One Hill at a Time is a true life adventure about a bicycle trip that my two sons and I took in 1983 from Carmel, IN to Seattle, WA, including a side trip to Victoria and Sidney, British Columbia and the San Juan Islands, then down the coast to San Francisco, CA. We wrote out our route on 3 X 5 cards, loaded our bikes with the gear we thought we needed, and left home not knowing what to expect or how far we would get. I kept a daily journal in the form of letters that I sent home to my wife, and she kept a large U.S. map on the family room wall, marking our route as we traveled along. When we arrived in San Francisco nine weeks later, we rode a Greyhound bus home. We overcame situations that seemed insurmountable at the time: broiling under the hot sun of the prairies, thirsting for water when there was none, shivering in the high wet altitudes, and feeling the pain of overstressed muscles through endless miles of wide open spaces. We pedaled through horrendous storms and awesome beauty, past unfriendly dogs and curious wild animals, alongside the roar of heavy traffic and the quiet symphony of rushing streams. We struggled against the strain of climbing steep mountains and thrilled to the exhilaration of soaring down the other side. We experienced the delightful sounds, varied odors, and breathtaking sights of nature that are totally missed in the world of the automobile. We learned the lesson of climbing one hill at a time, no matter how short or long, gradual or steep. We not only gained strength through perseverance, but we also discovered that the more difficult the climb, the greater the thrill of soaring down the other side. And we were continuously filled with the peaceful content of accomplishment.