A lonely Climate Strike Ride, The Great Divide, and how to carry a pool noodle through North America.

Suddenly my bike started sliding around, and it felt heavier than before. I tried to push harder. It did not work. Just to the opposite: Everything stopped moving. I was stuck, stuck in the mud. That’s not what I expected. I expected an easy day, mostly downhills on dirt roads. Yes, they gradually got wetter. […]

From the beach to the snow to the sands of the desert.

There are not that many places that encompass a regional diversity in micro-climates and geological landscape such as Southern California. One can easily cycle up from the beach, through the sprawling suburbia of the West Coast, get stuck in snow, fog and rain on the mountains, just to suddenly race down to the desert badlands […]

On borders and border walls

I love to climb mountains. Be it by foot or on a bicycle. There is something to it, but don‘t ask why. It‘s not about the physical challenge, though that‘s definitely a part of it as well, it‘s about exploring the surroundings, the world we live in, and – maybe – finding a broader perspective, […]

Into the wilderness of suburbia

A ride along the coast from San Diego to Los Angeles. As always I headed out too late, keep going out of and back into the apartment hunting for a forgotten helmet or a fill of the water bottle. Eventually, I did sit on my bike and set off for a ride that should take […]

Life on Rails – Southwest by Southwest Chief

“Traversing the North American continent by rail makes no sense. It is not—and, really, I cannot stress this enough—a rational thing to do.” This is what I recently read in some hip travel magazine about a journey through the U.S. on a train. I do not agree. Or maybe I do, but then what would […]