The Last Great Walk book review

The Last Great Walk by Wayne Curtis is about Edward Payne Weston's walk from New York to San Francisco in 1909.  He began this excursion on his 70th birthday, averaged walking 38 miles per day and proposed to finish his walk in 100 days.  The book covers the few roads of his day, troubles with his support team and tells of him walking along railroad tracks for a lot of the way through the west.  The rest of the book details traffic, its incredible growth, designs of roads and how communities and people changed because of the car.
The book also goes into great detail about walking, covering cadence and how many steps we walk today, the rise of La-Z-Boy reclining chairs, how man initially became a walker, navigation and knowing where we are at the time, the type of lands we favor, what happened to the "verges" (that social space between sidewalks and streets where cars now park), and this detail is where I re-read most of the book.
The Lost Geography of Walking, chapter 6, details Marchetti's Constant that proposes humans are willing to spend about an hour each day out and about, traveling and un-sheltered or "commuting". The time our ancestors spent away from their shelters has always been part of an elaborate calculation.  We innately desire larger territory and the rewards that come with it, but there is a price to pay:  it requires physical exertion, and means being in the open, a threat from our enemies and predators.  A human's territory is about how far we can travel on foot in an hour, or about a mile and a half.
Weston finished his 1909 walk in 105 days, battling bad weather, a poor choice of routes and the issues with his support team.  There were people in most every town he walked through who wished him well, many who crowded the streets (getting in his way) and some who were very supportive, providing aid just when it was needed.
Though sad because he didn't make his goal, he resumed the same walk the following year, finishing in 78 days.  This time he walked from the west to the east with the wind at his back, averaged 45.5 miles per day, had a sponsor for the entire trip, a better route and improved trip support.  He was now 71 years old.
Yes, I like this book and recommend it to other walkers, hikers and backpackers, plus anyone who understands human-powered travel like bicycling. Even studious drivers will like the traffic history. The amount of background information is well worth the time and will support your understanding of walking to a high degree.  I still find my self going back to re-read certain chapters, mostly details about actual walking.  If you like to walk, this book is a great reference manual.
Weston continued a few long walks afterwards, but after being hit by a car, he died in Manhattan, 2 weeks after his 90th birthday.  By one account, he had walked ninety thousand miles in his lifetime.
While I may never reach Weston's 40+ mile per day stamina, I still hope to continue putting one foot in front of the other, getting outside to see new things, and walking for as long as life allows me to.
The book The Last Great Walk was purchased by me at a used bookstore, and this review is my own.

Once Upon A Chariot Book Review

The book Once Upon A Chariot is about Norma Jean Belloff who established the USAWomen's Record for Cross Country Bicycling in 1948. Written by her daughter, Iris Paris, and published in 2008, the book chronicles Norma's 2 self-supported cross country bicycle routes in the post war era.
There is no lycra here; just a Pendleton jacket, Keds tennis shoes, jeans and flannel shirts. No helmet, no gloves, no ultralight composite frames, no clipless pedals, just a 19 year old woman travelling alone a couple years after World War II had ended, on a fat tire single speed bicycle weighing 65 pounds with gear.
Norma's route east was just along local roads through the south to avoid winter weather. This was years before heavy national traffic, Interstate highways and the multiple 4-lane roads of our time were built.

Norma Jean Belloff on the return trip

The gear was simple; sleeping bag, green canvas tarp, change of clothes and a towel, toothbrush, tool bag, flashlight, canteen, and her new bible. The bicycle was named Chariot 1. It was lost in the Colorado River (you will have to read the book). Chariots II & III carried her the rest of the trip and she returned home in San Diego riding her fourth bicycle, a black Schwinn racing bike with canvas rear panniers, fenders and a flashlight that she set the cross country record on.
Norma's trip was the definition of "unsupported". She stopped along the way, staying with strangers and worked for her food, lodging or cash.  Except for accepting some cash mailed from home, she paid her own way across America.
Norma also fought some mental demons along the way, her own fears came to light many times and the interesting parts of the story is how she dealt with them and her relationships with her parents and family. She did trust her instinct and got herself out of trouble. Reading her bible daily offered help, created new questions, and guided her in a good direction.
Norma's first goal was to bicycle to her grandmothers home in Baltimore, MD. She made it by Christmas 1947 and enjoyed her stay there. She continued bicycling on to New York and finally to her birthplace near New London, CT, before touring Washington DC.

1947-1948 bicycle route

The return trip had her leaving New York and following state highways to reach Route 66, then following that back to LA/San Diego. She averaged 70 miles per day while wearing a white oilcloth sign across her back that said "New York to San Diego", spent a week recuperating from leg cramps in Arizona and still set a record. Starting on June 23rd, she made it home in 53 days.

Winning third place at Women's National Bicycle Races

Norma finally met President Truman in California, placed third in her only race at the Women's National Bicycle Races in Wisconsin, attended College, married and raised a family.
The author really didn't know about her mom's accomplishments until 1989, when she received 5 trunks from her deceased Grandmother, which contained her mom's trophy and documents about the 1947-48 bicycle trip. Using her mom's journals, maps and notes, she recreated the route and wrote the story.
I found another story written by the author entitled "What ever happened to Norma Jean Belloff?" I included the link for your understanding of the whole story.