America (all)

The plan is to pedal from Southern California to Virginia, or Canada if we don't feel that 3,200 miles is enough. Barring accidents, failed joints, or break-ups, we'll get to dip our tires in more than one ocean. We hope to succeed or fail before August.

From Vancouver to Montréal

We're Andrew & Friedel Grant - two Canadians who, after living in the UK for 6 years, have set off to travel the world by bicycle. We had no previous bike touring experience when we began, having really only gotten into cycling at the start of 2006, and when we say we ``got into cycling'' that means short commutes to work along flat cycle paths and the odd day trip, that usually ended up at the pub. We're still not quite certain how that translated into the situation where Friedel said ``hey, let's bike around the world'' and Andrew said ``sure, why not''. The first leg of our tour was in Canada, then through Europe to Morocco. We will keep cycling around the world; hopefully next towards eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Having sold all our belongings; paid all our debts; having said goodbye to all our friends, we will be looking forward to a five year cycling adventure. It will take us around the world and through five continents.

During our travels we'll keep you up-to-date via this site with travel stories via our diary; photos in our slide show; and we will even try to put some film in as well.

This trip had riders and non riders alike. This might be the most beautiful experience in Canada that any American can have. Even the cabin in the woods (which outside of no electricity and running water, was phenomenal - see pics from day 3) was impressive. Non riders could hike in and out to this location, or spend 2 nights in Elkford. Only the motel in Elkford was modest - even though it also had high speed internet. The remaining accommodations would all be rated 3 or 4 stars, yet were very modestly priced. While food selections were limited in some locations, the food was outstanding in others. All in all, I would not be afraid to take even the most seasoned traveler on this trip.

There is a button that details each day of our trip. Lots of pictures, my diary of what happened each day, and I've posted both the original itinerary as well as the packing list (which turned out to be just right). The map we used was from the Adventure Cycling Association, and it was right on! It only lacked good information about climbing. I've added that myself as I uploaded it from my GPS.

Six men set out on a journey that would build character in body, mind and spirit. Physical challenges, scenery and surroundings ``to die for'', and a spiritual emphasis made this trip truly ``one of a kind''. There are many photos, detailed route maps, a list of everything we packed, the expenses for the trip and a daily ``blog'' or diary of each day. If your planning on doing this trip, it probably is worth your reading. If you've never done a multi-day trip in the ``back country'', it's a ``must read''. It was a trip none of us will ever forget - in the best sort of way! Enjoy!

We are a couple from London who are taking a year out, from 1st March 2006 to complete our adventure of a lifetime. We plan to cycle from Cancun in Mexico through Central America, then from Equador to Patagonia at the tip of South America.

In doing this, we are hoping to raise money for our two favourite charities; Medecins Sans Frontieres is an humanitarian medical agency providing medical aid wherever needed. The Psychiatry Research Trust raises funds for research into mental illness and brain disease.

These pages describe a series of day rides on or near California's Coast.

The rides include visits to

• King Ridge, Meyers Grade, Cazadero, Healdsburg, Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, and the Jimtown Store in Sonoma County;
• Tiburon, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Sausalito in Marin County;
• Paso Robles, Peachy Canyon, and the Klau and Buena Vista Mines in San Luis Obispo County;
• Lake Piru in Ventura County and
• Calabasas, Topanga, Fernwood, Saddle Peak, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, Manhatten Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach in Los Angeles County.

Utah is better known for its colorful canyon geography than its lofty summits. But it order to get to the summits, you have to traverse the canyons first. A cycling climb in Utah often involves a combination of arid canyons, mountains and forested plateaus. These pages derive from day rides or short tours taken over many years. They contain elevation profiles, pictures, route descriptions, maps and history for numerous summits. Some of these summits are part of popular touring routes, such as Ut12 connecting Capitol Reef and Bryce National Parks, or the Kokopelli's Trail near Moab. Many others see cyclists very seldom - includes paved and MTB summits - new summits added regularly.

The author is selling a book on his tour around the world, but has made several chapters available for free, in PDF format. Espcially the chapters on Ethiopia and Siberia are fascinating to read and among the best stories found on Trento Bike. This is true adventure. Here are two short paragraphs:

• Ethiopia How can two sides of one village be so different? One hundred metres from Sudan and I had left behind Islam and North Africa and was into the continent's heart. The buildings, people and attitudes all felt different. The red dirt road was busy with pedestrians. Barefoot people and donkeys easily outnumbered the few fume-spewing, rattling vehicles. Women walked shaded beneath golf umbrellas, a strange sight in the African sun. Men bore a stout staff across their shoulders, their hands hooked over like wings. In Sudan the ladies flowed in colourful loose robes and men with bushy moustaches glided around in white galibayahs. In Ethiopia the men wore tight little shorts and tattered T-shirts, repaired many times, with a blanket draped over their willowy shoulders.

