Back Blocks of America

rom the authors of the bestselling Silk Riders comes the tale of their latest motorbike adventure, Backblocks America. This time Jo, Gareth and their mates cross North America, from Christopher Columbus' first landfall in the Bahamas to the extreme northwest of Alaska, via the Appalachians, the deep South, Mexico and the Rocky Mountains — with a cruise down the California coast to finish. Taking the back roads, they discover an America far from the bland and homogenous world of big cities and reality TV. Jo and Gareth tell their story with customary wit and insight, and it's packed full of entertaining tales of roadkill, racism, encounters with wildlife, history and good old American hospitality.

rom the authors of the bestselling Silk Riders comes the tale of their latest motorbike adventure, Backblocks America. This time Jo, Gareth and their mates cross North America, from Christopher Columbus' first landfall in the Bahamas to the extreme northwest of Alaska, via the Appalachians, the deep South, Mexico and the Rocky Mountains — with a cruise down the California coast to finish. Taking the back roads, they discover an America far from the bland and homogenous world of big cities and reality TV. Jo and Gareth tell their story with customary wit and insight, and it's packed full of entertaining tales of roadkill, racism, encounters with wildlife, history and good old American hospitality.

Dr Gareth Morgan is an economist, public policy analyst, portfolio investor, motorcycle adventurer and philanthropist. Through the Morgan Foundation Gareth has instigated a series of books on issues of public interest. He has also co-authored with his wife Joanne, 5 books on their offshore motorcycle trips, and has written three books on personal investment. See ‘Other Titles’ for more information. His latest project “Our Far South” set out to raise New Zealanders’ awareness of the importance of the area between Stewart Island and the South Pole – the race for resources, the sensitivity of Antarctica to climate change and the threat to biodiversity or our subantarctic islands from overfishing, marine pollution and climate change. This project led on toGareth’s participation in further conservation projects – Predator Free New Zealand, Million Dollar Mouse, Stewart Island Treasure, and New Zealand’s Cleanest River. Gareth is a shareholder in Welnix, which owns the Wellington Phoenix Football team and part of the Hurricanes rugby franchise.Gareth’s directorships have included a national legal firm, publicly listed companies, advisory boards of government departments, New Zealand’s largest web site auction house TradeMe Ltd, and Leite Verde SA a Brazilian dairy industry business. Gareth graduated from Victoria University with a PhD in economics 1982.