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Stealth Camping Entries

Black Ice

Saturday, 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...

Jasper National Park

Friday, 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...

Working on the Move

Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

Today was a long day of driving. Most of it was spent with Tara behind the wheel, piloting us across Manitoba. Meanwhile, I was stationed behind my computer screen, busily programming. Apart from the fact that I was sitting in a car instead of a...

Hittin' the Road

Wednesday, 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 ...

Hiking With Friends, A Photo Series

Sunday, October 9th, 2011

This weekend, we drove down to Tennessee for what we've decided will be our first annual-autumn-weekend-hangout with our friends Pete, Natasha, Jess and Nick. Shortly after our arrival, we hit the road from Knoxville for a two-hour drive to Big So...

Freezing in a Bamboo Shack

Sunday, January 30th, 2011

Tara: "Tyler," I whisper, trying not to wake our friends. "I can't feel my toes. Let me in!" I'm trying to squirm my way under his legs for warmth, but he's enviably asleep and his leaden body refuses to budge. I let out a huge sigh and stare...

Wild Camping With Friends

Sunday, January 30th, 2011

A golden sun is sinking fast behind the mountains, urging us onwards in our futile attempt to reach the highway before dark. At the crossroads we're looking for, where dirt meets pavement, there is sure to be a guest-house. But the road ahead is ...

A Long Cold Night

Sunday, January 9th, 2011

As the sun sinks into the horizon, coloring the sky a rusty shady of red, the temperature plummets with alarming speed. Crap. Why oh why did we send home our tent, and why oh why did I just send home our long underwear as well? Just a few days a...

Free Camping Again

Sunday, January 9th, 2011

Pedaling away from the tiny mountain shop, we round yet another bend, revealing a foreboding indication of more climbing: there is another wide, sweeping curve of a switchback before us. Well, I guess that little village wasn't at the top after al...

The Loving Hut, The Jimny Saga: Part Ten

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

Eeveryone sleeps in today after the triumphant party celebrating the success of the Jimny. Nearing noon, we all pack up and head into town to pay the local mechanic a visit. Unfortunately, when we arrive, we realize that Richie and Freddie have f...

A Guitar String, The Jimny Saga: Part Nine

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

Over dinner we discussed options. We're not going to leave Richie and Freddie out there in the desert, but the question of what to do for them still remains. For now, we're thinking that one of the teams could go pick them up tomorrow, or at leas...

Wheels Falling Off, The Jimny Saga: Part Seven

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

We've been killing time waiting for the Jimny to arrive, but eventually we have to face facts. They are not coming. What in the world has happened to them? Someone suggests we take the motorcycle to find them. Wanting to get the show on the roa...

Farewell to the Swift

Monday, September 20th, 2010

Matt and Tom gave it their best shot this morning, but the Swift's bent connecting rods couldn't be repaired. When they went to make arrangements to leave their car with the Mongol Rally, they discovered another Suzuki Swift at the drop point. If...

Something to Learn

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

We start the day making apple-almond rice pudding, and cinnamon French toast for our friends. The morning feast is a huge success! As Tom (a saint) washes a mountain of dirty dishes, we receive our morning Mongolian visitor. He is on horseback, ...

Leaving Altai

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

Tara: I've read that there is a market in Altai, right next to our hotel. As a visitor, I can't see how you'd ever discover this without being told. The only telltale sign is an incomprehensible voice yelling over a distant loudspeaker outside ...

Loading in the Night: The Jimny Saga, Part Five

Sunday, September 12th, 2010

Tara: Matt has agreed to stay behind with Freddie. We are driving back to camp, feeling like a pair of medieval horse messengers, carrying news from one village to the next. As we rush to reach home before the sun slips below the horizon, Tyler...

On Cars

Sunday, September 12th, 2010

Tara: I've never been the least bit interested in learning about the inner workings of a car. In fact, they always seemed mysterious and scary to me. Until recently, fixing them was certainly outside my realm of possibility – that's something s...

The Rock Tumbler

Saturday, September 11th, 2010

Tyler and I have talked many times about how this trip has been one gigantic exercise in personal growth. All of our silly idiosyncrasies, the many niggling things we do to get in our own way, and a multitude of habits which we could improve upon…...

Dry and Dusty

Friday, September 10th, 2010

I'm not entirely sure where the boundary begins, but I'm pretty sure we're in the Gobi desert. What started as intense mountain scenery has transformed into flat, rocky desert, complete with sharp, pokey shrubs, and numerous full skeletons of the ...

