Hiking the Inca Trail: A Proposal at 8,000 Feet
My lungs were filing a formal complaint. Every breath felt thin and insufficient, as if the air itself was rationing oxygen and I hadn’t earned my share. My temples throbbed. My legs burned. My mouth tasted like coca leaves and effort. Above us, the Andes rose without apology, peaks clawing at the sky and utterly […]
I was recently asked to answer the question, “Why do you travel?”
When I am lost in the world and completely outside of my element, I feel truly alive. It’s as if travel is my beloved and I am in relentless and passionate pursuit. It is when I am submersed in different cultures, languages and landscapes that I am enamored with the entirety of life and all […]
Canyon Death Rides and Coca Leaves: 40 Days on a Motorcycle Through the Andes Mountains
Things look differently from the seat of a motorcycle going 90 kilometers per hour through the Peruvian Andes. They become more than your standard mountain range, they feel like a personality test. The mountains don’t just rise, they explode. Peaks like harpoon tips stab the sky before collapsing into rivers. I rented my motorcycle in […]
A Brief Guide to Mexico City: If You Like The Same S##t I Do.
What the hell kind of title is that? The internet is filled with travel bloggers writing listicles: articles which list or suggest “top ten things to do” in your desired destination. The problem with creating a listicle for Mexico City is that it is so massive, so intricate, so abundant, and so diverse that it’s […]
Mexico City By Bicycle: Mezcal, Mariachis and Why Corrupt Bribe-taking Mexican Police Deserve a Little Slack
Next Destination Puebla…or so I thought. My next destination after San Cristobal de las Casas was the city of Puebla. Some old friends and coworkers lived in a small lakeside village outside of Puebla called Buena Vista and I was on my way to visit them. I purchased a one-way ticket to Puebla on an […]
I spent my 42nd Birthday Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
2022 started out rough! I was racing against a writing deadline, while also trying to plan a trip to southeast Africa in efforts to escape another mid-west winter. I had spent the previous 6 months writing a hiking guide for Wisconsin where each of the treks ended at a scenic waterfall. This involved traveling to […]
Week 4 On The Road to Patagonia
From Tulum to Bacalar: The route from Tulum to Bacalar was 135 miles and for some reason, in the scorching Caribbean sun, I decided that I was going to do it in one day. It’s important to note, that my confidence in accomplishing this physical feat was a result of my cycling experience back in […]
Week 3 On The Trail To Patagonia
“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life…I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive.” –Joseph Campbell The majority of the adventure “bike-packing” I have done has been with my good friends Jim McLure, Jonathon Anderson and Michael Santiago-Ignasiak who all still live in Milwaukee, WI. They […]
Week one on the trail to Patagonia
I am still looking for the right words to “title” this post. In fact, I haven’t figured out a good name for this particular adventure. My original plan was to ride my bicycle from my hometown of Milwaukee, WI to Patagonia located at the southern tip of Argentina. This would have included biking and camping […]
Lisbon Portugal
When a friend heard I was going to Portugal she asked, “Are you going to go to Lisbon?”. I believe I replied with something like, “I don’t know. Yeah. Maybe. Should I?”. How embarrassing! (I had a similar embarrassing experience when I was leaving for Cambodia and someone asked if I would be visiting Angkor […]