• Siberia We rode on and on through a frigid emptiness of low hills white with snow or black leafless woods. The white road ahead on the wooded hillsides stood out like a photo negative. The horizon's high mountains looked enticing and I felt happy to be here, to be at the ends of the earth with my bicycle. ``I'm out here a thousand miles from my home, walking a road other men have gone down. I'm seeing a world of people and things,'' sang Dylan in my headphones.

Also check out the expedition advice.

In 2002, my brother Mike and I began to talk about an epic, tip to tail, bicycle trip spanning the length of the Americas. At the time, however, our geographic separation and respective professional endeavors would force us to shelve our dream ride and hope for more accommodating circumstances. Two years later, that opportunity presented itself in the fall of 2004 when our lives converged in the mountains of Colorado. Over the course of our stay in Colorado, my brother and I began laying the groundwork for a bicycle trip that would take us from the far northern shores of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southern most city in the world. On July 26, 2005, having cleared all financial and logistical hurdles, we will start pedaling on the long road south.

The motivation for our trip is a reflection of our life-long ambitions - to explore new places, to make meaningful connections with other people and cultures, and to test the boundaries of our physical endurance and mental resolve. These ambitions are inspired by the enduring spirit of our late mother, Jean, herself an accomplished world traveler who always supported and encouraged our explorations of the world. We dedicate this trip to her memory.

In 1996, our mother Jean was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor that took her life in the winter of the same year. To honor our mother's lasting legacy and help those confronting the same illness that eventually took her life, Spinning Southward has partnered with Racing Ahead®, a program created by the National Brain Tumor Foundation that celebrates the passion of cyclists, runners and other athletes. NBTF is a non-profit organization dedicated to innovative brain tumor research and patient care. We are committed to raising both financial support and awareness for the NBTF through our nine-month, 15,000-mile ride across 13 countries. We hope that our ride will inspire you to join us in support of this worthy cause through a contribution to Jean's Journey.

The gap was bothering me. I had done San Francisco to San Diego and Astoria to Eureka. The ride from Eureka to San Francisco would take about a week. Which, coincidentally, was about all the vacation time I had after starting a new job. So I flew to San Francisco, took the bus to Eureka, and filled in the gap, on my first solo tour.

We are now in Cambodia, after 10 months of cycling thru New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand. Our site is bilingual.

Our web site is about the trip that we are now realizing. We have gone across the world to go back to Canada. We already crossed 5 different countries in 10 months. We will keep biking for around 2 more years. The subject treated by the web page is mostly about our trip (story, pictures, organisation) but we added a lot of other stuff like recipes, rock climbing, and small articles. We are French-Canadian, so our web site is belingual.

Biking Quebec crossing migration routes

I am a 37 year old GIS professional who decided that it was time to leave the big city of New York for awhile and explore places and cultures unknown to me.

The website is mainly a blog about my travels (which I sometimes get behind in) and many photos, as well as pages showing basic maps, information about me and why I am doing the trip.

Like any website mine experiences periodic problems so if there are no new photos or postings - there is usually a problem that I am trying to desperately fix at an internet cafe somewhere on the South American continent.

We are 60 somethings, retired but inspired to ride our tandem around the world over the next five years. We rode out of Los Angeles, California September 2005 and proceeded south into Baja California, over by ferry to mainland Mexico. We have woven our way back and forth across the various countries as we have proceeded south. We plan to fly to New Zealand and Australia December 2006 and then after several months of exploration, begin to ride north through Asia. Our web site is a regularly updated journal with pictures. Visit us!

My trip startet in Calgary and ended in Vancouver. I visited Banff and Jasper, passed Kamloops and spent some days at the famous mountainbike park in Whistler.

Bike Tours: Travelogues, photos, maps and tips about long distance bike traveling in Greece, Turkey, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, France, Spain; Mexico, Canada; South America and others.

Reiseberichte und Reisefotografie von Radtouren in Europa (Italien, Griechenland, Spanien, Mallorca, Frankreich, Tschechien, Slovenien etc.), Kanada, Mexiko, Südamerika und viele mehr. Lass dich inspirieren!

These pages describe a series of day rides in California's Central Coast.

The rides include 17 Mile Ride, See Canyon, Figueroa Mountain, Camino Cielo and a loop of Lake Casitas.

