The Asian section of our journey had a clear beginning and now a clear end. We started in Hong Kong to get visas for China. We spent Christmas in Chengdu, China, with friends, then cycled south. We rode through Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and finally, into Singapore. We spent four and a half months...

People often make comments to us about our “extended vacation,” since our journey is on the long side of average. But we beg to differ. We don’t see our trip as a vacation. In fact, it’s a lot of work! We spend 5-6 hours every day doing tough physical activity: riding two, fully loaded touring...

“Two weeks in Bangkok? WHY?!” That’s been the response we’ve gotten from several people when we shared our travel plans. As far as touristy activities go, Bangkok does not merit that long of a stay. But Bangkok offered a lot more to us than just popping in a few wats and shopping malls (though it...

Cambodia is the first country in Asia where we did zero camping. Several factors played into this decision–I had recently recovered from a rough stomach infection in Laos, so we thought rooms would be a little more comfortable. Of course the heat was a huge element as well, and by getting a room we were...

I’m convinced that children in Vietnam must learn to say “Hello” as one of their first words. I can picture it now… moms with small tots on their knees, perhaps they just learned to say “ma-ma.” Everyone is so proud, parents beaming with joy–he’s talking now! What does that mean? Time to teach this kid...

We got off to a smooth enough start. We left Chengdu and the last familiar faces we’ll see until Thailand. We set out semi-early on a Sunday morning into the non-stop traffic of the massive Chinese city. Within five minutes I hit a huge bump, sending Dave’s strawberry stocking candy flying out of the outer...

From Florence it was off to Rome, where we would spend a whole week. What an incredible city, full of so much history! From our apartment, we could actually lean out the window and see the Coloseum! Amazing. We spent our time in Rome visiting ancient ruins, admiring incredible art, and randomly popping in churches…...

We are continually grateful for all our family members who take their valuable vacation time and use it to come visit and travel alongside us. Our recent “vacation” with Dave’s parents took us on a fabulous tour of Italy. Venice, Florence and Rome were the stops on our journey, and we soaked up every minute...

We pedaled into Paris just as the weather here in Europe began to turn to fall. Mornings have been crisp and cold, making it more difficult to get out of our warm tent and on the road. But from Normandy, we took three days to ride into the beautiful capital of France, a city we’ve...

One of the best outings we’ve taken on our journey was an official tour of the D-Day beaches in Normandy, France. I can honestly say that I had a deeper sense of pride and gratitude for the sacrifices made by our military, perhaps more than ever in my life. We spent some time in the...