The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition invited me to give an online presentation of my travels to New Zealand and Australia,which I did a couple of weeks ago. If you are interested in watching the video it is linked here: Heather’s Presentation You’ll need to jump ahead to almost the 5 minute mark for the start,…
This Strange Life Does Not Feel So Strange to Me
I wake in the morning to the sound of birds and Jesse brings me a hot cup of tea. Why tea? I have lived with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) for maybe eight years now. I have the diarrheal form (it presents as constipation for some people) and mornings are hell. It takes five to eight…
Will You Consider This?
Hello, this is a letter to my loved ones. While I believe that everyone who reads my blog would be kind to a black person in a face to face situation, I also believe that I have family members and acquaintances who don’t believe systemic racism is a severe problem in this country, our country….
Memories, Bikepacking, and Keeping Public Lands Public
I was invited to write about my experience on the Wild West Route in summer of 2018. This route was developed by a wonderful nonprofit, Bikepacking Roots. Bikepacking Roots not only develop great bikepacking routes, but also work hard to educate people about the value of our public lands and advocate for these lands to…
Generosity and Inspiration
Cycletouring opens the heart and the mind; both of the person doing the touring and of those with whom the cycletourist interacts. The kindness of locals and others tourists directed toward me never ceases to amaze me. As a direct result of this generosity, I am always inspired to try and be a more kind…
On Coming Home
When is it time to go home? What does home mean when I have sold all my belongings and own almost nothing but my bicycle and the clothes on my back? These are questions I grappled with back in January, and then much more acutely last week. Before I could fly to Australia in mid-…
Tasmanian Whirlwind
Time here has flown by faster than a Tasmanian Devil! Yes, these are Tasmanian Devils. I haven’t shared this image elsewhere because I have mixed feelings about the conditions under which it was taken. In Huonville I stayed at the only campground in town, it so happened that they also promised Tasmanian Devils, along with…
Show Me the Road Less Traveled.
I knew that the more populated North Island of New Zealand would challenge me in some ways, but I hoped that I would see enough beauty and explore enough wild places that it would be worth it. I can now say that I have experienced it for myself; I’ll save my recommendations for the end,…
Tongariro Crossing
After arriving in National Park via the Mountains to Sea route I rallied to hike the Tongariro Crossing the next day before the good weather window ended. This hike is billed as one of the best day hikes in New Zealand and was the reason I routed myself through National Park. It is a 20km…
Sea to Mountains
One of the “Great Rides” on the North Island of NZ is the Mountains to Sea trail and only a small portion of the “trail” is really single track, with most being quiet country roads. Riding a track with net downhill would be lovely; however, since I am trying to get north for my flight…