Across America by Bicycle

Alice and Bobbi's Summer on Wheels

Alice Honeywell and Bobbi Montgomery

Gold Medal Winner, Travel Essays, Foreword magazine’s Book of the Year

Narrated by Rosemary Benson

Available from Audible

Book published by The University of Wisconsin Press

Full speed ahead after fifty!

Biking from Oregon to Maine is no small feat, especially for two newly retired women who carry everything they need for three months, powered only by the strength of their legs and a desire for adventure. Alice Honeywell and Bobbi Montgomery invite readers to follow their ride by bicycle across the United States, as they face scorching sun, driving rain, buffeting winds, equipment failures, killer hills, wildfires, and even a plague of grasshoppers.

As Alice and Bobbi pedal along their 3,600-mile journey, they test and deepen their friendship, defy their aches and pains, experience the vast and varied beauties of their country, and discover the challenges and satisfaction of a scaled-down lifestyle. And, they encounter unfailing generosity from people they meet—from the prayers of a North Dakota woman for their safekeeping, to the offer of a house in Michigan, to invitations for dinner and a place to sleep at stops all along the way. And there are incidents to laugh over, too, such as the bewildered woman who asked them, “Well, but where do you pack your dresses?”

Ride along with Alice and Bobbi as they embrace retirement with gusto and live their dream.

Alice Honeywell , a retired editor, is a writing consultant in Madison, Wisconsin. She is a member of Dane County’s Bombay Bicycle Club and has led a number of tours for the Sierra Club’s National Outings Program and other groups.

Bobbi Montgomery , a retired English teacher, supervises and trains teachers throughout Ohio. She is a member of the Gears4Beers Cycling Club and Cincinnati Cycling Club. The authors are dreaming of another cross-country bike trip, this one from north to south, border to border.

REVIEWS:

“A heartfelt account of crossing America on two wheels from a pair of gutsy women. Alice and Bobbi prove it's never too late to put a dream into high gear, to let the road reveal a country and the true meaning of friendship.”

—Joe Kurmaskie, author of Metal Cowboy