Japan: It’s All a Dream to Me Now (Video)
In the Fall of 2019 we spent six weeks cycling in Japan with our two children, aged 4.5 and 1 (followed by six weeks in Taiwan). One of the lines in the song I chose for this video goes “it’s all a dream to me now.” Since this trip the world changed completely due to COVID-19. Everything that seemed doable and easy then is now out of reach, at least for awhile. How lucky were we to have done this trip before the world had gone mad? Hopefully, we’ll have more opportunities for cycle touring in the future and not just in our dreams. As for our route, we started…
Keeping Sane by Biking During COVID-19
We were sitting down for lunch the other day and Neil suddenly said “we still haven’t ridden our bikes today!” That needed to be fixed so we got ready and went on a bike ride. Yes, that’s what we’ve been doing lately, a lot of bike riding. People ask us how we manage during this time with two young children at home, and in a way I feel like we’re doing just fine, and a lot of it is thanks to our bikes. The beginning wasn’t easy. It started with canceling our two week trip to Israel to see our family, a trip that everyone was looking forward to. So…
Greece: Bike Hopping on Seven Magical Islands (Video)
We spent five weeks in winter 2019 bike hopping on seven islands in Greece with our four year old and four month old. It was a spectacular experience for everyone and a great bonding opportunity for the two brothers. We fell in love with the slow pace of the Greek islands, the food, and the low key atmosphere. Since it was winter the beaches were empty and the accommodation was cheap. Luckily it was sunny and warm almost every day. We can’t wait to explore more of the Greek islands on our bikes and perhaps even the mainland someday. Here is a short video of the highlights of the trip.
Taiwan (Part 2): Love at Second Sight (Taitung to Taipei)
One of the things people always wish cyclists is that the wind will be at their backs. I didn’t really understand the importance of this until the almost impossible headwind we encountered on our way to Taitung. So after a few rainy days in Taitung and checking the forecast and winds over and over again we decided that if the wind is not going to change directions then we will. We caught the train to Hualien, again sending our bikes and gear separately on the cargo train. When we arrived to Hualien it was still raining… We found a cute and cheap home stay and went to explore the city. …
Taiwan (Part 1): Not Love at First Sight (Taipei to Taitung)
Taiwan wasn’t love at first sight. It started with our arrival to Taoyuan Airport. A bus took us from the plane to the terminal. But it took a roundabout route that passed through a series of dilapidated buildings. A taxi then took us from the airport to our Warm Showers host in the outskirts of Taoyuan. It was in an industrial wasteland, ugly, and with no shops or restaurants in sight. Looking for something to eat for lunch involved a long walk on the road that ended at the 7-Eleven. We did find a coffee shop that had tasty Australian Meat Pies. They were rather good, but that wasn’t exactly…
Japan (Part 3): The Cycling Highways of Japan (Tobishima & Shimanami Kaido)
Saving the best for last is a good way to go. The previous four weeks in Japan were beautiful but they didn’t lack challenges like traffic, tunnels, climbing, and a bit of rain. After a few restful days in Matsuyama where we made sure to visit Dogo Onsen every day, we were recharged and full of energy for the last and best couple of weeks of our tour in Japan. Coming with such high expectations can be a problem sometimes but luckily we were not disappointed. We took the ferry from Matsuyama to Kure and stepping off the ferry we set foot (or wheel) on Honshu, the main island of…
Japan (Part 2): Along the Coast and Over the Mountains (Shikoku)
We had been climbing for the past few days and were finally approaching the pass, at 720m. From there it would be all downhill to the other side of Shikoku. Our route took us up a small road, which turned into a dirt road and then a rough trail, hardly an option for us. Damn cycling app! When I started thinking about heading back to Japan for another cycling trip, I soon heard about the Shikoku Henro. It’s a pilgrimage circuit around the island of Shikoku through 88 temples. Most pilgrims walk the circuit, but some cycle it or even drive it. The cycling route around the island was the…
Japan (Part 1): Jumping Into the Bike Trip (Takamatsu and Shodoshima)
I always claim that one of the most challenging parts of each bike trip is getting to the airport. This trip was no different. With a 2am departure and two children things were a bit tricky. But the kids were troopers. They went to sleep for a few hours at home before being woken up suddenly to come down to catch the taxi. Neil was sleeping so hard I didn’t think he would wake up. I transferred Kai easily to the carrier where he continued sleeping. On the way to the airport I kept on thinking – what kind of parents are we? Waking up their kids in the middle…
Tetrahedron: A Trail of Blueberries and a Blanket of Stars
As the Labour Day long weekend was approaching there was a feeling in the air that summer was coming to an end. Although the days were still warm and sunny we could feel that there might be a shift soon. The forecast for the weekend was generally good especially towards the end of it. I was absolutely exhausted since we had just finished a very busy season of Kids on Wheels and all I wanted to do was to catch up on some sleep. But since September is always a gamble with the weather in this area we decided to do a two day trip leaving on the Monday of…
Mt. Rainier National Park: Wilderness Behind the Urban Monster
Why? It seems to be the number one question recently when we set off on a trip by car. This time even more so, since crossing the border to the US, especially on a long weekend is brutal. Naively we thought that if we’d cross on Sunday, meaning the middle of the long weekend, the wait wouldn’t be long. We ended up waiting for an hour and a half… The only silver lining in the situation was that the kids miraculously slept through most of the wait. If they would have been awake I’m pretty sure we would have turned around. That would have been unfortunate since that first day…
