Book Description

"Ride" chronicles a 4,000-mile cross-country bicycle ride from Seattle to Savannah. With little preparation and planning, a young businessman simply jumped on his bike and started pedaling. His goal: to raise money for trout stream preservation.

The only problem was that the longest bike ride he’d ever taken was twenty-five miles long. And he barely knew how to repair a flat tire.

Packing a fly rod and waders in place of a tent, he traveled through some of the country’s most spectacular scenery, fished on some of its best waters, and met some of its most charming, "classic" personalities. And with long hours alone—with just the road and assorted creatures to keep him company—he got to meet one other important person…himself. Each day brought new insights into life, and each day he recorded a personal lesson, a daily sutra.

Reading "Ride" you can’t help but feel good about this country, its resources, and its people…especially if you can just step back, slow down, and get things in perspective. In some way, each of us makes his or her own ride. Perhaps this one will help with yours. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Along for the ride with Jeff Graft
I'm a moderate day biker, 25 to 30 miles on flat land, so I was intrigued by Jeff Graft's fine book, Ride, in which he describes his 4,000 mile cross country ride across the US. I enjoyed the trip, and I didn't get sore. In fact, I sped through the book in one sitting, met a lot of nice folks, learned a few things about fishing and about biking long distances, mulled over a few life "lessons" which Jeff tacks onto the ends of his chapters, appreciated the fact that he was making the trip--not me. I praise the book's great layout design with its maps of the trip, Jeff's photos along the way, the journal style with dates and days marked, clean typeface, lots of white space. An easy read for a good cause--raising funds for conservation.

Daily journals are not always interesting
While this book was not completely devoid of merit, it was easily the worst travelogue I have ever read. After two pages of introduction, the rest of the book is simply a daily log of the miles travelled and the people encountered, with very few details. There is no attempt at an overall narrative, and no account of any growth on the part of the author. While throughout the book you get glimpses of the plans and logistics that were involved in the trip, the author seems to try to avoid mentioning them. It often seemed as if he was trying to give the impression that the trip was far more seat-of-the-pants than it was. The lack of personal information made it impossible to truly understand who the author was, and he seemed to note conversations regardless of their interest. Although the fact that prior to the trip he had never biked more than 25 miles is mentioned on both the jacket and in the introduction, it plays no role whatsoever in the story; he rarely mentions having any trouble on the trip. As if this were not enough to keep the story from being interesting, the author uses phrases and slang over and over, making me feel that he was repeating himself, and he includes a 'lesson' at the end of each day which usually amounts to a type of 'stop and smell the flowers' variety. These lessons have good intentions, but usually restate what has been covered in the narrative in case you missed it.

If you are looking for quality writing about travelling, try Tim Cahill, Bill Bryson or David Quammen. This book does not even do a good job of describing the efforts involved in peddaling across the continent.

Superbly written, unique travelogue for biking enthusiasts.
Ride is the story of Jeff Graft's experiences as he biked from just north of Seattle to peddle east on what was to become a 4,000-mile trip, reaching the Atlantic Ocean just sixty-eight days later. Before this, the longest bike ride Jeff had made was 25 miles. Often taking the most mountainous routes in order to stay close to trout streams, he slept out in the open because he'd sacrificed the weight of a tent to he could carry a fly rod and waders. From his bike seat perspective, Jeff got an appreciation of the country, its people and resources. Based on his daily journal, Ride is a superbly written, very unique travelogue that engages the reader from first page to last -- and may well inspire other bicycle enthusiasts to a similar sojourn.

The Ride of Your Life!
In Ride, author Jeff Graft does what many of us only dream of doing: He tosses off the shackles of the work-a-day world, jumps on his bike, and pedals his way across the country. That he does so for a great cause--to raise money for trout stream conservation--seems almost beside the point. What propels this book, from beginning to end, is the author's drive to live each moment to the fullest, to appreciate completely the raw country, and sometimes raw characters, he encounters on his journey. This book is about following a dream as much as it is about following the road.

Time for thought, test of staminia, determination
To decide to ride a bicycle across this country, sorta just boggled my mind, so I had to find out "why" someone would do this! To find a part of ones self each day, be it old or new, and the sights, sounds, and time for thought, kept me glued. First book I have finished in years! The author gives you lessons learned each day, does some fly fishing along the way, and pretty soon you find yourself pushing with him to accomplish the goals of the day and hope he catches some fish 'cause you know he's got to be hungry at times. What great satisfaction one gets from accomplishing goals and sometimes the stick-to-i-tive-ness that it takes to do so. I am sure you will enjoy the book as much as I did. Truly bought the book for my son who is a bicyclist himselt, but he had to wait for Mom to finish first.

The best part of all, I personally have met Mr. Graft and attended the initial book signing. Part of the proceeds from his book are being donated to the Conservation Resource Alliance to protect our streams and rivers.

You too will truly enjoy the trials and accomplishments of what must have been an awesome "Ride" Congratulations to Mr. Graft! ... Read more

Book Description

Because water is one of the most important life-supporting media on the planet, the quality of aquatic ecosystems is of great interest to the entire world population. One of the factors that greatly affects water quality is the condition of the underlying sediment layer. The Manual of Physico-Chemical Analysis of Aquatic Sediments addresses the best methods for quantitative determination of chemical forms of different elements and compounds, bioassessment techniques, and determination of physical properties of sediments. Essential information for surveying, research, and monitoring of sediment contamination is covered. This manual will aid sediment biologists, geochemists, limnologists, regulatory program managers, environmental chemists and toxicologists and environmental consultants in preparing plans for proper remedial action. ... Read more

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Book Description

Despite their importance in terms of employment and income generation, inshore fisheries have been a neglected area of study. The review of the common fisheries policy, especially in the light of the need to re-examine the derogation which reserves access to the inshore zone to coastal state vessels, provides an opportunity to redress the balance. With contributions from leading authorities on fisheries management, the book takes an in-depth look at seven European countries, examining the basis for the definition of inshore fisheries, evaluating their status, and describing the salient characteristics of their management. The national studies form the basis for cross-cultural analyses of the social organisation, cultural norms, economic objectives, and institutional structures of inshore fisheries in Europe. Finally, a number of key issues relating to the future of inshore fisheries management in a more integrated approach are examined. Overall the volume reaffirms the invaluable role played by inshore fisheries in the local and regional economies of Europe's complex coastline. ... Read more