Bicycle world tour part II from Mun Suk and Eric Wehrheim. Actual tour in South and maybe Central America. Open end. On the homepage you will find also some information and fotos from our bicycle-world-tour part I who was from Germany to South Corea by crossing Africa.

If the link to our homepage doesn´t work well (sometimes in South America this happend to me) please go to http://aventurero.cjb.cc. It´s the same page only on another server.

Why would I bike around America? Why not? Or better yet, because I can. After first reading about cross-country bicycle tours on Crazyguyonabike.com I was hooked!

There it was, a great adventure that almost anyone could do, and I had all the free time in the world. Before reading about bike touring, I had dreams of hiking the 2500+ mile Appalachian Trail. But 75 mile days on a bike and real food quickly trumped 15 mile days on foot and oatmeal.

So I sold all of my stuff, opted to not renew my apartment lease, and bought a bike. It took me three months and almost $2,000 to aquire the knowledge and equipment to pull off this trip, but now I am ready to start it.

A lot of people ask me why I would want to do something like this. They either assume that I am either crazy, or poor. And while I may be a little of both, I just think it sounds like a good time. Cars, planes, and big cities are three things I try to avoid when I travel. So a nice slow bike ride through the Rocky Mountains sounds like a dream.

While most people will spend $20,000 on a new car, or $5,000 on a one week vacation, I spent $2,000 on a three month vacation with no bills to worry about. Everything I need, will be carried with me on my bike.

So, while it may seem a little crazy at first, I guess the main reason I would do something like this would be the journey itself. As one old Chinese guy once said, `The journey is the reward.'

Ten Days Of Cycling Through The Best Of California: Starting off with an awesome 150-kilometer ride high on the cliffs of America's wildest seacoast--past beaches filled with monstrous elephant seals--I pedaled on around surrealistic 17-Mile Drive and on through the Cannery Row of Steinbeck's novel into the famous resort of Monterey. Next, I soared across vast San Francisco Bay on the Golden Gate Bridge, and on across bike-friendly Marin Country to Point Reyes National Seashore for two nights in a traditional cyclists' hostel. Then came more exciting bike travel, through towering redwood forests beside the Russian River and across the Napa Valley Wine Country to the university town of Davis, famed for its many bicycle paths. Finally, I cycled part way around beautiful Lake Tahoe and ended the trip at the Nevada State Line. My website gives full day-by-day info on how I made the tour;and how to make the same trip yourself, including overnighting at economy lodgings, and where to get maps, when to go, and other helpful literature.

Seven tips, ride description, and map for a one-day ride from the sea up the mammoth 61-kilometer climb of the Hawaiian volcano Haleakela on Maui. At over 3,000 meters, this climb will take literally into thin air - some planning should be undertaken.

To discover British Columbia with a bicycle is an interesting experience : Mountains, lakes, icefields, wonderful landscape and...bears.

Even in this remote western corner of Bolivia, I feel the impact of the political unrest. There is practically no traffic. In fact traffic is virtually impossible because around La Paz and the other big cities, people have thrown thousands of big stones on the road. I can easily circumvent the stones, cars and trucks cannot. The situation causes me problems as well. There is nearly no food available any more. There are only few villages and nowhere I can obtain anything substantial. I have to do with a few biscuits the whole day.

So far the trouble. Further, The Andes countries have the cyclist a lot to offer. High passes, deserts, rain forests. Add the colourful markets, nice villages and friendly people and you have the complete picture. Ehh.. nearly complete. The food in the poor villages on the Altiplano is occasionally substandard.

When I quit my job, bought a bicycle and rode out of San Francisco, most of my friends thought I'd be back within 3 weeks. With no map, no compass, my sense of direction was flawless. Hence the route from San Francisco to the Yucatan in Mexico via the Alaskan arctic circle.

We are two Swiss guys and will start a bike expedition in Spring 2006 (sarting 03.04.2006) in South America. We will travel with our bikes about 2500 to 4000 km in 2 months. Our route will go through Chile and Argentina.

Critical ways of the expedition will be the Altiplano and crossings of Andes, South America's highest mountain massive with routes over 5000 meters above sea level.

Track our trip online via http://expedition.voegeli.li from 03.04.2006! we will update the site during our trip!

The Route:

Americas: Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina
Atlantic Traverse: Azores Islands [Portugal]
Europe: Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey
The Middle East: Iran
Central Asia: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, India
South East Asia: Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia
Australasia: Australia

Welcome to the Brink Expedition!

Imagine attempting a global traverse that would take you 50,000 kilometres through some of the most difficult terrain and extreme weather on the planet, all the time attempting to use only human power and the natural elements.

