This is IvicaPGSaturday, May 11th, 2013 …continued from the May 21st 2013 entry, "This is Karina". Sometimes we are all witnesses of how life can be weird and magical… On one fine spring day in 2010, my brother Sladjan came in my room asking me go outside and help him with his Eng...
This is KarinaGThursday, March 21st, 2013 Tara is one of my best and oldest friends, so it should come as no surprise that, for years now, I've been following her and Tyler’s worldly adventures with a ravenous appetite. The story I'm about to share is an improbable, synchronicity-filled ta...
Feeling SettledGSaturday, February 23rd, 2013 With over a month of camper-living under our belts, all of our concerns about buying a travel trailer have vanished. We've worked out the kinks, adapted to its challenges, and are now certain that we made an excellent decision. In retrospect, our...
Cleaning Our Woods: Part FiveGWednesday, February 13th, 2013 Tyler: Rick and his dog Oliver arrive late this morning, ready for another round of clearing downed trees. At first, I'm not thinking there will be much news to report. I'm expecting another long day with more of the same: pulling downed trees ...
Black IceGSaturday, January 12th, 2013 We planned on driving through the night in order to reach Deanne's place in time for our postponed reed-collecting workshop tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, there is no way that is going to happen. Just a few hours into our road trip east, our me...
UnpassableGSaturday, January 12th, 2013 Last October, during a vacation in Vermont with Tara's family, we all stayed at a beautiful house in rural Bennington. When it came time to leave, we serendipitously crossed paths with its caretaker and builder, Rick Carroll. We hit it off immed...
The Year in ReviewGTuesday, January 1st, 2013 With the new year upon us, I've been revisiting our journal, trying to remind myself of what we've been up to for the past three hundred and sixty five days. When I began writing this, I felt like most of our year had been filled with mundane rout...
Off Grid Power: Tim Sefton's Stirling EngineGThursday, October 4th, 2012 One of our homesteading goals is to generate all the electricity we need right on our own property. During spring, summer and fall, it looks like we'll be able to accomplish that with solar panels and a battery array. For winter, however, when th...
Switching to Strawbale, Part TwoGWednesday, August 22nd, 2012 When we arrived at Hap and Lin's cob cottage in Fairfield, Iowa, we were greeted by a barefoot woman happily pottering around her outdoor kitchen. After shaking our hands in warm greeting, Lin told us she was putting the finishing touches on suppe...
Switching to Strawbale: Part OneGWednesday, August 22nd, 2012 A few years ago, when we learned about cob houses (see the comments section), we were enamored by the idea of building one. Reading The Hand-Sculpted House was truly a revelation—it's no wonder the book is practically scripture in the natural bui...
To North House Folk SchoolGFriday, July 13th, 2012 I was poking around on the internet about a week ago when I randomly discovered the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota. As I was paging through their tempting list of classes (stuff like birch bark weaving, black ash basketry and k...
Mud Girls Natural Building Cob WorkshopGSaturday, May 12th, 2012 For the last five days we've been camping in the woods on a piece of land near the coast of Salt Spring Island, attending a workshop put on by the Mud Girls Natural Building Collective. The week ran a mere $185 dollars per person, and included thr...
Arriving on Salt Spring IslandGMonday, May 7th, 2012 After a series of unexpectedly expensive ferries, we've made it to Salt Spring Island. Our tent is now pitched in a sun-dappled, fern-filled woods, and we're getting to know our fellow workshop participants. The worksite is a thousand times more ...
Snow & WineGSaturday, May 5th, 2012 The sloped topography of our tent placement last night had us constantly seeping downwards, like a puddle of molasses. Frequently, after we found ourselves crumpled in the fetal position at the foot of our sleeping bag, we'd press our feet against...
Jasper National ParkGFriday, May 4th, 2012 When we near the snow-capped peaks of Jasper National Park, the sun burns off the drizzle, welcoming us with great expanses of clear blue skies and white, cotton-candy clouds. A quick stop to pay the entrance fee, and we're ushered into what is re...
Hittin' the RoadGWednesday, May 2nd, 2012 We have enough snacks to feed an army packed in the cooler, our suitcase is stuffed with worn-out marino wool "work clothes", and our iPod is jam-packed with new music. As we put the final pieces of our car-packing-puzzle in place, we hug Tyler's ...
Springtime WanderlustGTuesday, April 10th, 2012 Not long after we slept in our igloo, Minnesota gave up its half-hearted attempt at winter, moving right into springtime. Practically overnight, birds began chirping, and our icy abode was nothing more than a patch of muddy grass. In Illinois, sp...
