In 1994, Erika Warmbrunn decided to escape a stalled acting career and add some adventure to her life by cycling through Mongolia, China, and Vietnam. She writes eloquently of her experiences, which ranged from riding across vast stretches of unmarked tundra in Mongolia and spending an extended stay in one community to engaging in life-affirming exchanges in Vietnam followed by being stoned by gangs of children. As much a rich look into the lives of the people Warmbrunn met along the way as an account of her incredible cycling feat, Where the Pavement Ends is a masterfully told and compelling story.