My biking adventure through tourist crazed Italy continued. After two summers of staying home due to covid, it was clear that Europeans wanted to head to the beach. As a result, my bright idea to ride over the strips of land that buffer Venice from the open sea called, “The Lagoons of Venice” was notContinue reading “Culture and Connection (Part II)”
Author Archives: Denise LaFountaine
Culture and Connection (Part 1)
Bonjour, Buon giorno, Guten tag, Gruss Gott (Bavarian) and Howdy! I’m now multi-lingual. I can say “Hello” in a variety of languages. Unfortunately, that’s all I can say. On this trip, I was country fluid riding across boarders sometimes two or three times in one day. Think Basel, Switzerland which is set at the intersectionContinue reading “Culture and Connection (Part 1)”
A Day on a Bike
I’m a little over two weeks in. This is happening. It has been filled with fun, surprises and challenges I didn’t anticipate. Every trip has its own unique challenges (and magic). You never know what they will be until you’re on the road. Here is what has unfolded for me so far. Before I getContinue reading “A Day on a Bike”
Behind the Scenes
I made it! I am very excited to start another bike ride. This one starts with a visit to see my sister and brother-in-law in Stuttgart, Germany. Thankfully, I made it here safely with all my belongings, but first a little about what that entails. Prep Work As with any trip, deciding where to goContinue reading “Behind the Scenes”
Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy
European Summer This summer I decided to take a kinder more gentle civilized ride through Europe. The idea is to meet up with old friends and new, drink strong Italian coffee, devour daily scoops of gelato, enjoy chilled steins of beer, sip on Mediterranean wine, and eat copious amounts of pasta and pizza. I stillContinue reading “Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy”
The Ups and Downs of the Great Divide
What a ride! Now I know what mountain bike riding is all about. Now I know why people have mountain bikes and a bike-packing set up. Now I know what 200,000ft of elevation feels like from riding up anywhere from say 500ft to 6,000ft on a daily basis over dirt roads. Now I know thatContinue reading “The Ups and Downs of the Great Divide”
Colorado, Here I Am!
Phew! Made it to Steamboat Springs, Co. after many hard earned miles and many more feet of elevation. In fact, on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) there is no day where you are not climbing anywhere from 2,000 to 6,000ft. It’s insane. Some days that’s on relatively decent packed gravel and other daysContinue reading “Colorado, Here I Am!”
Feeling hot, hot, hot!
Wicked Hard Rooseville to Helena…check. Two weeks, 370miles, 33,000ft up and 32,000ft down. If you read my last post, you can delete it now. I was clueless. This is freaking hard. Bike packers are dialed in to this whole divide route. It turns out that less really is more, cold beans rule, energy bars areContinue reading “Feeling hot, hot, hot!”
Practice Run
I was lucky to have nice weather on my weekend shake-down ride. I usually try to go to the San Juan Islands for a couple of nights but this year I only had time for a quick overnight to Vashon Island. I rode from Bremerton to Port Orchard then along the water to Southworth whereContinue reading “Practice Run”
Biking for Clean Hands and Clean Water
I bike for a variety of reasons. For example: I bike for exercise, to be kind to the environment, to be outside in nature, to get fresh air deep into my lungs, to learn about new places, to meet new people, to live in the moment, to give the ruminating in my head a rest,Continue reading “Biking for Clean Hands and Clean Water”