thesiger-like, trekking all over the globe, from empty quarter, to iran's longest river, to gobi on foot. this bike book written retrospectively, gains from his insights into fear, grabbing your dreams and not letting go, and putting history, geography, sociology, into perspective, but loses in day-to-day immediacy and the 'typical' journal of an epic bike ride...but still entertaining and a fast read. nice illustrations from his aunt (graphic novelist style) and a map, but no photos in book. has some appendix of how-to and what to read. but to seem how this author bloomed from film studies global crisis unemployed graduate to intrepid adventurer be sure and check out his website for great images and further insight into this irish traveler and chronicler of usa people and places (canada too, for a good contrast) https://www.leonmccarron.com/

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, cover to cover. Oh to be 23 and Irish and biking across the U.S.A., with life and the world before me! I had a number of laugh-out-loud moments. This is not the tale of someone who trained for years (or even minutes!) for this adventure, just the tale of someone who sort of stumbled into this ride while waiting for the recession to recede. In the end, this ride launched what appears to be--to date--a successful career. I look forward to finding more by this author.

[Stan Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leon has an amazing sense of adventure throughout his documented bike ride across America. This book reminds me of 'Into the Wild,' 'Travels with Charley,' and 'A Walk in the Woods,' all books I love. Reading this in smaller pieces (20-25 pages at a time) seemed to work best for me, digesting bits and pieces of Leon's travels and insightful wisdom along the journey.

[Madalene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll admit it, I loved this book. As others have noted, the author didn't prepare well for a cross-country bike ride, and didn't know that much about bikes for the duration. But I'm OK with the democratization of bike touring, and really appreciate the open attitude that develops with the practice of it. The chapters are short, and except for the oddly positioned first story, are chronological. There's some inconsistencies, such as when he determines he wants to ride alone after riding with Suzie, but then spending most of the rest of the ride with 3-4 guys. But for the most part, I get some of the same feeling as one gets with books like "Travels with Charley" or "Blue Highways" (the latter being one of the best USA travelogues out there). And he finishes with a reminder that anyone can get out there and do this, it doesn't take a lot of specialized equipment or a specific discipline about how the ride will go. An enjoyable bike travelogue.

For a newer take on riding cross country, I recommend finding "Ryan and Ali Bike Across America" also known as #lovecycles on youtube. Their incredibly positive and well-edited trip is a fun watch!

[Stephen Ebersole · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accurate account of cross contry

I also rode cross country in 2002. I found this book to be a very accurate account of my personal growth and development along the journey. You begin a trip of this scope with a lot of uncertainty, first it is just can I physically do this but once you realize you can you begin finding out other things about what really matters to you. Your values. It is an amazing privilege to take 50 or more days and do just one thing (other than work) . Through out the day there is time for reflection. You are disconnected from any sort of set routine. This gives one a great sense that there are many more possibilities out there for those willing to seek them. Bottom line read the book take the journey you won't regret it.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reminded me a bit of Bill Bryson's A WALK IN THE WOODS, in that the author is not really prepared for such a grueling physical feat but perseveres anyway. Unfortunately, it lacks the writing skills and humor of Bryson but it is still an interesting read for anyone who can't get enough of this kind of travel narrative.

If a reader wants to read a good armchair biking adventure and hasn't read Barbara Savage's MILES FROM NOWHERE or Bruce Weber's LIFE IS A WHEEL, I recommend reading them first.

[Jessica Fellows · Rating 3 out of 5]

I initially liked the sense of adventure by someone who appeared to just do it. About half way through it began to disturb me how little he author was interested in the places he would be traveling through. The author seemed to be traveling almost out of spite of having anything else to do. He rides because why not. The book seemed to be more about is emotional journey to find purpose and honestly his riding the bike across the country is really more about killing time in some way for him.
Not what I was hoping it would be.

[Aaron Dutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story of the development of a personal philosophy, wrapped in the journal of a cross-country bicycle adventure. This book really spoke to me as someone planning to ride a bicycle tour this summer. A lot of the philosophy rings true with me.

I'm not sure why this book doesn't have better reviews. Yes, the author makes a number of beginner mistakes and some questionable gear choices. This isn't a how-to book for bicycle touring, it's a personal memoir. The pages flew by and I was a bit sad to see it end.

I've captured these quotes below from the book that highlight my takeaways.

The thirst for adventure is to a large degree selfish.

The life we lead shapes us in ways that are maybe not always apparent immediately.

If we can predict how every second of every day of our life will be, then where is the fun in living it out?

We cannot ever be fully in control of that which is around us.

The best we can hope for is to react positively to life's storms.

So often it is that reward lies in the hunt or the journey, rather than the discovery or destination.

