Writer. Creative Leader.
“It’s beautiful to find a place that feels like home when you’re on the road. That’s why I host people. I know how it feels.” Our three-night stay with this wonderful family felt like home all right. If home were in Abruzzo, Italy… had a fleet of foreign-to-us bikes to test out… provided multiple-course meals, …
A couple weeks ago, I was e-mailing with a friend and mentioned we were trying to figure out what to do with our remaining time in Italy. Leading up to this point, we’d spent days riding ugly, busy highways in the rain. Each spray of filthy water from passing Mack trucks—or MAN trucks as they’re called here—was a …
Last week we found ourselves in Perugia for a few days. I’m sorry to say we didn’t even leave the hotel to take in Umbria’s capital city. Instead, despite painfully slow Internet (this seems to be a trend), we got loads of work done, and Justin met with a distributor. Though we didn’t get out …
“Be present. It’s not about accomplishing miles. It’s about enjoying the moment. It’s about stopping to smell the roses.” This beautiful couple met in a bike shop in Connecticut. He asked her to marry him six weeks later. He would have asked sooner, but that’s how long his parents waited. *Dawn & Luke, we can’t thank …
Seeking shelter from the rain. Ravenna! Inside these monuments and churches are beautiful mosaics. The nicest-looking, side-of-the-road wild blackberries I’ve ever seen. Asleep on the job. Dinner with a view of the Adriatic Sea. We climbed to the very top of the Republic of San Marino, the fifth smallest country in the world. Founded …
From the moment we arrived on our bikes, this little firecracker stole our hearts–we colored, played “acqua” “fuoco,” sang English nursery rhymes and chased Micheaux the kitten around the backyard. In the middle of dinner, she even climbed into my lap and sat with me. Being unable to communicate with her was heart-wrenching. Frustrated that everyone …
I couldn’t decide: “You don’t need a lot of money. If you live with less, enjoy the day and think something good will happen tomorrow, something good will happen.” – or – “They say if you walk in your garden in bare feet, the ground can feel your energy and grows what you body needs,” …
“So, what’s your plan?” We get asked that question a lot. Because local knowledge is invaluable–and, let’s be honest, because we don’t have a plan–we typically answer with, “What do you recommend?” It hasn’t led us astray so far. In fact, it’s taken us to the gorgeous mountain town of Garmisch, Germany, and through the heart …
A peek at where we laid our heads at night–from Vipiteno to Perugia: *** Home is…a forest clearing behind a hotel in Vipiteno. *** Home is…three nights in an apartment all to ourselves in the center of beautiful Brixen–a chance to catch up on work, do laundry and eat like locals. *** Home is…a night in San Martino …
L to R: Justin, me, our awesome rock climber/bread baker host and Sekiji, a Japanese bike tourer who has been traveling the world for the past 5 years. Our host rode his bike across China. During his bike tour, he was invited into people’s homes and commonly offered chicken legs. Unable to communicate that he was …