This post seems to be all about travel. Of a sort.

As a kid I remember reading a book about Tschiffeley's Ride so I was pleased to find Tschiffely's Ride: Being an Account of 10,000 Miles in the Saddle Through the Americas From Argentina to Washington, by A.F. Tschiffely. Much longer, and more detailed that the book from my childhood, this was more a diary or journal. In addition to talking about the amazing horses (Argentine Criollo), Tschiffely included legends, customs and history of the areas he rode through (at least in South America). Starting in 1925, the trip took three years and went from Buenos Aires to Washington, D.C. The horses, Mancha and Gato were 18 and 16 when the ride started. When they returned home they were retired to the pampas from which they came and lived into their forties.

I've read many times that something a musher enjoys the most is the time with their dogs when they are out on the trail. This is true in Alone Across the Arctic: One Woman's Epic Journey by Dog Team, by Pam Flowers with Ann Dixon. It's a journey that takes a year, there are polar bears, bad weather (as in blizzards), floating ice .. and the author is all alone. Except for her dogs.

This was a book that almost didn't happen, about an event that was almost lost forever. Fortunately, in 1984 an eighth grader entered an essay in the Washington State History Day Contest, an essay about a mother and daughter that walked across the continent. It captured the interest of Linda Lawrence Hunt and after months and years of research, Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America was the result. Helga Estby always intended to write a book, but her first notes, from the actual journey, were stolen. Later, family will burn the notes she made in the following years. For reasons which the reader will learn, the walk became the story that was Never Talked About. Ever. It all started in May, 1896 when Helga Estby accepted a 10,000 dollar wager to walk from Spokane, WA (where the family lived) to New York City. Her husband was injured and unable to work, and they needed money. She and her daughter packed light, carrying with them the proper letters of introduction, a few bits of clothing, and a variety of weapons. They would meet up with tramps, Indians, and presidential candidates, wear out several pairs of shoes, and, as required in the challenge, switch from their usual Victorian apparel, to the 'new' bicycle outfit for women, when they reached Salt Lake City. I pretty much read this book in one sitting, it was that good!

Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History Making Race Around the World, by Matthew Goodman. It started with just Nellie Bly, as a means to increase the subscriptions to Joseph Pulitzer's newspaper World, but when a competitor heard about it, he too, sent his own female journalist in a dash around the world (in the other direction). Since I did not know many (okay, any) of the details here, this was an exciting read! Nellie Bly traveled light (so unlike women of that time period), taking just a small, carry on bag. Elizabeth Bisland had less than eight hours to plan for her trip (she took a bit more luggage). As it so often does, their travel was affected by weather, but both women were clever and adaptable and found ways to continue their journey. One won, obviously, the other didn't and the aftermath for each of them was as interesting as the race itself.

The Lunatic Express: Discovering the World ... Via Its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains and Planes by Carl Hoffman. The author spent six months traveling around the world on the absolute worst means of transportation he could find ... airplanes with a reputation for crashing, ferries that sank, trains that derailed. His thinking was that this is the way most of the world really does travel, the regular folks, not those with money. Often overcrowded, with primitive (if any) facilities he actually had a pretty good time. Even with the language and cultural barrier, he made friends. The worst part of the trip would be, well, I'll let you read the book to find out!

From Tall Reader came this recommendation: Living High: an Unconventional Autobiography, by Jane Burn. Maybe not travel in the traditional sense, but then, none of the books here are that sort of travel! ;-) For this couple (then family) wanderlust was a key characteristic. That and 'roughing it' as the places where they actually settled down and lived for a year or two rarely had things such as indoor plumbing, electricity, or sometimes, even a door. From homesteading a small island in the San Juans to a road trip in an early version of an RV, they traveled across the United States several times. When they ran out of money, they found jobs until they had enough to move on again, sometimes they were on foot, at one time they had a mule cart. Before their first son was born the parents spent a year in Alaska as teachers (in the Aleutians). For those of you who might remember two small cabins above a parking lot at WWU near Fairhaven College, they built and lived in those for a while, too. Tall Reader gave me this book at 9 am, I finished it at 10 pm. Just so you know!

I remain a happy house hermit.

Reading Hermit With Dog