This is the best book on athletic injuries I've used. It's old, but the sound advice hasn't been improved upon. I had a chronic hamstring injury when I got the book (back in '86) and for the first time in years I was able to rehab it completely and compete pain free. I've since referred to it for advice on knees and shoulders. Most recently I had an early stress fracture only a few weeks before an important competition. Following Garrick's guidlines, I was able to recover completely before the event. Garrick understands an athlete's need to stay active and take positive action to recover from an injury and tells you exactly how to do this. He also realizes that an injury that is "cured" by rest and cessation of the activity most often returns when the activity is resumed unless active rehab has been performed.
Highly recommended. The only reason I gave it four stars rather than five is it's brevity. I wish he would write a much longer and more detailed reference.

Great analysis of cause and practical approach to cure. Especially good with joint issues. Thanks Dr. Garrick, your efforts have limited my pain and time in recovery! You should be everyone's first responder to sports injury...another edition??

Greatest Road Movie Ever. A True Classic
Reviewer: A viewer from Minneapolis, Minnesota United States
The scenery alone is enough to send chills down your spine. Add to that the killer soundtrack and Jack Nicholson's star making (and in my opinion, his best) performance and you've got yourself one hell of a film. Easy Rider (Directed by Dennis Hopper) is the story of two hippie bikers who take a trip on their motorcycles down to the Mardi-Gras festival in New Orleans. Along the way they stopped at a hippie commune, end up in a parade, and spend the night in jail before finally making it to Mardi-Gras. Where they proceed to have themselves a good old time ...
The big three things that make this movie special are the scenery (photographed to perfection, by Laslo Kovack) the music. Which just plain rocks and Jack Nicholson's performance. Nothing against Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper's performance but Nicholson steals every scene he's in. This movie is also a fasinating look at the 60's counterculture. Lots of ... great music, killer movie. Enjoy.

I bought this title because I am a motorcyclist. If you have never ridden one and want to know what it is like, this movie will take you on a virtual road trip from Los Angeles through beautiful mountain scenery down to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The two stars, Peter Fonda (Wyatt) and Dennis Hopper (Billy), head out on the highway to the motorcycle anthem, "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf, and there are some fantastic camera shots of them crossing the Colorado River. If that scene doesn't get your blood pumping, then you can be assured that motorcycling isn't for you.

There's a lot more to this movie than just scenic motorcycling and sixties music. A typical biker movie has a weak plot, usually involving some gang terrorizing the local community. Before creating this movie, Fonda and Jack Nicholson (George), as well as some of the other cast members all appeared in such flicks. By contrast, "Easy Rider" is really a mold-breaker for its type, because it involves a lot of social commentary.

Early in the movie, Billy and Wyatt pick up a stranger along the highway, who turns out to be the leader of a commune. He is a dead ringer for John Lennon, when he had his Sgt. Pepper look. Wyatt and the stranger get along well, but Billy is suspicious of the hitchhiker. They take him back to his commune and hang out for awhile there with the people. Wyatt fits in OK, but Billy is not generally respected. Many of them make fun of Billy. For some time, this was very hard for me to account for, since Billy is a freak.

I did not gain any insights into this until I read the book, "Riders On the Storm" by Doors' drummer, John Densmore. In it, he explains how the Doors, who were from Los Angeles, were not invited to play the Monterey Pop Festival. San Francisco flower power was about peace and love, and Jim Morrison, the lead singer, gave off an aggressive vibe. Densmore also said that some famous flower power musicians did not want to be publicly associated with The Doors. For instance, John Sebastian agreed to play harmonica on "Roadhouse Blues," but he would not allow his real name to be used in the credits. I believe that the difference in values between Los Angeles and San Francisco is crucial to understanding why Billy was rejected by the commune members.

Wyatt and Billy are not from San Francisco, and they do not wear psychedelic clothing. They hail from Los Angeles, and they are preoccupied with freedom--not peace and love. Billy has a real aggressive vibe to him. He is very confrontational, and he doesn't get along well with others. Wyatt is more of a seeker. He is open-minded and interested in what other people have to offer. They're both rich, but not through legal or reputable means. They smuggled some cocaine across the border from Baja, Mexico, and then they sold it for a huge profit. The two are friends, and they seem to have accepted each others strengths and weaknesses.

The movie makes some clear statements about sixties social values and morals. In other cases, it brings up issues, but doesn't reach any firm conclusions. The movie ends tragically, but it isn't an indictment of flower power. Billy had rejected peace and love, and had he not reacted in the confrontational manner that he did, things might have turned out differently. This movie is about the tradgedy and failure of hate--and the need for peace, love, and understanding. I give this movie a five-star rating because it documents the issues of the times so effectively. As a motorcycle movie, this production is practically unbeatable because it has captured the spirit of motorcycling so well.

