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
Writings
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
Xinjiang Cycle Tour: VeloTramp Summer 2017
The worst thing you can do to a person who struggles to make decisions is give them a lot to choose from. I know. I am that person. The problem is especially trying for me when I like all the… Read More
A Day in the Life of the VeloTramp in China: Riding
Zao Shang Hao (Good Morning) The early morning was shrouded in the lingering mists of the morning rain. I prepped my machine and headed out. It was a Saturday with no classes due to provincial examinations in preparation for the national exam… Read More
A Song for the Road: Music From My Cycling Playlist
There are many different reasons to ride bike. It may be for enjoyment, or for exercise. It may be for travel, or it may be to pick up a few things at the supermarket. To me it doesn’t really matter… Read More
Cycling Dream Trips: Subject to Change
The weather doesn’t exactly inspire dreams of cycling. Thankfully, my book does. I am sitting on my balcony and looking out into a dense night fog. It is rainy season here in southern China and much of the days and… Read More
Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring. Welcome Back.
Winter comes just about everywhere. Even here in my Chinese hometown of Jianou, just a short hop north of the Tropic of Cancer, winter comes. To be sure, the very short and mild winter we get here doesn’t bear any… Read More
Spa Therapy: A Relaxing Afternoon in Jianou
It’s a beautiful, warm Autumn Sunday afternoon in Jianou. What can I do with it? I know! How about gather some friends together and head to the spa? That’s right. The spa. In China, a trip to the spa is… Read More