Herding Cats

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

Sometimes, getting anything done in this convoy roughly resembles herding cats. This morning, we are packed and ready to hit the road before anyone on our team is even awake. Hoping they'll be up soon, we head into town to purchase supplies for o...

Driving at Night in Mongolia: Part Two

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

Green, blocky numbers glow faintly from our digital clock above the tape deck; the time reads 11:30 PM. We know better than this, why on Earth are we out here? We are lost in a maze of barely-lit tracks, exhausted, stupidly driving over the alrea...

Mongolian Hospitality

Sunday, 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...

Number One

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

We've seen some truly incredible landscapes on this adventure. Over the last year and some months, Mother Nature has served up wonders like the Amalfi Coast, the fjords of Norway, the Swiss Alps, the Italian lake district, France's Verdon Gorge an...

Back on Track

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

With a reluctant squeeze, we left our little puppy friend to frolic in the flowers and sleep in the shade. We packed our LRC, and headed back the way we'd come, driving past the same scenery for the fourth time at least. This time, though, we rea...

Backtracking

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

This morning, we continued our drive through the Altay Mountains, enjoying the scenery of Chuisky Trakt for a second time. After passing the spot where we turned around yesterday, we felt a bit better. Even though we've been behind the wheel for ...

Camping on the Katun

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

This morning, our car caught the fallen evidence of changing seasons – it is getting more autumny here in Russia by the day! Amidst orange leaves drifting softly to the ground, we left our farm field free-camp, and pointed our trusty LRC in the di...

The Way to Mongolia

Friday, August 27th, 2010

As Tyler journaled this morning, I began doing some research about the next phase of our road trip: the Altay region of Siberia. As I did so, I noticed that Chuisky Trakt, billed as one of the most beautiful roads in Russia, winds through the stun...

Morning Chai

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

It is a chilly grey morning. Heavy clouds hang overhead, threatening rain. Even so, we pack our camp at a leisurely pace, paying no mind to the potential deluge. Once everything is in order, I direct Tyler through our field of car-high grasses, ...

Off the Beaten Path

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

Our last adventure in the Siberian countryside left us feeling like it might be a good idea to stick to the highway for at least a few days. Though off-roading in our LRC is exciting, we want to be sure we'll actually make it to our final Russian ...

Are We There Yet?

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

Last night, another pesky cop pulled us over. During the time we'd normally spend searching for a safe place to sleep, we were patiently doling out our paperwork, tapping our feet surreptitiously, and waiting for him to surrender. As he fumbled a...

Yekaterinburg

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

We're on a major road in the outskirts of Yekaterinburg. The main highway has morphed into speeding city traffic – Tara is navigating as we make our way to the city center. "Okay," she instructs, "You're going to turn left in two hundred meters… ...

Home in the Woods

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

Yesterday, we left the Kungur Ice Cave and headed eastwards, driving until dusk. When we spied what looked like a tractor's path snaking into the hills nearby, we pulled off the main road with high hopes that we'd find a good place to call home fo...

Distractions

Sunday, August 15th, 2010

Tyler: I possess a strange affinity for taking unassuming vehicles to places where they might not belong. For reasons I can't really articulate, I was ecstatic about driving off-road in our trusty little econobox this morning. Maybe it is an ad...

Friendly Russia

Saturday, August 14th, 2010

It seems that anyone who has traveled far and wide eventually comes to the conclusion that no matter where you roam, people are very much the same. Having heard variations of this idea my entire life, I had some vague inkling of its merit before w...

VIGILANCE!

Friday, August 13th, 2010

We milked our expensive hotel stay for all it was worth, working in the lobby on their wireless internet connection for most of the morning. After we published a few entries, we struck up conversation with an Indonesian journalist. She was here r...

Down for the Count

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

When I am writing, I sometimes imagine that we are talking to our families, to our friends, or maybe even to ourselves in twenty years. Occasionally, I like to pretend that our future offspring will read this one day and think, "Mom and Dad are so...

Russia's Golden Ring: Suzdal

Monday, August 9th, 2010

The tiny town of Suzdal is purportedly the home of more than one hundred architectural monuments (and fifteen monasteries too). We're still a little unclear on what actually constitutes a monument, but all of them are packed into the space of a fe...

