The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America

In 1954, sixty-three-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins set out on a cross-country journey on horseback to reach the Pacific Ocean. Recently losing her farm and given only two years to live by her doctor, Annie rejected the suggestion to enter a county charity home. Instead, she purchased a brown gelding named Tarzan and, accompanied by her dog Depeche Toi, began riding south in November without a map or detailed plans, relying on her belief in American kindness. Between 1954 and 1956, Annie, Tarzan, and Depeche Toi traveled over four thousand miles across America. They navigated blizzards, rivers, mountains, and highways transformed by rapid modern construction. Along the way, Annie encountered both ordinary people and notable figures including Andrew Wyeth, Art Linkletter, and Groucho Marx. She received various offers including a permanent home at a New Jersey riding stable, employment at a Kentucky gas station, and a marriage proposal from a Wyoming rancher. During a decade marked by tripling car ownership and expanding television influence, Annie's journey inspired widespread displays of neighborliness across a rapidly changing nation.