This movie is about two guys who get a lot of money from a drug deal and decide to take a tour of America on two Harley Davidson motorcycles circa 1969. They get into a lot of adventures that include meeting a hick Jack Nickolson. This movie was wierd and that is why I liked it so much. It wasn't wierd in a dumb way. It made you think. Not a lot of movies do that to me, but this one did. The movie had a message when it was released for it's time. Now it's just a great movie. This movie has lots of grass smoking and an acid trip and they did it all in a cool way. Not blatantly like some movies do with drugs. If you have an open mind and don't mind seeing how the other side think and live then you will like this film. I've seen it three times. One last thing. Great music. From Jimmy Hendrix to The Byrds they have a lot of killer rock tunes.

The foreword of the book is written by Peter Fonda. I personally fail to make the connection why the endorsement of a Hollywood actor who happened to shoot a motorcycling movie should prove the value of a touring guide. But as I tried out some of the journeys, I started to see how the whole experience, which these suggested trips cater to, is concentrated around the image of motorcycling rather than the actual experience of riding. I wasted a couple of weekends diligently following directions through Pennsylvania and up the Hudson. The book led me through numerous towns and it reserved a lot of pages for information on all the things, which you could do to avoid riding your bike - you could find listings on every thrift store, restaurant, rafting company, and even bicycle tour! available on your way. Another interesting (and related) point was the fact that the author estimated coverage of about 50 miles per day i.e. if the suggested trip was 200 miles total, you were supposed to need 4 to 5 days to cover the distance. While very concentrated on all the entertainment that could be bought along the trip, the book was not especially concerned with the quality of the selected riding. Gorgeous scenic ways were followed by long stretches of banal suburban motifs and while stuck in the stop-and-go traffic I was wondering what part of the motorcycling experience I was supposed to be exercising at the time.

This is my rendering of the qualities, which the reader needs to possess in order to enjoy the recommendations in the book: 1. Your name must be Peter Fonda 2. You must be independently wealthy since you can't both hold a job and go to all these 4-5 days trips. 3. You must be versatile in the outdoors' activities to take full advantage of all the fun that awaits you out there. 4. You need friends who would like to hear about stuff like " When I flew in that helicopter over the Grand Canyon...", and "Here is a picture of me next to an Amish farmer..." 5. You only need basic riding skills and moderate motorcycling enthusiasm.

My advice is - get a map, look for the small roads, use your common sense, and explore. Good luck out there, maybe we'll meet on the road.

I recently purchased Gary's book in the Spring of '02 for my trips to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Sturgis. It provided an excellent primer for stopping points of interest and quality local eateries. I wasn't hung up on his allowing four days to cover 200 miles, however, I looked at is a buffet in which you can pick and choose the events of interest to you. His advice on packing warmer clothing in the dead of Summer for the elevation changes was dead on. Some may call it 'common sense', but if you see reported temperatures in Asheville at 90 degrees, you may not realize you'll need a jacket and light gloves by the time you hit Mt. Mitchell. I appreciated his advice and considered it money well spent.

Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Great American Motorcycle Tours by Gary McKechnie offers the reader a wide variety of suggested motorcycle tours ideal for vacationers and cyclists looking for history, excitement, and the joy of the open road. Different tours appeal to different tastes, such an Amish Country Run stretching from New Hope to Intercourse, Pennsylvania, or a Wild West Run from Livingston, Montana to Jackson, Wyoming. Each individual tour has numerous historic stops, and any attraction can be easily looked up in the index for "user friendly" cross-referencing. Overall, Great American Motorcycle Tours is an enjoyable, practical, and very highly recommended guide.

I must say that I was surprised by Peter Fonda's autobiography. It's quite well written and at times very moving. However, every once in a while this little voice in my head would mutter, "get over it". By the time I finished the book the little voice was a very, very BIG voice. Losing a parent at a young age is terrible. I know. The pain never goes away. And Fonda is not the first person to say that Henry Fonda could be a very cold and distant man. But is that any excuse for some of Fonda's behaviour. His so-called anti-authority stance comes across as "I'm the son of a big movie star and I know you're not going to do anything really bad to me, so F____ you!" There are many times when he complains about the goverment's fascist behaviour in suspecting him of possessing drugs. But, wait a minute Peter. You did have drugs on the boat! Fonda always knew that nobody was going to actually throw Mr. Roberts'-Tom Joad's-Young Mr. Lincoln's son in jail. Peter had a pretty good life considering that he was definitely short-changed in the talent department in the Fonda family. He made lousy movies, screwed around on his wife, took copious amounts of controlled substances, got the name of "rebel" without really having to put his "rich boy" behind on the line, and threw temper tantrums that would have gotten an ordinary person thrown in jail, whenever he felt like it. Peter, GET OVER IT!!

A nicely written book about Fonda's life, although I found it strange that, having dedicated the book to his sister, there is very little about her and how their adult lives crossed. Far, far too much information about his yachts and their voyages. The story of Easy Rider was well told but overall I felt I gained more insight into Fonda from Peter Biskind's book: Easy Riders and Raging Bulls.

I enjoyed this book and found it to be a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the rich and famous Fonda family. I agree that Peter contradicts himself often in this book by telling us the things he resents about his relationship with his father, then turning around and doing the same things to his own family. This is precisely _what_ makes this book interesting. Abused becomes abuser. Therapists will tell you that happens all the time. Here we get to see it spelled out in gory detail. Fascinating reading.