A Bicycle Journey to the Bottom of the Americas

About the Book

Remember when you were a kid and you got your first bicycle? After a few weeks of mastering the dynamics of balancing, steering, and pedaling, all at the same time hopefully, your father released his protective, steadying grip on the seat and you went wobbling off on your own. It was probably your very first taste of independence and freedom and you knew you liked that feeling very much. Few things in life have ever compared to that first solo ride.

Almost 40 years after my first solo bike ride, I was able to recapture the excitement and passion of that momentous occasion when I pedaled out of Anchorage, Alaska bound for Tierra del Fuego-the very tip of South America. No matter that it was 17,500 miles distant and would take 3½ years to get there I vowed I would achieve that goal if it took the rest of my life.

About the Author

Between globe trotting bicycle adventures George lives not so quietly in Santa Cruz, California, a beach community, where he is desperately learning to surf on a 9'6" O'Neill surfboard. When not flailing away in the Pacific Ocean, Hawkins can be seen, occasionally, riding his Miyata road bike through the nearby redwood forested mountains or under his classic 1974 Plymouth Duster changing the oil or greasing the lubrication fittings. More often than not when the sun is rising or setting, George will be perched on a scenic ocean cliff or hiking a beach with his Nikon camera capturing images of crashing waves or unforgettable sunsets.

In addition to bicycle touring, surfing, and photography, Hawkins is locally famous for his handcrafted beers, particularly the incomparable MadHawk Ale.