The Wonderful Ride by George T. Loher and Ellen Smith
The full title is The Wonderful Ride Begin the True Journal of Mr. George T. Loher Who in 1895 Cycled From Coast to Coast on His Yellow Fellow Wheel With Commentary by his Granddaughter, Ellen Smith. Quite the mouthful.
What a fantastic book this is! I think I’m going to have to track one down and own it. I’ve always been suspicious of travel memoirs, but this is really something. Loher, a butcher from Oakland California, decided one day to ride across the country and two weeks later, he and a companion were on their way. Almost immediately, his companion (a “Mr. Thomas F. Cornell, also a member of the Acmes and an ardent bicycle rider”) started complaining of the heat and road conditions. They were not making good time because Mr. Cornell was constantly stopping to dunk his head in the cool stream.
Upon reaching Oregon, Loher writes, “It is surprising what a number of children Oregon produces; every farmhouse that I passed contained several. I often wondered if the government was making special inducements for their increase.” And later, another run-in with Oregonian children, “It was some time before i had dried my clothes sufficiently to proceed, and during that time the children (this house was no exception with regard to children) were amusing themselves poking pins into my tires. On coming out of the house, I found both tires as flat as pancakes and consumed some time repairing them. … Thereafter I was very careful not ot let my wheel out of my sight when there were children around.”
The roads were terrible and he spent a good deal of time walking or riding the railroad right-of-way. The food was hit or miss, and sometimes overly expensive. He was plagued by mechanical trouble, breaking forks, rims, and handlebars. And, although he found a friendly face from time to time, the western people were generally not friendly, especially through Montana and North Dakota. There were incidents of 19th century road rage. He writes, “I was away at five o’clock and proceeded over good roads until I met a farmer whose mules I scared by riding too close to them. I dismounted and patiently waited until he had quieted them, then politely asked the distance to Red Bluff. ‘Go to hell and find out, ‘ he replied and, whipping up his long-eared quadrupeds, left me standing on the roadside.” He even ends the book with the caution:
“Now let me conclude my experiences by saying that if you ever cross the continent on a bicycle, I sincerely hope you will meet with better roads, more congenial people, and last but not least, a stronger bicycle than I had.
The End.”
He packs a tremendous amount in such a short, 146 pages. Ellen Smith, his granddaughter, who knew nothing of this trip during his life, found the typewritten account in his personal papers. She adds relevant parenthetical information throughout the book and does an admirable job in finding contemporary photographs of some of the hotels he stayed at and some of the sights he saw.
To be fair, there are a few places where the book bogs down in a sort of Monty Pythonesque “All England Cycling Tour” kind of way, but not often and not for long. I think I also might like this because it’s a “real voice” and not a professional author trying to create a mood. The preface, by Ellen Smith, is essential reading.
I can’t say enough about this. I loved it. I think I will have to track down a copy.
