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by Martin Willingham (Author)
4,000 Miles, Mountain Bikes, and Mosquitoes
"Let's ride our bicycles from Athens to Key West." I said okay, and that was that. Four years later: "Let's bike across Alaska." With no hesitation and little consideration, I said okay again.
What could possibly go wrong?
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Martin and his friend Scott Braman weren't avid cyclists. Martin rode a cheap ten-speed to college classes; Scott didn't even own a bike. They had zero long-distance touring experience, no formal training, and no itinerary. Yet, driven by sheer youthful idealism and a healthy dose of foolish impulsiveness, they leaped off the traditional career track to tackle two grueling, life-altering journeys across the North American continent.
Spanning 4,000 miles of open road, South to Alaska is the raw, unvarnished, and deeply comedic firsthand account of two regular guys winging it through the ultimate outdoor test. Culled directly from the original daily journals written right at the handlebars and campfires, this travelogue captures the grit, absurdity, and profound beauty through forty years of reflective hindsight.
From the sweltering pavement of Georgia backroads and Florida's A1A to the gravel, mud, and relentless mosquito swarms of the Yukon and Alaskan wilderness, their expeditions were anchored by unpredictable terrain and unforgettable encounters. Together, they navigate the hardships of biking and the unexpected camp camaraderie with hospitable strangers, international travelers, eccentric frontiersmen, local mechanics, and roadside café owners.
Perfect for fans of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods and Jedidiah Jenkins's To Shake the Sleeping Self, South to Alaska is a warm, witty, and nostalgic time capsule of a bygone era of pure, off-the-grid exploration. It's a testament to lifelong friendship, a celebration of taking the path less traveled, and a reminder of what happens when you dare to "suck all the marrow out of life"-one mile at a time.
