Jon Penfold

The Road and the River Jon Penfold

In 2008, at the age of 25, Jon Penfold left his hometown in rural New York and headed west on his bicycle, zigzagging across the United States some 7,000 miles before reaching the Pacific Ocean. If that wasn't enough adventure for one lifetime, four years later he decides to go bigger. Travel with Jon as he pedals his bicycle from Portland, Oregon, to Lake Itasca, Minnesota, and then attempts to canoe the entire length of the Mississippi River. Ride along with him as he meets colorful characters, crosses paths with historical figures, and explores extraordinary places, including much beloved National Parks and Monuments such as Craters of the Moon, Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Devil's Tower, and the Badlands. See what he sees and feel how he feels as he comes face to face with wild animals, and fights to survive through relentless weather conditions and the occasional natural disaster. In the tradition of the great adventure-travel writers that came before him, like Mark Twain, Richard Halliburton, Peter Jenkins, and Bill Bryson, Jon Penfold intertwines humor, history, folklore, geography, and local culture, as he takes his audience on the road and the river for a true American adventure!