Starting a Homestead: Our ListGWednesday, February 22nd, 2012 With a twinge of nervousness akin to the moment we purchased our tickets to Scotland, we've declared a moving date. On April 1st, 2013 (exactly four years after we began our round-the-world bicycle tour), we'll bid our friends and families in the ...
New Years in Pigeon ForgeGWednesday, January 4th, 2012 As December came to a close, we drove to Tennessee for a spring-like New Year's weekend, joining some of my college friends for what has become an annual reunion. I was worried that it might be weird since I haven't seen most of them since well be...
Land Hunting, Part Eleven: A Rainy Day in VermontGThursday, September 15th, 2011 Tyler: The sun is hiding behind a sheath of steel blue skies this morning. A damp chill hangs in the air, leaving the world without any measure of doubt: fall is here. As we lay in our tent, listening to the rapidly escalating sound of raindrop...
Land Hunting, Part Four: Scouring VermontGThursday, July 28th, 2011 Waving goodbye to Mike and Eliza, we take to the road with gleeful anticipation. As we drive over the Green Mountains, bound for the western valley of Vermont, I'm busy plotting a circuitous route to connect the many properties we're planning to v...
Our First Garden: Part OneGSunday, July 3rd, 2011 When we arrived in Minnesota last month, we spent most of our free time in my mother's giant garden. She wasn't going to plant much of anything this year, until Tara and I offered to help. Ever since, we've been tagging along, following her lead,...
This is JesseGWednesday, May 4th, 2011 Jesse: It was a funny moment when I realized that Tara and Tyler would start their journey back to the States on the same flight as me. Their two-plus years traveling together has taken them through experiences and landscapes I have only glimps...
May Kaidee's Cooking SchoolGThursday, March 17th, 2011 When Freddie mentioned she was hoping to register for a vegetarian/vegan Thai cooking class at the well-known (in the tourist world) May Kaidee Cooking School, it took approximately two milliseconds for me to decide I wanted to come with. So, Fred...
The End of the RoadGSunday, February 6th, 2011 Today, as we pack our motorcycle one last time, ready to embark on a final day of adventuring with Pete and Natasha, I'm feeling quiet and introspective. As we ride, I'm appreciating the beautiful mountain scenery, grateful for the adventure we're...
A Very Long Bus Ride: Part ThreeGThursday, January 27th, 2011 10:00 AM Our trek through Laos begins with a stop at a roadside restaurant for a noodle soup breakfast. Back in the open kitchen where we place our order, a woman and a girl dish bowls of the de-facto meal, while a mama cat and her scraggly kit...
Scenes From a Day on the RoadPGWednesday, January 19th, 2011 In Which We Cycle a Bit Here we are, cycling along the coast of Vietnam, and we can hear ourselves think! We can hear each other talk, and we can ride side by side, all thanks to an unusually quiet road. Thrilled about this change of circumsta...
Street Food in the RainGSaturday, January 15th, 2011 Under heavy gray skies, a steady drizzle bounces off the conical rice hat of a roadside chef—she is sitting in front of a cauldronful of embers and ash, tending to an array of pork skewers. As we take a seat next to her, she turns them one by one,...
Da Lat Market FunGThursday, January 6th, 2011 This morning, in a slumberous daze, my flickering eyelids open, and I find myself face to face with a stunning view. A raging sky of fiery orange and bruised purple obliterates the last remnants of my sleepiness, luring me out of bed and onto our ...
Coffee CountryGSunday, January 2nd, 2011 The ride out of Bao Loc this morning is a lovely one. Instead of starting the day with switchbacky mountain climbs, the early part of our route is full of easy rolling hills. As we pedal through the winding picturesque scenery of coffee plantatio...
Peaceful Ride on Phú QuốcGFriday, December 10th, 2010 Tyler: The sound of waves lapping against the shore rings in another sleepy morning at our beach side bungalow. As the sun rises, we slowly rouse ourselves from a deep slumber, gently awakened by the warm light filtering in through the bamboo sl...
Hello VietnamGSaturday, December 4th, 2010 According to my GPS, we've arrived at the road leading to Vietnam: it is a dusty red track with no signage whatsoever. Feeling dubious about this intersection leading to an international border, we ask a nearby food seller for directions. I'm exp...
Riding in the Cambodian CountrysideGTuesday, November 23rd, 2010 The skies are overcast this morning; the refreshingly brisk weather is a welcome respite from the likes of yesterday's steamy ride. As we cycle into the countryside, further from the dust clouds of Phnomn Penh's dirty sprawl, the roadsides are tee...
