The Wonderful Ride. Being 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 Grandaughter Ellen Smith

LOHER, GEORGE T. [WITH COMMENTARY BY HIS GRANDAUGHTER ELLEN SMITH]

Publication: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1978, San Francisco

First edition. 8vo. Two-tone quarter cloth and boards, [14], 146 pp., illustrated, map, epilogue. George T. Loher, a butcher from Oakland California, decided to bicycle from San Francisco to New York City in 1895. A trip that went through thirteen states, across five ranges of mountains, through deserts and across sandy valleys, for a distance of 4,354 miles. He left on August 11, 1895, on a bicycle with no brakes, and no maps, and arrived eighty days later in New York City. Loher's writing captures the landscapes, people, and unexpected adventures he encounters along the way. After the amazing ride, a brief item in the December 14, 1895, San Francisco Call says it all: "George Loher, who went East several months ago on a bicycle, returned on the overland today. He rode through to New York City, but was satisfied to return by train. He will resume his place in Becker's Market Monday." The editor, Ellen Smith learned of this journal while sifting through his memorabilia in Oakland. A delightful and highly entertaining story. Fine in price-clipped dust jacket.