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Two Wheels Through Terror: Diary of a South American Motorcycle Odyssey | 
 enlarge | Author: Glen Heggstad
Publisher: Whitehorse Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $16.47
You Save: $8.48 (34%)
New (1) Used (7) Collectible (1) from $15.65
Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 61951
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 276
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 1884313493
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN: 9781884313493
ASIN: 1884313493
Publication Date: July 26, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 3 to 5 weeks
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Product Description
Glen Heggstad is an adventure motorcyclist who seeks out and rides the most rugged places on the planet. He has been a Hell's Angel and a martial arts competitor, but no amount of training or experience was able to prepare him for what he became while riding to the southern tip of South America: a prisoner. This book is the shocking travelogue of Heggstad's journey through Central and South America, including his capture by Colombia's rebel ELN army, and the eventual realization of a dream. Follow along on his exciting, round-trip to the tip of the world, made all the more amazing by its intermission at the hands of terrorists. Heggstad was ripped from his motorcycle, robbed of everything, and forced to march through strange jungles with assault rifles in his back. He was fed only small amounts of rice and water and forced to carry heavy equipment, heavy packs, and heavy doubts about his future. Even with all the hand-to-hand and sophisticated combat training Heggstad possessed, it was his shrewd thinking, precise planning, and a "do-or-die" last act of desperation that eventually secured his freedom.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
 Great motorcycle adventure book! November 7, 2004
M. Rosen (Madison, WI)
18 out of 20 found this review helpful
I won't bother outlining the story, the editorial review does a good job of that. I just want to say how much I enjoyed this book and how much I admire Glen Heggstad after reading it. I've done a few solo cycle trips - nothing on this scale, of course - and his writing captured perfectly the atmosphere of the journey. His tale of capture and release is chilling and suspenseful, but his story of the rest of the trip is just as good. The beautiful scenery, the huge variations in weather, the characters (good and bad) he meets on the road, and the solo tourer's feeling of isolation and necessary resourcefulness when faced with adversity all combine for a great adventure story. And of course, no great story is complete without insights into the character of the writer, and how his journey has changed him. That's here, too. If you read and enjoyed "One Man Caravan" or "Jupiter's Travels", buy this book; but be forewarned: after reading it, your next purchases may be a Kawasaki KLR650 and a World Atlas.
 A tale of raw adventure January 19, 2005
SilverRider (Kentucky)
9 out of 12 found this review helpful
Glen Heggstad is certainly an interesting and complicated character. While not dwelling on his background, he gives us glimpses of a rough and tumble past that molded his persona. This persona is centered on his martial arts experience but is spiced with activities both noble and possibly shady. Taken as a whole, it provides him with a code of ethics that he follows even if it's a bit off center.
For instance, he describes the soulless poverty in South American countries with a sense of moral outrage coming from a man who has the back of the oppressed. He pontificates on the evils of capitalistic excess and seems to feel America is responsible for their condition - or perhaps more fairly, their inability to improve their condition. He says he loves his country but fears his government. Agree with him or not, on the surface Glen seems to be a man that comes to the defense of the used and abused. But this isn't the whole picture. He lists several friends who dropped everything in an attempt to secure his release from the ELN. One who is described as a soul mate of sorts is the owner of an infamous brothel in Nevada. It may be a legal business but aren't women exploited for sex dealing with the same economic realities as the peasants south of the border? Surprisingly, he doesn't let this affect his friendship. Complicated indeed!
Because of the delay caused by the ELN, Glen finds himself rushed to complete the trip before the onset of the rainy season and freezing weather further south. The reader feels his haste as he races through the balance of the trip without writing much about the details. We are left wanting to know more about the people he met along the way.
What saves the book for me are the vivid descriptions Glen has of his surroundings and experiences during the trip. His description of riding through the Altiplano in Bolivia is poetic. He gives the reader a real sense of what it's like to make this trip. Overall, it's an easy read with a heavy dose of excitement adventure. Contrary to another reviewer's claim, this tale will probably scare many people away from making this epic journey instead of inspiring them!
Note: A lot of conversational profanity is used. If you find this offensive, this isn't a book for you.
Glen Heggstad Never Surrenders April 3, 2006
John Williams
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Sometimes you have to give in to the stresses of life--and other times you have to gut it out no matter what gets in your way. Glen Heggstad set out with a goal to ride from Palm Springs to Tierra del Fuego. Communist rebels in Columbia delayed him setting that goal for five weeks. No one could fault him for giving up, going home, healing up, dealing with the emotional trauma, and putting back on the 55 pounds he lost.
No one, except Glen himself. He got another bike shipped in from the states and completed his journey. He wouldn't let the terrorists win.
This is adventure writing at it's finest--a true story of striving through impossible odds to complete a journey--to reach a goal--to finish the job he started. Heggstad's DEFINITELY full of himself--but it isn't arrogance--it's well-deserved and accurate self-esteem. He's a larger-than-life figure, living a larger-than-life life. His writing is filled with a bravado attitude that would be an exaggeration for most people--not for Heggstad.
His kidnapping and captivity only take up a small portion of the book. The rest is devoted to his travels--depicted richly and vividly. It's a biker's dream come true--just get on the bike and keep going. THAT'S what this book's about: the ride, and the people you meet along the way. That's why Glen made the journey--the same reason all motorcyclists make the journey.
I couldn't put it down--well, except for times it motivated me to get on my bike and go for a ride.
Crazy Glen April 18, 2006
B. Rucker
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
As a former martial art student of Glen from over 7 years ago I can tell you that he tells events exactly as they happen. This is the most exciting book I have ever read.
 Okay March 25, 2006
R. Mocciola (Norfolk, VA)
4 out of 15 found this review helpful
For some reason I don't believe this book. The whole book seems like some kind of hoax - a planned event. There are several wonderful places a man going through a mid-life crisis can explore on a motorcycle to find himself; Glen seems begging for all of these horrible things to happen to him. The author is a bit full of himself and his uncultured descriptions of the places and faces he encounters are a complete bore. I admit that when I purchased this book I was searching for the innocent escape I reaped by reading "Jupiter's Travels" by Ted Simon, not an ego charged, made for t.v. action adventure.
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