Those who know me know that I love a good outdoor adventure, whether it’s skiing, cycling, or just using my own two feet. Here’s a collection of posts that highlight some of these adventures abroad.
Cycling Italy: Days 5 to 7
Day 5: Lucca Hills, 31.1 mi, 2612 ft. It’s going to be another hot day, so we rolled out early. Once out of town, we began making our way up the hills overlooking Lucca, riding on narrow, winding roads that form switchbacks up the hillside. The landscape was beautiful—full of small, picturesque towns with stone…
Cycling Italy: Days 3 and 4
Day 3: Pisa 45.5 mi, 895 ft. As each day passes, we get better at navigating our way out of the city. Once outside of it, we started the route on a gravel path along the Serchio river. I’ve loved the mix of terrain on these rides, with lots of gravel to break up the…
Cycling Italy: Days 1 and 2
On the morning of the first day, we met our bike rental company at a central location to pick up our bikes. Last year, you might remember I rode the Buick of bikes whose sheer weight made my knees buckle after 285 miles of riding. This year, I have a proper road bike—carbon frame, lightweight,…
Cycling the Baltics (Part 3: Lithuania)
And the rides continue… EuroVelo 10 (Lithuania) – 26 mi Sventoji to Klaipeda. The EuroVelo 10 is an internationally known bike route that circles the Baltic Sea and spans nine countries. For this portion of the bike tour, I ride a portion of this route starting in Sventoji, a seaside town in Lithuania. The day…
Cycling the Baltics (Part 2: Latvia)
I think I mentioned in my last post that riding a bike of this weight (and with flat pedals, no less) feels to my muscles like I’m riding more miles than I actually am. I keep telling myself that this is “training,” sort of like running with weights strapped to my ankles, but my muscles…
Cycling the Baltics (Part 1: Estonia)
When I first thought to do some bike touring, I wanted a self-guided, semi-supported tour where I am responsible to get myself from place-to-place, but someone else gives me the route and transports my luggage to the next stop (basically, I wanted to pay someone to do the logistics and nothing more). These kinds of…
Patagonia: Ushuaia
Ushuaia is the capital of Tierra del Fuego, which is an island that marks the southernmost tip of South America before Antarctica. For this reason, it is often referred to as “El fin del mundo” (the end of the world). In truth, I’ve heard there’s dispute over which country (Chile or Argentina) actually lays claim…
Trekking Patagonia: El Calafate and El Chalten
El Calafate: Perito Moreno glacier When we stepped off the plane in El Calafate, I was immediately struck by the cold, dry air. After six weeks in Buenos Aires’ subtropic humid weather (where it always felt about 10-15 degrees warmer than it actually was), it was a refreshing change to be immersed in the cold…
Uruguay and the trouble with Chile…
Though I like Buenos Aires a great deal as a digital nomad destination, a city of three million people begins to wear on a person after a fashion—particularly someone like me, who loves a certain amount of urban life, but who needs the great outdoors and easy access to peace, quiet, and nature. I prefer…
Trekking Patagonia: Torres del Paine… (subtitle: The Goldilocks Trek)
I’m not gonna lie: my last few treks have been hard. I’m not just talking about the physical part either, which was challenging enough on its own, but within my range of ability. What made the last two treks difficult was everything else that goes with any outdoor activity—the stuff that you can plan for,…
Spring skiing, Chilean style…
I’ve learned that Chileans love a good switchback. As I already mentioned, the first part of this trip is all about skiing. We researched the Chilean ski season, their resorts, etc. and everything indicated that they’d be open and we’d have snow. However, the beautiful weather and (mostly) dry mountains left us skeptical. Nevertheless, on…
Trekking the Cordillera Real (subtitle: “Cold Mountain”)
I hate camping. There, I said it, and now everyone knows the ugly truth. Just because I love the outdoors—just because I love hiking, trekking, and outdoor sports—it does not follow that I must also love camping. I’m not sure where this assumption comes from, but apparently it’s from those “true” outdoor gods and goddesses…
Trekking to the Lost City (Ciudad Perdida)
The Lost City, or Ciudad Perdida, is an ancient city in the Sierra Nevadas that is believed to have been built 650 years before Machu Picchu (around 800 CE) by the Tairona, the ancient ancestors of the area’s current tribes: the Kogis, the Wiwa, and the Arhuacas. It was “found” again in 1972 when treasure…
The Santuario de Iguaque…
As I mentioned in my previous post, we headed to Villa de Leyva, which is a beautifully preserved colonial village not far from Bogota. There, in addition to strolling the cobblestoned town, we focused on outdoor pursuits, such as cycling and a hike to the Santuario de Iguaque. The Santuario is a sacred place that…
War and peace
In the 90s, when I was much younger and dreaming of all the places that I would travel to one day, I remember someone asking me if there was a place I wouldn’t go. I didn’t hesitate in my reply: Colombia. Back then, it was considered one of the most violent countries in the world with…
Trekking the Annapurna Circuit (Part 2)
So where were we? Ah yes, Day 5… Day 5: Lower Pisang to Manang (the long way via Ghyure Village) Time: 8.5 hours (includes 1.5 hours for lunch/tea breaks) Altitude: 3720 m (12,201 ft) at highest point of today’s trek; however Manang is at 3519 m (11,542 ft) My health is stabilizing at a not-quite-normal-but-still-vastly-improved…
Trekking the Annapurna Circuit (Part 1)
Before I begin, let me share a little background on the Annapurna Circuit to provide some context to readers who are unfamiliar with it. The Annapurna Circuit is a trek that circles the Annapurna Conservation Area (part of the Himalayas) in Nepal. The original classic route is a 21-day trek beginning in Besisahar and ending…
Doe-di-doe (subtitle: “Cycling in Taiwan”)
Finally, the weather turned in our favor again and we were able turn our attention to cycling. Yesterday we rode from Tainan to the coastal town of Anping and had such a great time that we neglected to do any sightseeing and opted instead to stay on our bikes. Today, based on a rental guy’s…
Rafting the Upper Sarapiqui
After the “jeep-boat-jeep” transport, we arrived in La Fortuna, which is most known for Volcano Arenal. Arenal had been dormant for 400 years until it erupted in 1968, and now it is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. According to my guidebook, it’s been spewing ash or lava almost every day since…
Kiteboarding days 1 through 4
There are challenges, and there are challenges. For example, not speaking the language is a challenge. Learning a new sport while trying to overcome a phobia that I’ve had since childhood is an entirely different challenge. I mentioned in my first entry for this trip that I was looking forward to my first kiteboarding lesson.…
Sunrise on Mt. Sinai
While all of you were likely enjoying a turkey feast for Thanksgiving, I ate grilled chicken and kushari in the Sinai. The next morning, we awoke at 1:30am (!) to begin our hike up Mt. Sinai so that we could reach the summit by sunrise. For those who know your bible lore, Mt. Sinai is…
Trekking the Inca Trail
Day 1 The day of our Inca Trail trip had finally arrived. The first day began in the Sacred Valley about 40 minutes outside of Ollantaytambo where there is a checkpoint at which you present your ticket and your passport. This may sound a little odd, but the Inca Trail is a UNESCO World Heritage…
tales of wander 