Coming in hot but buffeted by snow
More has happened in the three weeks since my return to the states than could have happened in months of bike travel. I had a job offer in my lap less than 24 hrs after landing in Denver, and made the quick turn-around to be back in MT as soon as possible. First, I snuck […]
One Tree, Two Tree, A Million Trees
A rampant worldwide issue, deforestation is a particular problem in rural and impoverished Central America, particularly Guatemala. Following a decades long civil war, often backed by US interests with a Cold War fever, and culminating with reports of upwards of 200,000 indigenous Mayans being killed, things are slow to turn around. Seeking safe ground often […]
My Favorite Days
It is an inevitability that hair grows and will need to be cut. Abroad, trips to the barber shop mark some of my favorite days and memories. It keeps the incentive high for me to stick with the youthful short chop of a hairstyle. It is easy, hassle-free, and keeps me from looking like an […]
A Day of Buses
I was on the streets of Quetzaltenango before first light. The air was crisp and refreshing, the city quiet in its early morning slumber. There was no one up to light fireworks, or honk horns. The walk up past the market, usually heaped with people and goods, was empty and expansive. A few men dragged […]
A Home Away From Home: Xela
View at Picasa Street scene. View at Picasa Quetzaltenango is one part grime and grit; chipped plaster falling from old concrete buildings, coughed exhaust crowding the air. Another part mysterious beauty; strict volcanoes rise nearby, and architecture from another age. Combined with the hardworking Guatemalteco, an often studious influx of foreigners, and another […]
Bike Free Guatemala
Tilapita sunset Tilapita sunset View at Picasa Update: Time is slipping away like sand through my fingers. I have been off the bike long enough to forget, at times, what I am doing here. And, to make it all a bit more elusive, I am in limbo waiting for a package to arrive. Xela […]
One Day in Xela
The sun rises, the alarm sounds. I hesitate to turn in the rickety bed, noticing the chill that has enveloped my nose. Cars rattle by on the rough cobblestone street below, ensuring me that it is another day in Xela. The exposed wires that run to the shower head to heat the water no longer […]
A Reunion!
View at Picasa To state the obvious is unnecessary, but given my absence from this habit of transcribing a life on the road I must indulge. Nathan looks much the same as when we last crossed paths in San Francisco; bearded, with a pony-tail growing longer by the day. Since then he has seen […]
First Things First – Fast Bikes
A short time ago there was a little cycling race that happened here in Colorado. It drew some of the biggest names in the international cycling circuit, and by all accounts was a huge success. Taking inspiration from the old Coors Classic race of a bygone era, the US Pro Cycling Challenge covered many of […]
Close Chapter
After messing around, working, and anything else I could do to delay any sort of commitment to the bike, I am once again road bound. Wednesday I am flying south, like the birds, to pick up a trail in Mexico. This rather simple occasion marks a strong turning point in my recent plans; those marked […]
First, there was more work to be done.
I finished up work on a few cabinets for my dad at about 10 o’clock the night before I left for Rapid City to help him with their deck. The fun didn’t stop there. Three weeks and 250 hrs of hot and humid work later, and I left them with a nearly finished deck. My […]
A time consuming, but worthwhile, foray off the bike.
I stepped off the bike in order to regain my composure (something I had desperately lost on the west coast) and make a few extra dollars for the continued journey. Well, after 700 hrs of challenging and rewarding work, the second part of that objective has been reached. I based myself in Colorado Springs to […]
What Am I Doing
At the behest of a good friend I am hesitantly returning to blogging. “You need to post something to your website,” she said. “But I am doing nothing but working my ass off everyday,” I replied, “what is there to share?” The tiny dust particles that have usurped the built-up space in my lungs after […]
Life off the bike is not all bad:
Case in point: View at Picasa I couldn’t very well manage to eat a salad like this while on the road. Nothing like loads of fresh veggies to wet a hungry appetite. View at Picasa On my way up to Montana to set up for my photo exhibit, and to gather up my […]