Russia's Golden Ring: Yaroslavl

Friday, August 6th, 2010

We leave the Kremlin of Rostov, and hop in our LRC for some more driving. The next stop in our Golden Ring tour, turns out to be too big a city for our tastes. To do it justice, we'll have to spend a few days exploring it all. This means finding ...

Absurd

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

We dismiss Evgeniy's wise warning about traffic, and our own rule about not rushing, and leave Moscow at precisely the wrong time. We've stayed in the city until five o'clock, and are now running around to drop off Evgeniy's key, buy groceries, an...

Wild West: Moscow Bound, Part Three

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

We're on the M10, the only major thoroughfare between St. Petersburg and Moscow. Night is slowly descending. We've decided to cover another hundred kilometers or so before stopping to find our first Russian free-camp. We want to make our drive t...

Wallet Update

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Not much happened today, since we spent most of it sitting at Hesburger planning for Russia and working. We did get some exciting news though. Our driver's licenses, debit cards, and credit card are well on there way to meet us in Finland. Accor...

Christmas in July

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Santa's Village in Roveniemi, Finland was our big attraction for the day. Apparently, it rests right on the line where the Arctic circle begins. At first we were pretty disappointed, it was mostly shops selling cheap souvenirs and jewelery. ...

Time Lapse

Sunday, July 18th, 2010

Last night, we taped our camera to the top of the car and set it up to take a time lapse series of the midnight sun. Around 4AM, I drifted just far enough into consciousness to remember our project. Excited, I promptly crawled out of the tent to ...

Norwegian Countryside

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

We woke up this chilly morning to the interminable call of seagulls and other goofy birds circling around the bay. While packing up camp, Tyler and I took turns photographing some of them. Here are the results: Having reached the easte...

Coastal Drive to Norway

Friday, July 16th, 2010

In an effort to duplicate Swedish Pancakes from one of my favorite breakfast places in Champaign, I made crepes this morning, served with Lingonberries. My results were much smaller than the restaurant's due to the size of our saucepan. They were...

Saami Museum

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

We stayed at our hotel late into the morning, sleeping restfully in the novel darkness afforded by closed curtains. When we finally roused ourselves around 10AM, our overpriced, stingy hotel redeemed itself somewhat by providing a multi-buffet fea...

Roadside Oddities

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

Here we are, just drivin' through Finland, when we come to an abrupt halt because we've officially reached reindeer territory. There are loads of them, just milling about on the highway. Here they are, calmly oblivious to the incessant honking di...

Up at the Cabin

Monday, July 12th, 2010

The sun is intense in Finland this time of year. The flaming orb never leaves the sky, even at night. At our current latitude, sunset sort of occurs around 12AM, but it never actually gets dark. Then, around 3AM, the murky pink skies brighten ag...

Lake Hopping

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

Today, we are making ourselves at home in Finland. We've ditched the itineraries we found online, and are simply winging it as we head north towards the Arctic Circle. Feeling as free as we did on our bicycles, we poke along, likely to the annoya...

Sandcastles and Lakes

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

Today, we left Helsinki and headed into the Finnish countryside. It was a relief to leave the expensive city behind, watching metallic cityscapes transition into woods and forest. For our route, Tyler found several driving itineraries from a Scan...

Road Trip Begins!

Monday, 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...

Home from Work

Sunday, June 6th, 2010

After a relaxing day of working, eating ice cream sundaes, and enjoying delicious, cheap Chinese food, we cycle back to our riverside free-camp along a string of nice bike paths on the outskirts of Bamberg. It is a nice change of pace to arri...

Into the Woods

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Before leaving our pension this morning, I decide to visit one last thing before we leave Rothenburg—The Craftsman' House. This is the oldest building in town, dating back to 1270(!) and is now filled with antique goods, appearing as if it belonge...

Altmühltal Cycle Route

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

Like every other night in recent memory, it rained heavily. This morning, our well-shaded forest free-camp was very chilly and very wet. Thanks to a perfectly timed downpour last night (which caught us unprepared, and lasted juuust long enough fo...

Fields of Green

Friday, May 28th, 2010

We packed up after eating a breakfast of hearty meusli, and hit the road at the late hour of 12:30. Our string of late departure times for the last few days continues. On the road, everything felt distinctly German. You know you're in Germany wh...

