Day 1 Trekking Chamonix to Cotamines-Montjoie 9 Miles, 2200 ft Ascending, 4000 ft Descending The word in French is “Col”, which, loosely translated, means “You will sweat like a beer bottle in the sun both ascending and descending”. We are heading for the Col de Tricot, a 7000 foot pass between two taller peaks. This …
29 July 2018 Frankfurt to Chamonix via Geneva I’ve had 4 cups of real European coffee and it’s not even 6:30 am. Given that I’ve been up since 3:30 am, this seems mathematically okay. Plus, it’s my most favorite part of the day so this is a little like heaven if heaven also includes alarm …
27 and 28 July 2018 Seattle to Frankfurt “Are they crazy??” These are the three words I hear Gina exclaim while reading the in-flight menu card for her Condor Premium Economy seat. I will hear these three words again about 9 time zones from now only in a different context, one that I thankfully don’t …
16 to 23 May 2017 Seattle, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park, Ketchikan, Victoria BC, and Seattle (Home) Again My sister has dragged me down into the bowels of the ship, into the overpowering darkness of Medusa’s Lounge, the sea siren’s sinister glowing eyes and tentacled hair glaring at me from every wall (do ships …
24 August 2014 Freising, Germany It’s our final day in Germany (well, if you don’t count flying out tomorrow, which we don’t because it’s a travel day) so that means it was a day spent taking the bikes apart, cleaning off 5 weeks of rain-induced grit and grime, and packing the whole kit and caboodle …
23 August 2014 Rottach-Egern to Freising, Germany (26 miles; Total = 884 miles) It’s sitting at the station a solid 45 minutes before its scheduled departure time and we can hardly believe our good luck. Could that really be our train to Munich, with no crowds, double-wide doors, and not one other bicycle parked inside? …
22 August 2014 Rottach-Egern, Germany (0 miles; Total = 858) The cellist has just dropped his sheet music in the midst of a Johann Strauss piece. The percussionist is definitely laughing at him. He manages to pick it up without missing a beat, but then again, he’s playing a cello so how would I possibly …
21 August 2014 Rottach-Egern, Germany (0 miles; Total = 858) In the spirit of trying new things, we have been sampling Bavarian meals. And I must say, I think I’ll be coming home a vegetarian. The whole foodie adventure started to go south with the Weisswurst (white sausage) that at first I thought our server, …
20 August 2014 Tegernsee to Rottach-Egern, Germany (12 miles; Total = 858 miles) If we want to bike all the way back to Munich, we should be on our way north right now. But we’re not. Another morning, another rain storm, another hour spent mentally composing my Craigslist ad for my panniers. In this new …
19 August 2014 Fischbachau to Tegernsee, Germany (23 miles; Total = 846 miles) When I get back to Seattle I’m going to audition for The Biggest Loser. I’ll definitely qualify, with all of the bier and cake I’ve been consuming. And I’ll have a solid advantage in the competitions, after spending yesterday and today pushing …