Starting deep in the heart of Amazonian South America the Brink Expedition will encounter unforgiving Patagonian winds, snowed over Himalayan Mountain passes, monsoons on the sub-continent and the oppressive heat of Australia's Red Centre.

So while the clock ticks, the seasons will turn, making this a full-throttled Race Against the Elements!

This tour includes scenic detours around Greek islands, the Peloponnese, and proceeds through Italy, Austria, and Germany. This site also has tours in the USA: Colorado, Wyoming, Montana; and in Portugal and Spain.

The winds in Patagonia are living up to their reputation. Although we had them blowing at our back this morning as we rode into Puerto San Julian, they have been cross and head winds for the last number of days. The desolation and emptiness of the land has reached an unprecedented level. We have not seen running water in days and it has become simply impossible to find any shade. We have given up finding quaint places to pitch our tent and now simply throw our sleeping bags in the ditch and lay down to sleep after an exhausting day. We wake up with the rising sun, often with a thin layer of sand covering our gear. On the upside, we have been seeing lots of wildlife of late, including flamingos, guanacos (like llamas), and rheas (like ostriches). We've also figured out that we can carry a combined 21 liters of water, which comes in handy when the ``towns'' on the map turn out to not even have a gas station :-)

We awoke to cloudless skies and a strong headwind. Breaking camp we hit the road only to learn that Saskatchewan highways don't always have paved shoulders. We assumed the alpha formation whereby Nick takes point and Dave is the rear guard. Appearing inebriated, Dave would sometimes swerve into the road to scare cars into the far lane. Making possibly the smartest decision of his life, Dave stopped to ask road workers if we could have two pairs of disposable earplugs to drown out the wind. These were great for the moral and allowed us to phase out of this world and create sci-fi stories which became entertainment for our breaks.

As we were getting into Maidstone, Dave got a flat back tire. Inspection of said tire revealed multiple punctures: two staples, three pieces of glass and a small rock. These had all managed to work there way through Dave's ``Perfect'' (brand name) tire. Much to Nick's dismay Dave decided to swap front and back tires. This took a few hours since Dave makes bike repairs at a Tectonic pace. As we mounted our Cromoly steeds Nick realized that he too had a flat tire. (Just ask us about road tar, we dare you) Dave's response: You're shitting me, right?

This webpage is intended to provide information for cycle tourists who may be considering tours in the countries I've visited. For more information, journals and pictures leave a message in my guestbook or send me an email.

`` Yes, it's hot. But we've seen worse haven't we my friend. There was that day east of Warnambol when the chip seal melted and the chips stuck to the tires. A few revolutions later we had flats front and rear. So we pushed for a mile seeking shade to repair the punctures. And the flies Ah! And there was that time in Zamorah. Ah! But not now.''

A travel bike from Villa O'Higgins to Puerto Montt.

A number of articles in rec.bicycles and rec.travel about the Oregon Coast inspired me to take my first long distance bicycle tour. I flew to Seattle from Denver on the 10th of July with a plane ticket to return from San Francisco on the 28th. If there was anything that I didn't like about this trip it was that deadline. I felt free except for the schedule I had to keep. This article is a personal narrative about my journey from Seattle to San Francisco following highways 101 and 1 along the Pacific Coast.

Every day is different. If you bring expectations from yesterday into a new day you increase the chance for disappointment and you waste time and energy trying to overcome that disappointment. Everyday unto itself.

This tour changed my life. I had never felt more alive. I left seeking a new way to see the world and I found me.

Paved all the way, Oregon's Historic Columbia River Highway takes cyclists on a breathtaking 75-mile ride through the Columbia River Gorge, a region so spectacular that in 1986, Congress declared it a National Scenic Area. Almost every mile of the way, I pedaled past steep, rocky cliffs and evergreen forests and I cycled next to 5 roadside waterfalls, one cascading down a sheer 620-foot drop. Most of the ride is on low-traffic, secondary roads with about ten miles on car-free bikeways. (To by-pass an as-yet unfinished 14 miles, cyclists are permitted to ride on the wide shoulder of I-84.)

Comfortable, affordable motels are spaced every 20-30 miles and you can take either 2 or 3 days to ride the Gorge--surely one of America's most awesome cycling experiences. En route, I pedaled up two superbly scenic--and fairly gentle--climbs, each around 750-feet in elevation gain--and with stunning panoramas from both summits. Along the way, I also spent a couple of hours touring Bonneville Dam where salmon were leaping up fish ladders. My day-to-day report tells exactly how I made this two-day tour and it's packed with advice and map sources for anyone wishing to duplicate my route. (Tip: it's just a six-hour drive between the Gorge and Spokane WA, end of my ``Touring the Northwest'' trip (see report on home page menu) and you can squeeze both tours into a one week vacation.