Leaving Dachau

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

We biked away from Dachau, once again at the late hour of 2PM. Feeling saddened from all we'd seen, we took to the German bicycle path leaving the site for a quiet, grey afternoon of meditative cycling. We wound our way through green fields,...

120 Kilometer Day

Saturday, May 15th, 2010

As we were eating breakfast this morning (a heartier, double portion of yesterday's delicious sausage and egg feast), Lily informed us that today's weather was supposed to be "crazy". According to the forecast, thunderstorms and record rainfall wo...

Draculas & Gypsies

Saturday, May 8th, 2010

We awaken to the sound of horse's hooves clip-clopping outside our tent. Smashed together in a furrow of a field, our sleeping mats in a comical V shape, we're genuinely surprised by the restful night of sleep it provided. I groggily poke my head...

Ridges & Troughs

Friday, 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...

Lazy Saturday

Saturday, May 1st, 2010

Let's just face facts. We never get on the road before 10:00 AM. Okay, not never, but rarely. Even in the sweltering hot summertime, when it is prudent to get moving early to save ourselves from the brutal afternoon sun, we still stay up late wo...

A Chance Encounter

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

This morning, while I was securing our camera to the back of my bike, Tara announced, "here comes a flock of sheep!" A shepherd and his menagerie were approaching, complete with several barking dogs. The sheep didn't seem to mind us, they must've...

A Life Less Ordinary

Monday, April 26th, 2010

The first day back on the road after a brief interlude of buffet breakfasts and silky sheets can be a little difficult, especially when it looks like rain. As we wheeled out of the Hotel Anna parking lot Tara was more than a little wistful. I was...

The Universe Provides

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

There are times on this trip when I question my abilities. Am I really capable of doing this? What are we even doing here? Why am I doing this? What is the value of this? These thoughts generally make a pronounced appearance when we are somewh...

Cave Hunting

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

A few weeks ago, we received a contact through our website from a Romanian who lives in Tara's hometown. He was excited to tell us all about the country he grew up in, and the things we shouldn't miss while we are here. Having no guidebook for Ro...

Intruders on the Danube

Saturday, 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...

To the Danube

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

As I unzip the vestibule of our tent this morning, I let out a small gasp of delight and rouse Tyler to take a peek with me. Our free-camp is enveloped in a thick, billowing white mist! A nearby church looms in the fog, and the atmosphere is so d...

Into Romania

Friday, April 16th, 2010

With a good attitude, relatively clean bikes, and the excitement that comes from approaching a new country, we breakfasted on our new staple of bread, butter, and honey, and set off towards a better day. Under sunny skies, over flat, blessedly ...

Mud

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

I spent the bulk of the morning giving our bikes a rare and thorough cleaning. The muddy excuse for a bicycle path we'd pushed and ridden along yesterday had left them several pounds heavier, comprehensively caked with gloopy dirt which had dried ...

Rainy Riverside Ride

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Getting out of large cities can sometimes be a pain. Thankfully, that was not the case today. After a quick, easy exit from Belgrade, we were back on the road once more. It felt so good to leave, extricating ourselves from the blocky concrete bu...

Strawberries

Thursday, 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...

Homesick

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

It being a sleepy, rainy morning, we almost succumbed to the desire to stay put for one more day. Thinking better of it, we slowly pushed ourselves to motion, dutifully packing our things in a half-awake and hungry daze. It took some time, but on...

Morning Has Broken

Sunday, April 4th, 2010

8:00 AM I wake up feeling happy and Easter-y with the Cat Steven's tune "Morning Has Broken" playing on repeat in my head. Birds are chirping, frogs continue their belchy song from last night, and the sun shines warmly through our tent. Tyler i...

Serbian Hospitality

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010

Before we left, we received numerous warnings that Eastern Europe would be a dangerous, depressing, soul-suck full of steely thousand yard glares and ferocious dogs. So far, these stereotypes couldn't be further from the truth. The genuine kindne...

Springtime in Macedonia

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Riding out of hilly Stip was a wonderful thing. Once we left the city limits, we were treated to a ever-so-slight downhill that lasted almost all day. A sky full of puffy clouds vacillated between looking gorgeous and somewhat menacing. ...

Filling in the Blanks

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

We awaken to the faint sound of drizzle and the whipping of our rainfly in a hefty wind. Yesterday's brilliant sun and balmy weather have gone, leaving us with rain and a distinct chill in the air. Please let that wind be in our favor, I think as...

Hello Macedonia

Saturday, 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...