The real beauty to be found is in exactly the places where other people do not gather.

To truly find what is worth seeking we must travel to the lesser-known spots, taking on the challenges that confront us to get there.

This is my rite of passage.

I will allow it to be a good, comfortable road until I am compelled to believe otherwise.

The true significance may often be visible only through the lens of retrospection.

There's always benefit to be had in remembering how far we have come.

I should spend more time with the things and the people that I love.

No point in working all your life till you die, and then wondering what happened to the stuff that's important to you.

Maybe compromise is not such a bad thing after all.

I felt I was distilling the most important elements of life for me. Freedom seemed key. Adventure--the sense of challenge and unpredictability--was necessary too. And love--I missed that.

Boys, be ambitious. Be ambitious not for money, not for selfish aggrandizement, not for the evanescent thing which men call fame. Be ambitious for the attainment of all that a man can be. William S. Clark

Only by consistently raising the bar would I know how high I could go.

There is so much in life that can only be communicated in person, through contact and being able to look into someone's eyes as you speak to them.

I am the person I am, for better or worse, because of the decisions I made and make and the things I do.

Only by facing the fear can we conquer it.

Embrace fear, embrace change, grasp opportunity. Commit, go… and don't stop.

I think solo travel offers the greatest rewards in terms of personal development.

[Cindy Dyson Eitelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spinningly good adventure told by an Irishman cycling across America. Sometimes it takes an outsider to point out things the natives overlook or ignore out of habit, and Mr. Mccaron was just outsider enough to do the job. Great job!

Other than an oddness about the ending, which I'll be considerate and not reveal to you here, I enjoyed every single page. Personalities abound--old friends, trail friends, traveling and stationary friends--they all make their appearances and enliven the journey. It's occasionally hilarious. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves to travel and happens to be stuck in place for a while.

Is biking really the best way to experience a country? He thinks so--or at least he thought so at the time. But his rather excellent blog https://www.leonmccarron.com/journal talks about walking a lot, so maybe he changed his mind. In this book he's comparing biking to driving, and biking, of course, wins. He gets to experience the rolling hills, the rain, the heat, the look and feel of the country in a way that an automobile traveler never can. There's a lot of difference between cruising with rolled-up windows at seventy miles per hour and pedaling all day over broken terrain. Seventy miles is a whole day--and a fast day at that. But what about walking? Or running, or horseback riding?

On a bike you're restricted to paved roads or at least have a strong preference for them. (Excepting the occasional river crossing when the bridge is out--exciting scene!) On a bike you spend a lot of time looking straight ahead or down at the road, watching for rocks, gravel, and misplaced curbs. When you're breezing along at ten miles per hour, are you going to freeze in place when a fox is glimpsed in the forest edge? Are you even going to glimpse of the fox? What about the bugs and lizards and odd arrangements of limbs of a dead oak tree in the field?

Don't get me wrong--I'd love to bike across the country. But there's a lot to be said for walking.

I'm going to spend the rest of the day reading his blog. But I might take a walk first.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got more than 50 and less than 100 pages into this, the stopped. The Irish author endeavors to ride across the country, east to west, and then describes it in this memoir.

Fine - I read "cyclist travel" books often enough. Somehow these days however I find it harder to enjoy ones ones written by persons from other countries (AKA "foreigners") about their travails in America. And that I guess is the problem - too much about travails, and not much about insights that are useful at this time. It certainly isn't as though they are telling us anything new in most cases.

Books from the public library usually are in a small competition for my attention. After an initial effort to get into this, it just sat. I finally realized my lack of enthusiasm for picking it up (and picking up and finishing several other books instead) was a message telling me it was time to return this one to the library.

Oh well, this is mostly about me, I suspect. You might like this sort of thing. The writing is breezy enough. The type font is big and even though it is over pages, it would be a quick read.

[Iain · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it never really drags, neither does it sparkle, tending - presumably like the actual journey - to roll from day to day without leaving much of an impact.
As is said in the book, the vast majority of any such adventurous undertaking is monotony and struggle but that is no reason to translate these figures in to the reading experience.
The rare and elusive highs that reportedly make such a journey worthwhile are never successfully coloured in the prose and, as a result, the wonders of the American Hinterland, the quirkiness of the small-town, the near-death experiences are all emotionally bereft, remaining seated in the background narrative when they could have been bold and vivid highlights.

