Our Engagement Adventure

Lisa here…Sorry folks for the long delay!  Definitely a lot of adjustments and of course, some unexpected circumstances shortly after we embarked on our project.  We will be writing more soon and telling you about what we’ve learned and experienced.  Our latest news is that Steve impressively figured a way to propose (miraculously with a correctly sized PURPLE engagement ring)!  Here’s a little video to share about it:

Recap and Pulling the Trigger 2015

By way of a recap, Steve and I met in passing at a campground in Austria this past summer while bicycling.  He began his bicycle touring adventure in Ethiopia, then flew to Greece and bike up through the Balkan countries over the Austrian Alps to where I met him (www.untraveledworld.com).  I married my bicycle last March, 2014, then cycled down the coast of Northern California, and then flew into Paris and was cycling east through Europe and about to cross the Alps when I met Steve. Thus, we were heading opposite directions when we met in passing in a campground in Austria.  Continue reading

What Would You Do?


Every cyclist and hiker that we met returning from their travels in the highlands of Scotland described the area as beautiful but rather brutal. Midgies (very small biting insects) were out in full force. Those beasts, plus non-stop rain, curtailed many outdoor adventure seekers plans. With a pint of Scottish lager under each of our belts, Steve and I asked one another what we would each do if we were on our own? Continue reading

Closure & New Beginnings

What happens when you come to the end of a journey? When you reach a goal, or a project big ends, or a vacation is over…well, there’s a transition period, right?

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Entering England Wrapped in Plastic

I basically wrapped my bike in a sheet of plastic meant to protect a floor from paint. I duct taped some of my camping gear to Steel and wrapped the whole thing in the plastic (took the air pressure out of my tires, and my pedals and handle bars off) and checked it. Unbelievably the ticketing agent at British airways didn’t flinch. Steel arrived in great shape minus a broken spoke which I blame on me for not securing stuff better. I was met by Vinny Continue reading

Italy Part III: Wild & Weird

Oh my…I am hot and tired! I sit and begin writing this on my first train since coming to Europe after attempting to cycle half way to Florence yesterday but I ran into snags. I am supposed to stay with a Warm Shower’s host tonight (little do I know at this point what’s in store for me). Okay let me back up a bit…
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Italy Part II: My New Strategy Came with A Bonus Meeting

After my crap cycling day, I devised some new strategies to attempt to make my cycling more enjoyable. First things first, eat a big, hearty breakfast – no excuses (for me that involves bread, butter (peanut butter if I have it), jam and yogurt (if available). This I did. Given the heat, I wanted to try getting on the road early and taking a break for a few hours in the middle of the day to write, and then cycling again later in the day. I did this too. I made it to the mid-sized old Italian town of Belzano by 11:30 am and stopped until 3:30 p.m. I wrote in a cafe and had a luscious lemon ice, a cappuccino, and a fresh Continue reading

Italy Part I: Errors in the Alps

 

Cycling in Italy is one of those dreamy types of things that I never really thought I would get an opportunity to do.  I especially never thought I would experience cycling in the Dolomites, or the Italian Alps -in large part because I never imagined I would be fit enough to drag me and loaded bicycle up mountains.

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Over the Alps with Only Minor Mishaps

 

For the first time on this here cycling adventure, I bought a map. This goes to show that I was nervous about crossing the Alps. They look awfully high from a far and thought of getting turned around in them was weighing on my mind. Basically, all the cycling routes (Velo 7 and Alpe-Radweg)(http://alpe-adria-radweg.comAlpe-Radweg) take the same route from Salzburg up the Alps and begin to differ after the mountain pass.
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