Boxcar Willie

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Today's "ride" featured a lot of pushing and plenty of bleak-looking skies. Thankfully, the dark clouds that loomed overhead for the entire day only threatened to rain, and the terrain we practically dragged our bicycles through was (for the most ...

On a Roll

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Today was our longest on record, 110 kilometers or about 70 miles. This is double the distance we usually plan to cycle in a day. Thanks to gorgeous sunny skies and a gentle downgrade leading to the mouth of the Vale of Tempe, we cruised along ha...

Macro Love

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Flowers make me happy. I don't care if it is cliché, they just do! When we got our first camera I was thrilled when I realized I could finally capture the beauty I see in them. When we get home I'm going to grow a massive garden so Tyler and I c...

Snoozin' & Cruisin'

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

We are getting very lax about leaving free-camps bright and early. I used to set the alarm for the crack of dawn, wake up the instant the phone started buzzing, and hurredly wake Tyler so we could be up and going and packed up before any potential...

Out n' About

Monday, 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...

24 Hour Rule

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

My parents have a rule that says: If you do something routine-altering for a few days, you get a day afterwards to recover and re-adjust to life at home. It's called "The 24-Hour Rule", but the longer you're away (or significantly routine-altered)...

Climbing in Crete

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

I drift in and out of sleep, in a very cozy morning haze. I think I hear a truck crunching over gravel… probably Pietro off to milk his sheep. Before I drift back into unconsciousness, the thought: "so glad that's not me" crosses my mind. I roll...

Pushing Through Paradise

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

We were thankful for the shelter of our tiki hut this morning when we discovered it had rained in the night. We really and truly no longer take having a roof over our heads for granted! Since the area was rather deserted, and we rarely concern ou...

Donkey Day

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Leaving cities is always hard. There is inevitably some navigation difficulty, as well as a handful of surprises like one-way streets, delivery trucks taking entire lanes, people double-parked haphazardly, and often steep, narrow, cobbled roads. ...

The Little Things

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

In our "normal" lives, both Tyler and I are known for our easy-going demeanor. Our friends have even jokingly referred to us as "zen masters" on more than one occasion. While it is fine and dandy to be even-keeled at home, the day to day life of ...

Coasting in Crete

Tuesday, 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...

Lasithi Plateau and Dikteon Andron Cave

Monday, February 15th, 2010

Last night when I downloaded our GPS tracks I was surprised to find that yesterday was our third biggest climbing day of the trip! The only two rides that topped it were Julierpass in Switzerland and Verdon Gorge in France, two equally stunning da...

Celebrating Sunday

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

I would never have imagined this to be true, but many of our favorite days involve slowly climbing mountains. As long as we bring copious amounts of food, start the day with a positive attitude, and make sure to take our time, it almost always mak...

Knossos and the Coast

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

Our first stop of the day was the ancient Minoan palace of Knossos, located about 7 kilometers from Iraklion. We got a late start, arriving around 10AM, just in time to meet a group of cycle tourists on a package tour of the area! Everyone was ve...

What Matters

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

We awoke excited about our plans for the day. Last night I'd discovered that just ten kilometers away was a town with a rack and pinion railway leading into the mountains. Our guidebook said it was spectacular and not to be missed, trundling up t...

Exploring Again

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Panniers full of food from a shopping spree yesterday, we cycled away from Patras under bright blue skies, lazily spinning our legs as we watched the coming and goings of everyday life in Greece. About 8km into our ride, Tara realized we'd left he...

Coasting

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

According to our database, after ten months on the road we've ascended 108,469 meters and descended 108,215 more. Imperially speaking, that is nearly 70 miles in each direction. We have officially cycled up enough hills to take us into space. Co...

Matera Sightseeing

Saturday, January 30th, 2010

We started our day by making french toast with Matera looming in the distance. It was very windy and we were downright cold as I packed up camp while Tara prepared breakfast. Once again, thank you Mark and Lisa for sending maple syrup in our last...

Matera Sassi

Friday, January 29th, 2010

"Please don't be raining please don't be raining please don't be raining"… I repeated over and over while waiting for Tyler to come back from a quick trip outside to check the weather this morning. To my relief, he returned with a smile: lots of ...

Brrrrrrr

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

In an odd change of perspective, every climb was cause for celebration today (and there were plenty of them: 800 meters, or over 2,500 feet in all). In lieu of hopping around madly trying to keep warm as we did while packing up camp, we slowly and...