Self-confessedly, Leon McCarron wrote this book as a means to process his ride across and down the US with the tacked-on hope that it would inspire others to get out on their own adventures.
Assumedly and given their subsequent career, the former worked, but that is a reason to write, not to read this book. The latter is in the balance.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and the author's attitude about his journey. Mccarronwho was underemployed during the 2008 recession, decided to bike across North America, not in a race but for the experience of meeting new people and seeing new places. But he was mindful of his journey and rarely went out of his way to tourist spots and met some deadlines. It is too bad because I think he missed cross country bike trails.Oh well. He makes minor errors as a non American would (refers to Philadelphia when he means Pennsylvania or Minneapolis is the capital) He uses British spellings and Irish slang but that's the author's voice and adds to the fun. I look forward to reading more of his adventures.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last half of this book is great and lives up to its promise on the jacket to inspire me to ride more. The author introduces to book by saying he was riding to explore the middle of the country and get to know the US better. He admits to being a bit snobby and making assumptions and judgements about a place he'd never been. What we find out, though, is that he never really does learn to like midwesterners. He journey proves to him that the Midwest is just as bad as he thought. About halfway through the book, he finally starts inching out of the Midwest and starts enjoying himself.

[Ocean · Rating 4 out of 5]

armchair traveling! i liked this more than i like most bike-tour books by men. i also love that he does nearly everything wrong; that's my favorite way of bike touring--totally half-assed and just open to adventure. he's a good storyteller and a likable narrator. one thing he mentions several times is that bike touring is "often miserable, often boring, sometimes both, and the rest that's left over is divine." that's a super accurate description of bike touring, which means it's hard to write about in an interesting way, but he does a great job!

[Lukasz Lukomski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit, it is a bit uneven. But at the same time it is one of the best portrayals of cycle touring. ' It is a curious thing about bicycle touring. So much of it is, in fact, boring; quite probably the vast majority. Another large proportion is miserable. A smaller percentage is both. Whatever is left over, though: that is superb."

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Some of the harsher reviews are focused on the travail McCarron experienced in the US, which to US citizens can seem a bit overblown. Living abroad I can appreciate the difficulty in understanding culture and how sometimes our own cultural norms seem right rather than just different. McCarron's style is definitely varied, but not distracting. The book is worth a read.

[Marty Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good writer. Enjoyable reading. First adventure in what has become an adventurous life. One slight quibble...the Calif. coastal range, while mountains, are not by any measure the Sierra Nevada. Either in size or placement on the planet. Difficult to see how that error could remain in what is a well written, unassuming book.

[Chris Corradino · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most enjoyable travel/road trip books I’ve read in some time. The author writes with honest vulnerability, detailing the peaks and valleys along the way. His experiences are at times profound, and sometimes humorous. I found his journey inspiring and see from social media that he’s quite the intrepid traveler, still exploring the world and hopefully writing about his findings.

[Beverly Hollandbeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy travelogues, and this is an enjoyable one. Crossing from the Atlantic to the Pacific and then south to Mexico on a bicycle is not something I would ever have wanted to do, but it's nice to be able to do it vicariously. In a nice conversational style, this is a quick read, and I will be looking forward to other travel books by this author.

[Kenneth L. Hendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well written book. I had done a west to east cross country bike trip along the northern tier when I was in my early seventies. It was a lot easier than this book since our small group were able to stay overnight in churches who also fed us supper and breakfast. It took ten weeks to do the trip.

[Ryan Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite types and styles of writing. Fast paced, short chapters, travel (by bike) memoir. Started out a little slow but hooked me more as it went on. Author had a tendency (especially early on) to see the negative in a lot of things, but progressively seemed to come into a better view of things. Some fun stories and perspectives from a foreigner’s point of view of America circa 2008.

[Darlene Jaratz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need a bike trip!

I liked this young Irish man's stories of riding westward across the US. He gained vast amount of self confidence and fitness,you could feel it in the book. From such a novice he turns into a world traveler. I am inspired.

[Kim McClaren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read with some great adventure

Leon has a great sense of humor and great insight into human nature. The bike trip was inspirational. It was hard to put down. But, once in a while you have to do other things.😊

[Julian Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fabulous travelogue, well written, stimulating, and gently humorous.

Not dwelling on the hardships of the ride or practicalities of mending punctures, the author chooses instead to tell a story of self-discovery and the joy of freedom.

A great travel book, and super read.

[S. K. Pentecost · Rating 2 out of 5]

It hurts, because there is a need for more bicycle tourbooks across the American Midwest, but this was a purple slog. Had to put it down when the author stated the Indiginous People before us lived "ever peacefully." A crime of prose and of misinformation.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable, easy read.

A young man with the idea for adventure, a bike, and no experience of bikepacking/ biketouring. What can go wrong?.

Surprisingly, very little!.

Interesting titbits & tales; iowa, crossing the river, the bear in the night, without bogging down with deatail.

[Majo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro muy entretenido, los capítulos son cortos e interesantes.