It had been hanging from the rafters of our garage for more than 16 weeks and was now covered in dust and dressed in cobwebs. If an inanimate object could feel loneliness and despair, it would have been this 2012 Specialized Roubaix road bike my wife had purchased for me as a surprise gift the … Continue reading From Cobwebs and Dust
The final day of RAGBRAI 2025 began not with sunlight, but with silence. At 4:30 a.m., I climbed on my bike at the edge of the Pork Belly Ventures encampment in Oelwein, Iowa and began the 64-mile ride east to the banks of the Mississippi River --- the terminus of my weeklong 421-mile cycling adventure across … Continue reading RAGBRAI 2025: The Trials and Triumphs of Riding Across Iowa
Zurich's Limmat River with its glacier-fed blue water. There are moments when life gives you an exceptional gift — when the stars align and a journey you’ve long imagined unfolds even more beautifully than you ever dared to dream. The kind of experience that feels hand-carved by the universe: a blend of awe-inspiring landscapes, good … Continue reading When Life is Perfect: Hiking The Swiss Alps and Biking Rural France
After twelve years and thousands of miles riding smooth pavement in multiple states and part of Europe, I thought I knew cycling. I'd seen mountains roll by, chased glorious tailwinds through farm country, and battled angry headwinds along the coastlines. My tires had glided over smooth pavement in nearly every setting imaginable. But on this … Continue reading The Chiricahua Mountains of the American Southwest — Gravel Cycling at Its Best
To enjoy an extended odyssey on a bike is to love the orange and purples of wispy morning clouds, the splashes of sunlight in the trees and the soft kisses of a breeze on your cheek. There are some journeys in life you know you have to make --- literally and metaphorically --- and the … Continue reading Cycling the Iconic GAP and C&O from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC
Riding down my hometown's Main Street brought back a flood of memories from my youth. In May 2024, three of my siblings and I returned to our small hometown of St. Marys, West Virginia for the county’s beloved annual high school Alumni Weekend festivities. It’s a decades-old tradition that draws former St. Marys High School … Continue reading Cycling Through Time: A Return to My Hometown
Bar Harbor, Camden and Rockland Chapter 1 -- The Adventure Begins Ah, Maine, you're beautiful even when it rains. The steady rhythm of pitter-patter, pitter-patter echoes from the gravel filled water puddle directly below a crack in the old wooden gutters hanging from the porch of the charming 150-year-old Camden Harbour Inn, our temporary home … Continue reading Coastal Maine and Acadia National Park Cycling Tour
Two young Apache boys, neither more than twelve years old, made continuous looping patterns around our small group of explorers. They watched our every move, casting curious glances in our direction while attempting to avoid eye contact. We were deep inside Apache indian territory, more than a week removed from our Southern California departure point. … Continue reading TransAmerica Bike Tour — Week Two
It’s late evening on Day 2 of my two-month, 3,000-mile bike tour across the Southern Tier of the United States. I sit on an uncomfortable bench In the dull, white-yellow glow of a rusted outdoor light fixture attached to the side of one of the tired buildings located on the grounds of the Jacumba Hot … Continue reading TransAmerica Bike Tour — Week One
There are moments, as you ride in the quiet shadows of the massive rock formations of Prescott, Arizona's Peavine Rail Trail, when it feels like you’ve got the whole world to yourself. It’s just you and all that granite, formed into boulders that were here long before the railroads were built, and the army post … Continue reading Bikes, Boulders, Rocks and Rails
Lewis, my almost four-year-old grandson, slowly pulled his shiny green STRIDER beginner bicycle to the side of the paved path, wiped sweat from his eyes with his left hand, raised his other hand to block the afternoon sun from his gaze and asked, “Grandpa, can we do this again tomorrow?” I turned my handlebars and … Continue reading 50,000 Miles of Memories
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