Buying Food in CambodiaGWednesday, November 17th, 2010 I have one mission for the afternoon: find food. Preferably, a meal which isn't comprised of rice, noodles, or mystery meat. While Tyler is hard at work in our hotel, I ride off in search of a market. On the way, I stop at each intersection to p...
Mongolian HospitalityGSunday, September 5th, 2010 Light is fading fast as we drive off-road, over green fields towards our host's ger. Pulling up next to the round white homes, we are welcomed enthusiastically by a man we've never seen before. Perhaps he is the brother of our host? He has two a...
Mongolia!PGSaturday, September 4th, 2010 It is early afternoon by the time we're prepared to leave the Mongolian border. As we make our way towards the gate, the guards on patrol smile and wave enthusiastically. After we pass them by, the barrier which held us captive in no-man's land l...
Border Crossing & Blizzard in No-Man's LandGFriday, September 3rd, 2010 The wind is blustery and wintery, whipping through the mountains and flying across the plains as we head closer to Mongolia. It smells like snow. As Tyler drives, I realize I've missed this particular seasonal odor and the chilly expectations tha...
This is ElizabethGWednesday, August 4th, 2010 When Tyler and Tara pulled up in their red Corolla, I was glad to see them, and impressed that they'd navigated their way through crazy Moscow traffic to my husband and my apartment. I didn't know Tyler that well. We're distantly related – I thin...
Heaven on EarthGThursday, July 1st, 2010 After a day of working, our hosts Jurgita and Tomas pack their car with food, bottled water and picnic supplies. Then, we all ride together, fourteen kilometers down the road to Tomas' parents' weekend cabin. As we step out of the car, we enter a...
Road Trip Begins!GMonday, June 21st, 2010 We spent our last day with Nadine and Felix checking off the final items from our to-do list. These were mostly our shopping-related chores. Namely, finding them fun T-shirts, and finding us the things we'd need for our little red car. The co...
Ridges & TroughsGFriday, May 7th, 2010 As he has every morning during our stay in Bucharest, Rob made us a delicious breakfast and gently rebuffed all offers of help. He even made us two extra breakfast sandwiches and packed them carefully in tinfoil so we could have them for lunch! W...
A Walk in Târgu JiuGSunday, April 25th, 2010 Considering that I have a degree in Sculpture, I should probably have heard of "the father of modern sculpture," Constantin Brancusi, but I had not. It took a trip around the world and a stop in Târgu Jiu, Romania, to discover him! Thanks to Silv...
Intruders on the DanubePGSaturday, April 17th, 2010 It must be 2AM when we are awakened by the sound of voices chattering in cryptic Romanian outside our tent. In moments, we are both wide awake. We watch intently as a shaky flashlight passes over our home, casting ominous shadows on the paper thi...
StrawberriesGThursday, April 8th, 2010 Today was one of those days that went on a little too long. Though we enjoyed our flat ride, we were ready to be done after 60 kilometers (we are slow). Unfortunately, no good free-camps were presenting themselves. So we continued, waffling be...
Macedonian MountainsGMonday, March 29th, 2010 The day dawned bright and clear, though the headwinds from yesterday were still blowing fiercely. In spite of the extra work we knew they'd bring, we were in good spirits. With a spring and summer full of adventure laid out before us, we've been ...
Hello MacedoniaGSaturday, March 27th, 2010 Our ride out of Thessaloniki was a non-stop parade of factories and industrial sites for hours. According to Tara, the road was full of "mammoth ferocious dogs bred with grizzly bears". Thankfully they were mostly chained up and we didn't have an...
Nature Hike to MetéoraGSaturday, March 20th, 2010 With the intention of visiting a Metéora monastery or two today, we woke up early and packed a backpack with food, water and our guidebook. We set off on foot saying, "I am thankful for good health and good weather!". Spring is in the air and the...
That Damned SqueakPGWednesday, March 17th, 2010 I love waking up to the sound of the ocean. Even more than that, I love waking up to sunny weather. This morning, I got both. When things go well out here, it really is almost more fun than I can bear! When we're in the middle of Siberia covere...
Out n' AboutGMonday, March 15th, 2010 Somehow, some way, no matter how ho-hum the scenery or the day, there is always something interesting to see, no matter what. Maybe we are easily fascinated, or maybe we just know how to look, but it seems we have a knack for stumbling across intr...
Coasting in CreteGTuesday, February 16th, 2010 We found a thin layer of ice crystals covering everything outside this morning. Thankfully the sun soon melted away the frost, showering the Lasithi Plateau with glorious, warm light. As we packed, Tyler said (as he often does at the start of a n...
