Going Somewhere - by Brian Benson (Paperback)

About the Book

"Brian Benson has a million life plans but no sense of direction. So when he meets and falls for Rachel, he's ready to go wherever she'll take him. In a whirlwind of new love, they embark on a bicycle trip from northern Wisconsin to western Oregon. As the pair progress through stunning landscapes, they contend with merciless winds, vivid characters, broken bikes and bodies--and the looming question of what comes next. Funny, reflective, and candid, Going Somewhere invites bike enthusiasts, twentysomethings, and armchair travelers alike to join Brian as he learns, mile by mile, how to move forward"--

Book Synopsis

"Let's hope Benson has more travels in mind. He is a gifted writer, an observant human with an eye for the telling detail and how to tell it."--Booklist

Brian has a million vague life plans but zero sense of direction. So when he meets Rachel, a self-possessed woman who daydreams of bicycling across the States, he decides to follow her wherever she'll take him. Brian and Rachel soon embark on a ride from northern Wisconsin to Somewhere West, infatuated with the promise of adventure and each other. But as the pair progress from the Northwoods into the bleak western plains, they begin to discover the messy realities of life on the road. Mile by mile, they contend with merciless winds and brutal heat, broken bikes and bodies, each other and themselves--and the looming question of what comes next. Told in a voice "as hilarious as it is wise" (Cheryl Strayed), Going Somewhere is a candid tale of the struggle to move forward.

Review Quotes

"Brian Benson's memoir about riding from the hinterlands of Wisconsin to Portland, Oregon on his bicycle is as poignant as it is gripping, as hilarious as it is wise. Going Somewhere is a tender, sexy, take-it-with-you-everywhere-you-go-until-you've-read-the-last-page beauty of a book."--Cheryl Strayed, New York Times bestselling author of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

"Irresistible. . . . Let's hope Benson has more travels in mind. He is a gifted writer, an observant human with an eye for the telling detail and how to tell it."--Booklist

"Charming... His travelogue is vibrant and engrossing, with wonderful portraits of Western landscapes and scruffy small towns, Job-like ordeals of gusty headwinds and breakdowns, and piquant portraits of kindly, parental folks who offer the cyclists food and shelter and another of a menacing drifter on a dark road."--Publisher's Weekly

About the Author

Brian Benson grew up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. He now lives in Portland, Oregon, where he teaches writing at the Attic Institute.