ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Back in school, Bill Weir always figured he'd settle down to a career job and live happily ever after. Then he discovered traveling. After graduating with a B.A. degree in physics from Berea College in 1972, Bill found employment with corporate America, but the very short vacation breaks just didn't provide enough time for the trips he dreamed of.

So in 1976 he took off on his trusty bicycle, Bessie, riding across the United States from Virginia to Oregon with Bikecentennial '76. The following year he took off on an even longer bicycle trip—from Alaska to Baja California. Then came the ultimate journey—a bicycle cruise around the world. Bill pedaled the globe from 1980 to 1984, spending most of his time in the South Pacific and Asia, getting as far west as India's Thar Desert. Naturally he used Moon's excellent South Pacific Handbook and Indonesia Handbook. Correspondence with the authors led to the idea of writing a guidebook of his own. Bill returned to his home base of Flagstaff, Arizona, and set to work researching and writing Arizona Handbook.

As soon as he'd finished that book, Bill headed north to the Beehive State to create Moon Handbooks: Utah . Back in Arizona, he plunged into yet another comprehensive guide, the Moon Handbooks: Grand Canyon, centered on the wonders of the colorful chasm. Bill has also written the text for National Geographic Traveler Arizona, which describes the state's highlights accompanied by beautiful photography.

Bill continues to explore Arizona and beyond, always discovering new places and learning more about the old. He completed his round-the-world bicycle ride with ol "Bessie the Bicycle" in 1995 and has since ridden extensively in Europe and Asia with his new "Bessie Too the Bicycle."

"Travels in the world and in the mind," he says, "add to life's richness of experiences."

See Favorite Websites for tales of his recent adventures.