Climbing in the Cold

Friday, 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...

Field Recording

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

During yesterday's ride, we enjoyed the Amalfi scenery on our second trip through it's unforgettable coastline. Though it provided spectacular views once more, we'd forgotten how mountainous the area is. Today, we were hoping for something a litt...

Amalfi Again

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

When Tyler expressed his desire to return what I call "the tunnel from hell" to do some recording, I was torn. On one hand, I was excited that he'd finally be able to capture the bizarrely intense drone noises he was so enamored with, but on the o...

What's Next

Tuesday, 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...

Salerno

Monday, January 18th, 2010

After a refreshingly hassle-free boarding process last night, we made ourselves at home on the ferry to Salerno. By making a mat on the floor out of the removable seat cushions, we were able to easily fall asleep snuggled together, unimpeded by un...

Sandstorm

Wednesday, 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...

Back to Work

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Very excited about our first day cycling in almost a month, we were packed and ready to go in record time this morning. Before we left, Tyler ran over to Cafe la Corniche to say goodbye to Yousri while I jogged over to the pastry shop to pick up a...

Exploring Kerkennah Island

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

I'm cozied up in our sleeping bag; Tara has run off to take pictures of the coming sunrise on our little desert island. Before yesterday, my only experience with the desert was sweltering on the seat of a motorcycle with one aim: to get out. This...

Under the Spell

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

We're not sure what to expect as we purchase tickets for the ferry to the Kerkennah Islands off the coast of Sfax. It doesn't really matter what it's like, though, the total cost is 1 dinar 800! We board the boat, bungee our bikes to the cargo ar...

No.

Sunday, 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! ...

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Most of the day wasn't bad. We narrowly escaped some rain while packing our olive grove free-camp and then had a lovely uneventful ride along the coast. Cycling just feet from the crashing waves, we occasionally felt salty spray from particularly...

Autumn in the Mountains

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

Our frosty free-camp at 1,400m (4,500ft) was so cold we blew off our 5:30am alarm this morning. Cuddled in our toasty warm tent we hoped the sun would come out sooner rather than later. It didn't. When we finally did summon the willpower to get ...

Serendipitous

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

It took a lot of willpower to leave our cozy sleeping bag this morning. Fall doesn't mess around in the mountains. It was cold! We both layered ourselves like onions in the tent before braving the day. Tara even tied one of our homemade bandana...

The Kindness of Strangers

Sunday, November 1st, 2009

Last night's campsite was just what we needed. Free camping is fun, but it comes with a slightly tiring set of challenges: lack of bathrooms, showers, sinks, garbage cans, and most importantly: the assurance that we belong there. Hotels are a lit...

Stealthy

Friday, October 30th, 2009

This evening was the most blatantly public free-camp we've ever attempted, easily trumping our most daring nighttime caper so far: sleeping in the middle of a highway. After a breezy fifty kilometers of rolling hills south of Messina, we found our...

Southbound Again

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

We took two trips this morning, both of us pushing one bike at a time up the steep and very slick winding road we'd descended last night to arrive at our seaside free-camp. The climbing didn't end there; we spent the entire morning slogging up cru...

Free Camp Fun

Monday, October 26th, 2009

Our first free-camp was on the second night of our trip. We hauled our panniers by hand through the woods to a well hidden clearing and then returned for our bicycles, trudging through the brush in what seems retrospectively, a completely clueless...

Blown Away

Sunday, October 25th, 2009

Tara: Lately, when we have a few days off it takes a bit of mental cajoling to get back into the groove of cycling. Already feeling a little reluctant to leave the comforts of civilization behind, we were not encouraged by the weather that greet...

What Rain?

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Bring it on nature! When it was time to pack our things in the rain this morning neither of us even flinched. Not soon after we left, the drizzle turned into a fierce downpour that didn't fully let up for the rest of the day. We rode on anyway, ...

Run-Ins

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Our first run-in of the day was with a man in an ANAS van (the Italian highway maintenance service) shortly after leaving our seaside free-camp. He stopped us about 10km into a long ascent and did his best to explain that the road ahead was closed...

Short Day

Saturday, October 17th, 2009

Saying goodbye to Melodie and Alex this morning felt very premature. We would have loved to spend more time with them but unfortunately, we're all headed in opposite directions. Before parting ways we exchanged contact information, well wishes, p...