New York State's long, spindly Finger Lakes are webbed by roads that take you pedaling along lakeshores or over rolling hills, past world-class vineyards and picturesque farms, to quaint towns and villages with elm-lined streets bordered by elegant Victorian houses and gardens. From high ridges, I viewed breathtaking panoramas of the sparkling lakes below. On quiet backroads, I met Amish carriages drawn by high-stepping horses. And I spent the final two days on a flat 90-mile ride along the car-free towpath of the Erie Canal, cycling next to a series of still-operating locks and 19th Century towns, each with a unique lift bridge across the Canal.

My trip took 14 days and covered nearly 600 miles and I spent each night at a comfortable, affordable motel in traditional towns like Auburn, Geneva, Watkins Glen, Penn Yann, Canandaigua, Brockport and Lockport. Small wonder this is one of America's most popular bike tours! And if you'd like to ride it yourself, my full report not only describes my day-to-day cycling experiences but also gives full map and info sources for duplicating my route on your own.

Up in Northern Idaho and Washington, a series of 4 car-free bike trails linked together form one of America's newest bicycle tours. My 4-day tour began high in the Bitteroot Mountains with a wildly scenic ride down the Milwaukee Road's Trail of the Hiawathas, former route of the famous Hiawatha Scenic Vista Dome train. The line went bankrupt in 1977 and the Hiawatha stopped running. Today, though, you can enjoy the same scenic adventure on a bicycle, including traveling through the same 9 cavernous tunnels and across the 7 high steel trestles used by the train.

Next, I rode a 12-mile stretch of the former Northern Pacific railbed through emerald forests then switched to a paved stretch of the former Union Pacific Road that led for 66 spectacular miles through a wilderness of tall mountain peaks, rivers, lakes and wetlands and past historic mining towns to the Victorian village of Harrison, perched on a hilltop overlooking beautiful Lake Coeur d'Alene. I completed the trip by riding another 62-miles on the paved Millenium Trail beside Lake Coeur d'Alene then west along a cascading river into Washington and the city of Spokane.

My day-by-day report not only describes how I biked this 160-mile tour but also gives full map and info sources for duplicating my route. Using a unique routing strategy, for instance, I was able to ride the whole way either on the flat or downhill. And I found comfortable motels or guest houses a day's ride apart the entire way.

Almost every year, I spend a bike touring vacation at Frisco CO, staying in the same motel while each day I bike out and back on a complex of paved, car-free bike trails that wind past colossal mountain scenery to famous ski resorts like Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain and Vail. One easy trail hugs the shore of huge Dillon Lake to Keystone. Another winds up to the posh resort of Breckenridge. And a third climbs through awesome Ten Mile Canyon to Copper Mountain and on up over Vail Pass (10,600 feet, 3250m) then drops down to the Alpine-style town of Vail.

Using fat tires, I usually spend a day cycling up the unpaved road to Boreas Pass (11,480 feet, 3500m) where America's highest railroad depot still stands. Then for a change, I'll rent a kayak and paddle around Dillon Lake for a few hours. But there's lots more. It's just an hour's drive to nearby Georgetown, an unchanged Victorian mining town and from here a paved bike trail leads up to Silver Plume, a fascinating old mining town still much as it was in 1880. Heading back down, a low-traffic paved road leads to Idaho Springs, your motel base for cycling America's highest paved road that leads for 28 miles to the summit of Mount Evans (14,264 feet, 4360m). And with a mountain bike, still more exciting rides await, all in a world class setting of breathtaking grandeur. My website describes how I biked each trail, then gives loads of advice, and full map and info sources, for riding these trails on your own.

Trail reports and best strategy for touring 4 of America's longest Rails-Trails conversions that take you cycling through America's rural heartland on former railroad beds, converted to car-free bike trails, with comfortable, affordable motels a day's ride apart. Day-by-day, these reports describe how I cycled each trail plus loads of info and advice for anyone wishing to cycle the same route.

The trails are: Root River Trail, 60 paved miles (100 kms) along Minnesota's beautiful Root River, 2 days, McElroy-Sparta, 105-mile (170kms) trail system along Mississippi River in Wisconsin, smooth-unpaved, 4 days (can be combined with Root River Trail), Mickelson Trail, 109-miles(175kms)on smooth, unpaved trail through historic, Gold Rush country of South Dakota's Black Hills, 3-4 days. The 225-mile (362-km) Katy Trail along the Missouri River in Missouri, smooth-unpaved, 4-5 days. All are fairly level, easy rides through historic railroad towns and scenic countryside rich in Americana and wildlife.