Ditching life for dummies
Here’s a question I’ve gotten in various forms: “How were you able to ditch everything in your life, everything you valued, everything you worked for, everything that you represented and …
Bike Touring
A little recovery
Thirty-six days, about 1,500 miles, lots of up and down, a bunch of heat, a ration of cold, lots of people, countless cups of instant coffee, zero flats, one achy …
The ask
Shortly before my father died I began sending out a handful of texts and emails to people who I owed apologies. It was an odd feeling to watch the replies …
Of shoes and ships and sealing wax
I am happy. The tiny crack on the horizon, letting in fingers of multihued sunlight split more perfectly than by any prism; the coos of mourning doves and the braying …
Day 23: High desert beauty
There are ditches, and there are ditches. A few days spent with friends was enough to rejuvenate the legs and get some spectacular desert views. Yesterday we returned to Joshua …
Star blanket
When you lie on your back, with your eyes open into the black sky, the stars brighten, shimmer, and then clot the heaven so thickly that they float down upon …
Miracle in the Desert
I was sitting out on the veranda of a coffee shop in Alpine and could not help eavesdropping on the conversation at the table next to mine. “The best bird …
Surprised Not Surprised
Climbing up Torrey Pines I was not surprised to get passed by numerous ARCs, none of whom said a word. What surprised me was this guy, John Kaplan, who rides …
Dirt patch upgrade with Chaucer
I had staked out a little patch of sand behind a sign that said “No Camping.” I was waiting for the sun to go down and for the last ranger …
Day 13: Goin’ south
Planned on camping at Bolsa Chica SP, but they had no tent or hiker-biker sites. More discrimination in favor of cars and junk haulers, and against cyclists, pedestrians, and people …