Riding the Continent
Hamilton Mack Laing was an illustrious early British Columbia writer and naturalist, but few know him as how he described himself in his mid-thirties: a motorcycle-naturalist. In 1915, he made one of the first transcontinental journeys, riding across the United States from Brooklyn to Oakland.
His previously unpublished manuscript of this journey, hidden away for nearly a century, is available now for the first time. Riding the Continent tells the story of a pioneering motorcyclist and independently thinking naturalist on a most unusual road trip.
Laing's tale explores the beauty of North America's bird life, describes the sights, scenery and people he encountered, and takes us along for the ride on a 1915 Harley-Davidson he named Barking Betsy.
Also included are a foreword by Laing biographer and British Columbia historian Richard Mackie and an afterword by editor and motorcycle travel writer Trevor Marc Hughes, along with dozens of photos.
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