Noisy Naples

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

Tara: Before leaving our volcanic campground we stopped for breakfast at the bar/shop on site. As we ate we noticed there were several cats wandering around (at least seven by our count!). One of them decided to befriend me, hoping to get a tas...

October's Bright Blue Weather

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

The warmth and manic weather (repeated bouts of sun alternating with downpours) of the past few days have passed, leaving a distinct drop in temperature and crisp, clear skies. It is the quintessential example of what my grandmother calls "October...

Riding Sicker

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Last night, as we were too tired to put our food away properly, Tyler said, "in the REAL wild, we'd have to be a lot more careful about what we do with our food, or animals would come and eat it." We proceeded to talk about various ways of hanging...

Taking Care of Business

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

I was surprised to find myself enjoying our ride this morning as we made our way out of the tangled mess that is Roman traffic. The shoulder, if you could call it that, was a huge line of haphazardly double-parked cars with their hazard lights fla...

Ghost Towns

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Apparently tourist season is over! Just yesterday, each town we passed was bustling with people. Crowds of tourists spent their sunny afternoons eating gelato and milling about little surf shops, purchasing brightly colored beach accessories and ...

Oceanside Free Camp

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

Tyler: This morning while we ate breakfast a pack of stray kittens wandered tentatively into our picnic area. They all seemed to be in pretty rough shape so I tossed a piece of bread their way to see if they were hungry enough to eat it. Sure e...

Back to the Mainland

Monday, September 28th, 2009

Since yesterday was our day off, Tyler put off fixing his flat tire (which he acquired riding into Aquaviva Campground) until this morning. In no time at all, he had the tube patched and we were ready to go. All of our panniers were packed and ev...

Exploring Elba

Friday, September 25th, 2009

Packing up our free-camp early this morning, a man ambled into the woods just as we were heading out. He didn't smile or wave, he just adjusted his floppy hat and tightened his grips on the stick he carried in one hand, and the basket he held in t...

Easy Road to Elba

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Often when we don't have a specific idea of where we are headed next, we choose a city located somewhere in the general direction we're traveling and use it as a waypoint in our GPS. Once the route is calculated, we can meander towards our "destin...

A Hero's Welcome

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

Tara and I were a little overwhelmed last night as we looked at our maps, trying to decide where to go next. Until today we've had a fairly clear plan that defined where we were going, when we would arrive and where we were headed after we got the...

Tuscan Thunder

Monday, September 14th, 2009

The morning began with a series of short but brutal hills; a not-so-gentle reminder that the Po River Valley is well behind us. The moment we reached the top of our first 200 meter climb the Tuscan sky opened up, ruthlessly hurling down heavy shee...

Re del Po

Friday, September 11th, 2009

Tyler often reminds me that we always find a place to sleep. No matter what circumstances present themselves during our day, we have and always will find a place to camp. I held that comforting thought in mind this morning as we packed and left t...

Working in Cremona

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

After sneaking out of our trusty canopy-tree-free-camp this morning we headed to Chocolat Café so I could get some work done. With nearly a week off things were really starting to pile up. Most of my day was spent like this: These help...

Cremona Museums

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

Packing up this morning, we both decided it would be nice to take a rest day and see the sights of Cremona. Crawling out of our fantastically shady and well hidden free-camp, Tyler announced that he would pack up if I made breakfast. I set up a s...

More Free Camping

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

With each passing day we fall in love with Italy a little more. Maybe it is the cheap, delicious food clouding our judgment but we're almost certain that we'll pass through again on our way to Moscow (we're looping back through Europe after a Nort...

Po River Valley

Monday, September 7th, 2009

With our late finish yesterday evening, a sleepless worrisome night of listening furtively for possible angry farmers, and a 6:00 AM departure from our not-so-hidden free-camp this morning, I was more than a little sluggish as we packed up and and ...

Amaretto Gelato

Sunday, September 6th, 2009

True to his promise, our security guard friend was on patrol this morning. When we rolled out of the tent around 7AM he strolled over to talk with us. We did our best to communicate and this time we picked up on his offer for coffee much more exp...

Lago di Como

Saturday, September 5th, 2009

Our taste buds are not ready for Italy. Yesterday we had grapes that were so flavorful (and cheap!) they were hardly recognizable as the fruit I've known my entire life. They had so much flavor it was as if we were eating grape-shaped perfume ca...