Exploring AcrocorinthGMonday, February 8th, 2010 Unlike yesterday, when grey clouds and drizzle made us focus solely on giant potholes in the road and the muddy water that filled them, today the sun shone brightly and we were able to appreciate the beautiful landscape around us. Always excite...
Ciao Bella!GMonday, February 1st, 2010 Though the day dawned brilliantly, the sun wasn't providing much in the way of warmth. Amidst millions of shimmering dewdrops in our churchyard free-camp, we groggily blew into our chilly hands and dutifully started our morning routine. I rolled ...
Climbing in the ColdGFriday, January 22nd, 2010 The day didn't start out very cold. In fact, the first twenty five kilometers of our trek east were just beautiful; much flatter than I expected they would be too! We cruised through non-stop civilization with huge grins plastered on our faces fo...
What's NextGTuesday, January 19th, 2010 For some reason we can't quite put our fingers on, we've found stealth camping in Italy to be incredibly easy and rewarding. Last night's location and the views it provided this morning were no exception. We love Italy! After lazily pa...
SandstormGWednesday, January 13th, 2010 In central Tunisia this morning, it felt like spring was in the air. Tara was excited, snapping photos of the delicate little buds in celebration of the coming season. Here is her first "flower hour" of 2010. Shortly after 2PM, the o...
Motorized: Part 3GThursday, January 7th, 2010 Purchasing a scooter in Tunisia is easily the best decision we've made here. Having a rusting, rattling Mobylette of our own has created a genuine trust not normally found between tourists and locals. Suddenly the fact that we are white and obvio...
Hotel Pansea in Ksar GhilaneGTuesday, January 5th, 2010 First, the thank yous. Our luxury tent, complete with bathroom, table and chairs, shelves, blankets, and of course, beds, is a lot nicer than we are used to. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making our stay here today possible, Mom (J...
Tunisian FoodGMonday, December 7th, 2009 Eating well in Tunisia is proving to be a bit of a challenge. Our normal process of buying groceries and cooking our own meals just doesn't seem to be applicable here. Also, the sun starts setting around 5PM now, usually forcing us to cook in tot...
No.PG13Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 It is good to be on the road again. Everything has quickly fallen into sync: we had crepes for breakfast before breaking from our secluded free-camp this morning, saw a giant spider and then made our way down the road. Par for the course! ...
Sicily at LastGWednesday, October 28th, 2009 We took it slowly this morning, making crepes for the first time in what felt like ages. When we set out, we were hoping against hope for a flat day but of course, it was anything but! Like yesterday, the ride began with a long, slow, 500 meter c...
Full of SurprisesGWednesday, October 14th, 2009 We've had our share of interesting rodent encounters on the road but this morning easily topped them all. While groping around for my shoes at 4am to go to the bathroom I felt something… furry? A few months ago this might well have scared the bej...
To ChurGFriday, August 21st, 2009 We started the day bright and early at 6:30AM so we could dash away safely from our relatively unhidden wild-camp last night. Breaking down was a quick affair, as we'd been careful to unpack as little as possible so as to afford ourselves an easy ...
Souped UpGThursday, August 13th, 2009 I am now the proud owner of a brand new Brooks Champion Flyer S saddle! It's a leather seat specifically designed for women, complete with sturdy springs that provide extra cushion on bumpy roads. Supposedly it won't be comfortable until it break...
Suddenly SwitzerlandGSaturday, August 1st, 2009 We awoke in a field of dew, the sun hurling down heat much sooner than usual as it rose on the east side of the mountains. Our free-camp field was plagued by flies; more than we'd ever seen in our lives. They swarmed around us and our tent loudly...
LogisticsGMonday, May 18th, 2009 This morning was really, really trying. The sky looked promsing as we hauled everything out of our wooded free-camp into the field we had sneaked into last night. Things quickly took a turn for the worse as we packed, when a front of dark clouds ...
Spring MemoriesGThursday, May 7th, 2009 We joined Ted this morning for cereal and toast while watching some early morning TV—the raw inside scoop on fire-fighters and EMTs. We cracked jokes about British television while they helped an old man who was having some difficulty breathing. ...
Glasgow, ScotlandGThursday, April 2nd, 2009 It was a relief to step off of the plane in Glasgow knowing that we would not have to fly again for a very long time. It was so nice to have that part of the journey over with, and now concern ourselves with getting on the road. We settled in "Ba...
In the Lap of Icelandic LuxuryGThursday, April 2nd, 2009 We sprinted down to the plane, and were greeted by Icelandic flight attendant goddesses bearing gifts of water, wine and plenty of sympathy for our troubles. These perfectly-manicured women with superhuman buns (the hair kind!) brought us a menu w...