SNAPS: Asheville Presentation

We’ve just come back from dinner with some new friends after our presentation at Malaprops Bookstore in Asheville. We weren’t quite sure what the turnout was going to be, since we only got about 8 people to confirm on Facebook, but we were pleasantly surprised when we counted over 50 people! Here are some snaps from the evening.

Setting up for the event. We had a stack of free Adventure Cycling magazines to give away. A lot of the folks seemed new to Adventure Cycling so it was a great way to spread the word about bike touring.

We also got some great gear from Klean Kanteen to give away, including a pair of steel pint glasses, insulated Kanteens and water bottles. We did a quiz on bicycle safety and the law and made people work for it. In addition to Klean Kanteens and Adventure Cycling memberships, we also got some REI gift certificates to give away!

Mike Sule from Asheville on Bikes talking about some upcoming bicycle events.

Caroline, the event coordinator for Malaprops was stunned (so were we, in fact) at the turn out.

Laura watching our year long slideshow with the crowd. We still get a kick out of seeing our old photos from the beginning of the trip. It reminds us how lucky we’ve been to be able to travel like this.

That’s it for now. We’re both pretty tired but will post more about our stay in Asheville soon. Thanks to everyone that came out tonight, it was a great crowd!

SLIDESHOW: One Year on the Road!

Just spent a few hours going through pictures from the last year! What an emotional jaunt through memory lane. This video is dedicated to all our fellow travelers, readers, road angels, friends and strangers who we have met on the road. You are all what traveling is about! We’ve appreciated all your comments and emails and they do really keep us going. So thank you! Sit back and enjoy.

Cheers to One Year!

The end of July marked an entire year of traveling on bicycles around the US. A year of waking up to the sunrise over our tent, and exploring places in this country that we didn’t know existed. A year of foraging for food through remote towns, and sharing stories with strangers-become-friends. A year of conquering long climbs, tromping through snow, poaching wifi, fighting off raccoons, getting soaked in afternoon storms, and laughing.

When we left, traveling for a year seemed like a distant and elusive goal. It seemed like some sort of badge of courage that we wanted to earn. We wanted to be the kinds of people who could travel for a year, who could simply wander around the country and experience what it had to offer, who could weather some crazy times and come out stronger and full of stories. At the beginning, we wanted to make it to a year, but we had no idea if we could actually do it.

And then, all of a sudden, it just crept up on us. In response to the question of how long we had been traveling, we found ourselves saying “10 months” then “11 months” then “almost a year” – until, now, a year has come and gone, and we are thinking about hopping the pond to SE Asia or South America in 2011.

We often muse about how the human body is amazingly adaptable. Something that once seemed hard can become commonplace and, if you’re not careful, can become routine. After traveling for over a year, this life that we have built can sometimes feel “normal” to us. We can forget our previous lives and just get up and get on the bikes, as if this is the way it has always been. On the one hand, we love that we have reached this point of being so road-hardened that the open-endedness of this journey no longer scares us. But we hope to never adapt so much that we lose touch with how unique and special this opportunity truly is.

Which is one of many reasons why we love meeting people along our way. Telling someone that we’ve been traveling for a year and watching them react with a look of astonishment is a touch-stone for us, an experience that reminds us that we are on an amazing journey. And why this website has been such a quintessential part of this trip for us – not only have you all supported us when we’ve been cold and hungry, but you continue to remind us to enjoy every little moment.

So, thank you, dear readers, for helping us earn our year-on-the-road badge of courage, for sharing with us your favorite places to eat and hike, for chatting with us over coffee or beers or BBQ or email, for transforming our little journey into a magical experience!

Presentation in Asheville, NC!

We are in Asheville, NC! We’ve been hearing so much about Asheville the last few months that we are taking a week or so to explore. While we’re here, we’re doing a presentation at Malaprops Bookstore in downtown Asheville!

We’ve created a Facebook Event page here.

Where: Malaprops Bookstore
When: Monday, August 16th, 2010 @7pm

While we’re in town, we’re hoping to work and keep our trip going. So if you’d like a custom head badge or are interested in photography – don’t hesitate to email us!

SNAPS: Tennessee to North Carolina

We’ve been on the move, pedaling at break neck speeds (not really) and are in North Carolina! We’ve passed such beautiful country that we have fought (and won!) the urge to just blow by it all. We’re not just stopping to smell the roses, we’re putting them in our mouths. Some snaps to catch ya’ll up.

We met lots of great bikey people in Chattanooga. This is a portrait of Quint, who I stumbled upon at a cafe one morning. He had just purchased some bike racks for his favorite coffee shop and was there to figure out their placement with the owner.

As we moved through East Tennessee we stumbled upon a Mennonite farmer’s market! Here are some folks unloading the watermelon into the side of the market.

Laura crossing the Hiwasse River.

The interior of the awesome lodge we stayed at in Tellico Plains. The manager, Toni, a transplant from Louisiana was super friendly and welcoming. If you’re ever in Tellico Plains, we highly recommend the Mountain View Cabins!

While at Tellico, we partake of a local food gem – the Tellico Grains Bakery! Stuart, the owner, is also an avid cyclists and has ridden the Great Divide Route. The food there is spectacular and is easily the best place to eat in town.

We also met up with some readers and talented artists, Allen and his wife Cathy. Allen is a sculptor and potter and Cathy is a painter who paints fluid abstracts inspired by water and nature. We visited them at their beautiful home in the mountains around Tellico, climbing up a bumpy gravel road!

Bumping along Wildcat Road.

While at Tellico, I got a fair amount of fishing in!

As we left Tellico, Toni the manager from the lodge gave us some hand picked vegetables after reading Laura’s post on food. She was just plain awesome.

The gift of food was quickly put to use.

From Tellico, we hoof it up the Cherohala Skyway. It was some serious work after being in the flatlands for a while.

We get a most AWESOME surprise when one of our readers, BIll, finds us at one of the overlooks and gives us some dessert and water!

Nothing sweeter than eating strawberry shortcake while climbing a mountain on your one year anniversary of traveling.

Amazing views from the Cherohala.

We are all smiles at the top.

After the Skyway we stumble upon paddling mecca – the Nantahala Outdoor Center.

We then roll to Bryson City and have a great presentation at Bryson City Bicycles!

We explore the sights and sounds of Bryson City. I went fishing (no photos) and Laura takes a pottery class at Pincu Pottery with our awesome host Raquel!

That’s it for now. We’re enjoying our time in Bryson and will be heading into Asheville, NC soon. If you want to connect while we are in Asheville, send us an email!

VIDEO: Descending Cherohala

Howdy ya’ll. We’re currently in Bryson City, NC. Finally some access to some interwebs so I edited some footage we shot going up and over the Cherohala Skyway. Enjoy!