He who fully deliberates
before taking a step
spends his life on one leg
-ancient proverb

Ride chronicles a 4,000-mile cross-country bicycle ride from Seattle to Savannah. With little preparation and planning, a young businessman simply jumped on his bike and started pedaling. His goal: to raise money for trout stream preservation.

The only problem was that the longest bike ride he'd ever taken was twenty-five miles long. And he barely know how to repair a flat tire.

Packing a fly rod and waders in place of a tent, he traveled through some of the country's most spectacular scenery, fished on some of its best waters, and met some of its most charming, "classic" personalities. And with long hours alone—with just the road and assorted creatures to keep him company—he got to meet one other important person...himself. Each day brought new insights into life, and each day he recorded a personal lesson, a daily sutra.

Reading Ride you can't help but feel good about this country, its resources, and its people...especially if you can just step back, slow down, and get things in perspective. In some way, each of us makes his or her own ride. Perhaps this one will help with yours.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book go to support the River Care Program of the Conservation Resource Alliance.

 

"We talk about the environment --the vanishing natural world, our threatened rivers and stream—but Jeff Graft actually did something about it. He suspended his 'real' life, got on a bicycle, armed with a fly rod, and rode across the continent to raise funds and awareness for his beloved trout waters. Ride is a lively, impassioned, and courageous account of one man's journey from West Coast to East, from angler to activist. Straight from the heart, this book not only reminds us of how much is at stake, but also of the personal commitment required to protect that which we hold dearest."

-Jim Fergus
author of The Sporting Road
and One Thousand White Women

 

"This is a riveting journal of an incredible conservation journey…You’re cheating yourself if you don’t read this one."

-Glen Sheppard
The North Woods Call

 

"Ride is a superbly written, very unique travelogue that engages the reader from first page to last—and may well inspire other bicycle enthusiasts to a similar sojourn."

-The Bookwatch

 

"…engrossing, and even inspirational account of Graft's trek across America…a treasure trove of a read that has as much appeal for the avid mountain biker or fly fisherman as it does anyone who's ever wondered about challenging themselves to make a dream come true. Graft's prose is honest, straightforward, and economical.
Ride is full of vivid descriptions of remarkable American scenery, colorful characters Graft encounters, and priceless moments of little victories and big revelations. Most importantly, it is a the story of a man who reconnected with his soul through a bike ride for a project he believed was important, and not just for his generation but those who will forge on in the decades ahead. What one is left with is a call to action that is hard to ignore, which may be the most significant of all of Graft's accomplishments."

-Nancy Sundstrom
Northern Express Weekly

 

"A well-written, entertaining book that gives you just about everything you can ask for: lots of humor, history, a story of man versus nature, versus himself, versus cowpies, and not a little bit of hard-won insight into the whys of life, living and fly fishing. With a rare gift of observation, Graft imbues everything he sees with meaning and excitement, from an ant hauling a big insect with a lot of determination (which brings Graft, himself, to mind) to trout rising to bait in the beautiful, fast-flowing rivers he can't bring himself to pass without fishing, to the mountains he conquers one sweat-drop at a time. This is a rare book. It's filled with enough honesty to make you want to cry; enough homespun philosophy to make you open your eyes, take another look around you and be grateful for what you have; enough gumption and joy to make you want to leave your job, take on new challenges, grab a bike and start pedaling…"

-Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli
Traverse City Record-Eagle

 

"If you have ever had a hidden desire to trek across the country on a bicycle, I recommend reading this book…Graft uses an overloaded touring bicycle as his vehicle to observe the country from new angles. From this vantage point, Graft finds what others may miss hurtling down the highway in a car. He not only gives the reader his personal insights but includes historical and environmental facts about different places he passes along the way. Written as a journal, the chapters are short and well paced, making Ride a fun read.

-Joe Herbert
Independent Publisher

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Related Links:

• The Conservation Resource Alliance