Riding a bicycle that has bags loaded over two racks, things strapped, stuffed, and dangling off of nearly every inch of empty space draws a certain amount of attention from locals. Frequently, we are asked about our destination, the weight … Continue reading
I write throwing sidelong glances at a tiny screen, one leg crossed over the other, one foot stuck through the spokes of the back wheel of my bicycle, with my back against one of those new refrigerators designed to look … Continue reading
We made it to Simferopol and met a friend. Upon arrival, he seized all the rolls of film I have been lugging around, exposed but unprocessed, since we began this whole trip, only to take them into his friend’s shop … Continue reading
Broke a rack, blew up a cable housing, bent a derailleur, had all the hardware in a crankshaft replaced, ripped holes in shirts, socks, pants; used a lot of duct tape and limped to nearest cities where we were wholly … Continue reading
The Carpathians; inhabited largely by tradition, cattle farmers , wild berries and the ever present cool mountain fog. We climb into the heart of Ukraine’s only mountain range, and frolic along its highest ridgeline, by way of steep, curly, and … Continue reading
We arrived in L’viv, Ukraine during the early part of a Sunday evening at the tail end of an annual jazz music festival after climbing hill after green hill, leapfrogging with other cyclists out for a ride on a nice … Continue reading
Unfortunately, this post must coincide (maybe even precede) my account of my time spent in Russia. I write this from a hotel room maybe one mile from the Poland-Ukraine border, on the Ukraine side. It is the kind of hotel … Continue reading
Russia. An incredibly vast and diverse land and people. It houses a language that caresses my dumb American ears. My time here is almost up, and I unfortunately have been so occupied with experience that writing has been largely neglected. Please accept my apologies for the quality of photos, as I struggle not only to find a place to develop film but also a place to scan photos in.
I solemnly swear to write more on this wholly hospitable country and my travels within it very soon. In a few days, I will pack, again, and return to Helsinki to meet my bike partner and we will ride, ride, ride.
The view from my door
Our Savoir on the Blood
The sun sets more lazily each day, and rises so early that it shrinks the night to an event of only a handful of hours.
As promised, here are scans of the few pages I took on our ski trip. There is a lot to be communicated in such a small amount of writing, my mental state being quite apparent.
I must admit I have been dedicating a lot of time to practicing the art of procrastination in regard to this particular report. I have been attempting to convince myself that tomorrow, the next day, the words I require will … Continue reading
Alex All Night 