One wheel Many Spokes, Lars Clausen

This book was a very fun read because Lars not only lets us learn about his unicycle ride through all 50 states, but he also invites us in to his thinking and feelings.  We learn about the people he meets, the roads he rides, and the personal growth that comes from a long distance commitment to exploring and travel.

His mission is to raise an endowment for a church in Nome Alaska but his ride challenges his religious philosophy, his understanding of the US and our history of abuse to minority peoples, and the machinations of a used RV that causes most of the troubles and frustrations that he has to deal with.

His family rides in the RV and he rides back roads, mountain roads, desert roads, and city streets on his epic travel.  At the end it is a glorious success on one level, but falls short on the fund raising end.  We know that Kalamazoo, MI was the worst place to ride because of the drivers and MI overall was the worst state, but there are other places where he has to face severe head winds and mountain passes that challenge his physical endurance.

Some places reek with loneliness, but others – the reservations – are steeped in hopelessness.  Yet, it is the reservations where Lars finds his greatest connections. 

Like all adventures of this type there are multiple facets to the experience and you can explore many of them through Lars’ writing.

http://onewheel.org/