An LP Afternoon
An LP Afternoon (Note: LP means Luang Prabang. The biggest and most popular city in northern Laos.) The air is molten when the sun shines. The breath you take is hot in your throat, and the thought of movement brings… Read More
Travel
Farewell Summer Ride. Thanks for Coming
I’ve been putting this off. To write this would be to acknowledge that my summer ride is over and I didn’t want to do that. But the reality is what it is. I have been back to work in China for… Read More
Ascent: An Ill Fated Journey Into the Hills of Northwest Thailand
I should have known the jig was up when the lady started laughing at me. It was early morning and I was just beginning the ascent of a challenging but manageable hill. She looked almost mad with her hair splayed… Read More
When You Can’t Be On the Trip You Love, Love the Trip You’re On
I didn’t plan this trip, but it is the trip I have. One week into it I am learning to make it the trip that I want. I was supposed to be in Xinjiang, a wild and untamed region of… Read More
All the Tea in China: A Ride to the Tea Plantations of Jianou
Jianou is a small city tucked away in the mountains of Fujian province China in the heart of tea and bamboo country. There is also some rice farming in the area but it is tea and bamboo that stokes the fires of… Read More
Tips for Long Distance Travel in China
Traveling in China is completely unlike travel I have experienced in other countries. First of all, China is a huge country, much bigger than people realize. So when you are traveling within it’s borders you are likely to encounter flight… Read More
China Summer Riding Tour: Thanks for Riding Along
There are many sayings about where your home is. Some say that home is where your heart is, or where you lay your head at night. It may be where you park it, or where you hang your hat. This… Read More
Altitude: The VeloTramp in Gansu
The ride out of Lanzhou was a silky smooth transition of leg over leg as I pushed my way up the gradual but insistent incline. I felt strong as I pushed my heavy laden bike up the narrow byway to… Read More
The Deserts of Northwest China: A VeloTramp Summer
4 to 5 weeks riding the historical Silk Road through the Taklamakan and Gobi deserts. Man, I love the sound of that! One of the reasons I was so interested in coming to China to teach English was the large… Read More
Cycling Vietnam: The Last Days
Cycling as an activity can be filled with emotions. From the first push of the pedal to the last on any given day on the bike there can be any number of emotions that run through me, around me, and… Read More