Directions

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009

It was a bleak and drizzly morning and I hadn't affixed the rain fly properly last night. Consequently, one end of the tent was completely soaked. Where normally I would have been fuming and frustrated, I was completely serene as I silently rolle...

Italy at Last

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

Before leaving town officially, we had one very important task to attend to. Velocity sent us complete wheelsets for both bikes and we were left with two perfectly good front wheels in need of a home. Tyler bungied them rather precariously to the...

Railway Wild Camp

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

We left Luzern today to begin our final leg in Switzerland. As we rolled out of camp it was already very hot; 30 kilometers into our ride we were feeling (and smelling) pretty sour. Dripping with sweat, Tara stopped in a tiny patch of shade and c...

Wild Boar

Friday, July 31st, 2009

"Tyler… TYLER!" Tara hissed at me. "Do you hear that!!?" It was still very dark outside our tent, and some large animal was making really loud noises not too far from away from us. In an effort to put Tara's mind at ease, I reassuringly told her...

Slowly, Slowly

Friday, July 31st, 2009

We stopped at a huge bicycle shop, "Mondovelo" on our way out of town today, continuing our hunt for replacement skewers. No luck. I did find the cone wrenches I need to rebuild our hubs when the time comes though; I'd forgotten to buy them befor...

Free Camp Fears

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

The sun is just dropping behind the hills of our free-camp. The wind has picked up a lot, it is easily more powerful than any I have ever experienced. It roars around the tent violently; I can even feel it creeping under our groundsheet, lifting ...

Bicycle Shop

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

I enter the bicycle shop alone; Tyler is propping our bikes up outside, wishing we had kick stands. As I close the door, still wearing my helmet, two days without a shower, unknown days since our last laundry and covered with sweat and road grime,...

River Free Camp

Monday, July 13th, 2009

It is 2am as I write this. I have been responding to emails and working in our tent for the last several hours. Two feet to my right there is a shallow stream rythmically babbling away. Directly to my left, Tara is sleeping with her mouth wide o...

Role Reversal

Saturday, June 20th, 2009

Sticking to our early rising plan we set the alarm for six o'clock. By seven we were up and moving, albeit very slowly. We sometimes joke that we feel like Wall-E in the morning, stumbling out of bed, bumping things, not quite able to operate our...

Early Camping

Friday, June 19th, 2009

Sometimes the hardest part of cycling around the world can be simply getting up in the morning. Actually, I think this is true for accomplishing just about anything in the simple sense that you must first get moving to do it. Today the alarm soun...

Wine & Pizza

Friday, June 12th, 2009

We left to cycle the last bit of the canal into Nantes today. As we rounded our first corner the path abruptly stopped. A man operating a nearby lock laughed at us and said there were two ways to Nantes from there—swim across the lake, or take a ...

Free Camp & Fire

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

We went to bed feeling sick. Huddled together, we tried to fall asleep but were unable to drift off over the cacophony of our own hacking, coughing, sneezing, and trumpet-like nose blowing. Our nostrils completely blocked, we lay with our mouths ...

Hearth & Home

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Once again, we waited out the rain this morning. When the alarm went off we promptly turned it off and rolled over, the sound of the raindrops in our ears. Tyler was fed up and decided that if it kept raining, we could stay another night at the c...

Pain in the Neck

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

I woke up to the sound of the rain with a really stiff, painful neck this morning. I'm not sure what I did to it, but I could hardly move my head! I did neck stretches (while yelping) as we waited out one batch of rain. When it stopped, we quick...

Lush Life

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

We woke up this morning and started packing up camp immediately. We were almost done when a very friendly park ranger came walking up with her dog with this to say: "You know what I'm going to say—you can't camp here, but you already have and...

Goodbye Scotland

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Today was our last day in Scotland. I've joked with Tara a few times that of all the countries we've visited, Scotland is my favorite. Absolutely everyone we have spoken with has been friendly, the countryside is breathtaking and we both think Sc...

The Cove

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

StumbleUpon Readers: Please click here for a message! Thanks for stopping by! This journal entry is the first of ours that has ever been "stumbled upon" and we wanted to say hello. As best we can tell, if you're reading this, you like c...

Stealth Camping

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

David and I left this morning to pick up a 'dongle' that will allow us to have internet access basically anywhere in the UK that has cell service. It took a bit longer than expected so Tara and I didn't leave David's until around 2pm. We stopped ...