★★★★☆

By Glen Heggstad, StrikingViking.net

Published by ECW Press

ISBN-10: 155022882X

ISBN-13: 978-1550228823

Paperback: $15.13 ($9.99 Kindle version)

It’s virtually impossible that you don’t know of Glen Heggstad. Even if his last name doesn’t ring a bell you’ll likely recall the publicity surrounding his South American misadventure back in 2001. Glen was the American rider who hit the media spotlight when he was released from abduction, torture and near starvation, by the rebel group known as the E.L.N., on his nearly disastrous run for Terra del Fuego. His subsequent best-seller “Two Wheels Through Terror” and National Geographic Channel show documenting the ordeal garnered their fair share of press, a lecture circuit, and involvement in various other humanitarian endeavors.

I only mention the above because it was his life-changing experience with terrorism that became the raison d’être for “One More Day Everywhere.”  The once clearly traumatized author wrote, “For me, still reeling from a firsthand experience of human madness, there was no other way to contend with such a festering wound of personal doubt and deepening emptiness. I needed to find out what was really out there and hopefully confirm a suspicion that humanity was not inherently evil.”

After selling pretty much everything he owned to raise the necessary funds, Glen set off on a solo motorcycle-based, two-year, 50,000+ mile journey around the world. The setting (rather than the main topic) of this well-written and fascinating book.

There is an ingredient that always sets some authors apart. Venturing off the beaten track, especially in defiance of commonly accepted beliefs, governmental warnings, bad media, etc., to seek out other truths than those so often perpetrated upon us. Several times I actually caught myself thinking “No! Don’t go there!” But the author clearly made a decision to ignore the probability of certain danger to seek out cultures, sans presumption, with virgin eyes.

The author makes effective use of the familiar travelogue format to mark the various events, twists and turns along his quest. It’s a hard to beat method for this genre. And I found his thoughtful and thought-provoking commentary a wonderful balance between travel tales and his evolving personal philosophy—a philosophy worthy because it is insightful, original and spun from his life experiences rather than an all too familiar regurgitation of another’s PoV.

Glen’s story is yet another reminder of the many reasons we crave adventure. Perhaps it’s really about the people we meet and get to know along the road.

Whether you’re planning a multi-country motorcycle expedition yourself, or simply enjoy reading about the adventures of others, move this one to the top of your list. You won’t be disappointed. StrikingViking.net