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

The Ride of Her Life is a 2021 biography by American author Elizabeth Letts. The book shares the story of Annie Wilkins, a farmer in 1950s Maine who fell ill and lost her farm due to debt. Annie refused to become a “charity case” at the local county home, instead setting off on one last adventure: to ride her horse from Maine to California and see the Pacific Ocean before she died. In describing Annie’s experience of the American landscape and people, the book explores themes related to societal transformation, neighborly kindness, and personal resilience.

This study guide refers to the 2021 Kindle edition of the book.

Summary

The Prologue introduces Annie Wilkins, a farmer and laborer in the small town of Minot, Maine. Chapter 1 describes how Annie worked hard to keep her family’s farm going, making a meager living through her livestock. One winter day, Annie collapsed during a blizzard, and her neighbors rushed her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with tuberculosis or lung cancer. Chapters 2 and 3 relate how Annie returned home to an empty farm; her uncle had died, and her animals had been sold to cover her hospital bills. Exhausted and facing the loss of her property due to land tax debts, Annie planted a cash crop of cucumbers. Despite the crop’s success, however, Annie still could not repay her debts and decided to give up her farm and travel on horseback to California as one final adventure.

Chapters 4 and 5 describe how Annie bought a retired racehorse, Tarzan, packed essentials, and left Minot on horseback with her dog, Depeche Toi. Chapter 6 details Annie’s journey south, where she confronted the new realities of travel in the US as she tried to navigate car culture on horseback.

Chapters 7 and 8 describe Annie’s gratefulness for the Bennett family’s hospitality. However, her next host was less welcoming, taking her to the police station, where she spent the night. This cloud had a silver lining, though: It roused the interest of a local journalist, who arrived to interview her. News of her journey spread quickly, and she gained widespread media attention. Chapters 9 and 10 detail how strangers continued to extend kindness and hospitality. Annie was bewildered but pleased about the growing public interest in her story.

Chapters 11 and 12 describe the warm welcome that Annie received in Massachusetts from a sled dog racer named Jean Lane, who hosted her for lunch, and from members of a horse-riding club, who were eager to ride with her. In Springfield, Massachusetts, the Chamber of Commerce president put her up at the town’s nicest hotel. She was amazed by people’s interest in her life and their generosity toward her.

Chapters 13 and 14 describe Annie’s trip through New Jersey, where she turned down an offer to appear on TV in exchange for sponsorship, as she had to prioritize avoiding winter weather. As Annie and Tarzan left New Jersey, a truck clipped them on an icy road, injuring them both. Fortunately, they recovered, and their new hosts threw them a surprise birthday party. The next several chapters describe Annie’s ride through Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park; she enjoyed it but was injured in an accident on the icy Brandywine River. Wary of winter weather, she accepted a ride to Kentucky, where the beauty of the countryside impressed her. A local farmer gave Annie the incredible gift of a second pack horse, named Rex.

Chapters 18-21 describe the challenges Annie faced in Arkansas, where her horses went missing in a storm, and in Kansas, where she faced more bad weather and isolated roads while feeling sicker than ever. Worse still, her horse Tarzan drank from a poisoned creek and was sick for a day. Fortunately, farmers and homeowners continued to greet Annie hospitably, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, invited her to participate in its Frontier Days parade.

The next three chapters cover Annie’s journey through two uniquely challenging landscapes: the Snowy Range mountains, where she enjoyed a good ride with incredibly scenic views, and the Great Divide Basin, where she experienced a terrifying flash flood. Unnerved, Annie continued and soon reached Idaho, where she enjoyed the hospitality of local Mormon families. As the weather grew increasingly cold, Annie realized that she could not ride on horseback through the Sierra Nevada mountains in the snow and accepted a trucker’s offer of a ride to California.

Chapter 25 describes how Annie’s arrival in the cold mountain town of Alturas dampened her dreams of sunny California. She continued south, and when she arrived in Redding, she was approached by TV producer Art Linkletter, who wanted to feature her on his popular show People Are Funny, to which Annie agreed. Chapter 26 relates the tragic events of Rex’s injury and death from tetanus, and how Annie, though devastated, motivated herself to complete her journey without him. Chapter 27 describes how, after more than a year of traveling, Annie arrived, penniless but triumphant, in Los Angeles. She appeared on TV and received a sizable payment from Art Linkletter. The Epilogue reveals that Annie defied doctors’ expectations by living for another 26 years and notes that she is still remembered as the “last of the saddle tramps” (274).