Riding with Ghosts: Searching for Resolution on the Road by Tom Carter is a remarkable story of a life-changing bicycle journey.

On a hot 1984 summer day, Tom Carter steers his bicycle from Placerville, California destined for his native Utah. As he seeks a new lease on life, Carter hopes to find resolution and peace with his deceased father.

As Carter sets out from mid-California, he shares bits of area and personal history. Twice divorced and a father of two grown daughters, Carter tells of accomplishments and regrets. His bicycle carries 50 pounds of gear distributed around the bike. Most of the time he camps out, either pitching a tent in designated campgrounds or in wooded areas, but once in awhile he rents a room for a night.

In his travels he fights headwinds, traffic, and negative thoughts–always seeking inner peace. Carter and his father had on-going struggles to understand each other, and now, as the journey progresses, he relives those moments, trying to put them in prospective.

I am impressed with pedaling the many up-hill climbs, and the tenacity and determination that effort took, always looking out for traffic. He often felt vulnerable and exhausted, but many times elation. Sometimes he longed for human companionship, and occasionally found it, but was most often alone with his memories on the solo journey.

I found the author’s adventure remarkable. I enjoyed revisiting many of the places he traveled. But when my husband and I visited some of those areas, we had the luxury of a camper, where Carter was much more vulnerable traveling by bicycle, pitching a small tent, or not, and eating only what he could carry or purchase in small quantities, occasionally enjoying a meal in a restaurant. I appreciated the bits of history he shared and imagining those places as they once were, and seeing how they appeared in 1984. Peddling about 15 miles per hour, Carter takes us from California, Oregon, Washington, Canada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and finally to his destination in Ogden, Utah.

People who love adventure will enjoy Riding with Ghosts, especially those interested in introspection. Carter’s description of the countryside is vivid. The book would also serve as a guide for anyone taking on such an adventure.