Yellow Tent Adventures

We always talk about bicycle travel. But what about bicycle lingering? Bicycle lingering is that ability to stop forward motion, pause, and soak up what is around you. Cafes. Ice cream parlors. Roadside restaurants. City parks. Riverside picnic tables. They all call out for you to park your bike and linger. I am amazed at [...]

If I had to choose one photo I’ve taken that captures the view of the world you get when you travel by bicycle, this is it. Up close and intense. It’s 1995. Nelson Mandela has been president for less than a year. I’m on a five-month bike trip in South Africa, where I’m told by [...]

A policeman stopped our progress through the small town of Manteigas, Portugal. There was no traffic — no apparent accident or emergency. We parked our bikes and waited. We heard the music of a marching band long before the processional turned a corner and came into view. It appeared as if the entire town was [...]

We pedaled into a small Portuguese village late in the evening. There was the typical group of old men hanging out at the edge of town–all wearing jackets and caps, all sporting canes. We asked them if there was a campground. No campground or hotel we were assured. The sun was low in the sky. [...]

As Kat and I rush around trying to get ready for a bicycle trip in Spain and Portugal, I’m reminded of a column I wrote for Adventure Cyclist magazine as we were rushing around trying to get ready for a bicycle trip in Colombia. Time has passed, but not much has changed. The following is [...]

That’s me. On my bike. On Earth. The artist is Zak and he attends a primary school in Washington state where I presented an assembly entitled “The World’s Greatest SUV”. It introduces kids to the magic and wonders of bicycle travel. If you haven’t ever talked to young students about your bicycle travels … you [...]

Every bike trip I’ve ever done begins with landing in a city … and getting out as fast as possible. The trip doesn’t really begin until you get out into the countryside and set up your tent. But what if rather than having a city as a starting point, the city WAS the adventure? We [...]