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Adventure Learning Grant - Tyson Minck

The Bicycles Impact on South America, a Dyslexic Perspective:
Peru to Brazil via Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. All on two wheels!

My frustrations with dyslexia have always been alleviated when I hop on my bike. What better way to learn about cultures and languages than a total immersion in both during a ten-month bicycle tour of South America. While cycling from Peru through Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil I will engage with local communities to better understand what impacts cycling has on them. This trip will be a culmination of my personal struggles with language and my personal obsession with environmentally friendly travel via bicycle.

This trip has been funded by a generous donation called the Adventure Learning Grant. This grant has been made posible by Fairhaven College at Western Washington University in Bellingham Washington. Special thanks go out to Will at Fanatic Bike Co., Chris and Erica at Back Country Essentials, Kyle Morris at the Hub Community Bike Shop, Gary and crew at Montlake Bicycle Shop and Kevin at Patagonia. Check out http://myweb.students.wwu.edu/minckt for a little recap of my grant.

Due to a personal distain toward technology, a digital camera will not be used on this trip. I feel that we encounter enough 'screens' in life, and that these screens can keep us from enjoying what is truely important. This blog will have short updates about my travels. Prints will be available at the above shops and Fairhaven College Office. Get away from this screen now!

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Joined on: September 3rd 2007
Last Login: December 1st 2009

Blog Entries: 36
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Blogs & Travel Journals

by Adventure Learning Grant, order by Date newest first.

By Adventure Learning Grant
September 18th 2009

Feel Free to Explore for Yourself Our Living Learning Experience North America » United States » Washington » Bellingham

Study Cabin
Home for a year???

***This is a repost of my original entry. I am NOT currently living at the Burns Cabins. My hacksaw's blade was on the dull side and so was support from Fairhaven faculty. I have since come to realize that encouraging the braking of laws could potentially risk jobs. Myself being unemployed have much less to loose. I have also since learned of some of the red tape that currently prevents the preservation of these historic works of art. One is that any carpentry work that is to be done on WWU grounds must go through the labor unions and have extensive [View Full Entry]

By Adventure Learning Grant
August 14th 2009

Canada has nationalized health insurance... North America » Canada » Ontario » Ottawa

Why don't we? They also have lots of lakes and rivers that have made camping a sinch. If I were bike touring that is... In a last minute change of plans I decied that riding cross country was not going to be as enjoyable as i was hoping for. I was not looking forward to 80 to 100 mile day minimums quotas, and while physicaly i now i could do it, mentaly i don't think i would enjoy it, and that is what bike touring is about, enjoyment. Hell, thats what lifes about right? (shead a tear here). This e-mail to [View Full Entry]

By Adventure Learning Grant
August 4th 2009

Chicken Pox and me are off to the west North America » United States » Vermont » Lake Champlain

Boxed in by western time constraints and personal morals, the least thing i can do is try. Tomorrow morning, I'm west bound with a back pack and a bike. Freedom. Remarkably this feels just like leaving for Peru almost two years ago. Scary. Building a wheel in a living room the night before I would ride on it. Deja Vu. The nerves are their too, and I've yet to get a handle on them. Butt-Hair-Flies 3000+ miles in 30+ days and thiers some headwind to be found some where west of here too. Mathematician. My old stead is in a box, [View Full Entry]

By Adventure Learning Grant
July 21st 2009

Mi Casa en Vermont has Gardens North America » United States » Vermont » Lake Champlain

Huffy's Supiria Dynamo
400th Anniversary of Lake Champlain Parade

And it is already time to leave. I meet the parents, Ken and Dian in southern Vermont at where else? A BMX track. Ken gets dropped off with his 1987 Peugeot mountain bike and a homemade pannier. Good times to come. A historical glimpse into Vermont. We ride on old rail road beds turned to bike ways. Stopping off at slate mine, manmade lakes and state parks, we meander on back country roads. A minimums of one dirt road a day. Sleeping in while the beaver does his morning work. "Don't know what’s worse; the wind, the cars or the road..." [View Full Entry]

By Adventure Learning Grant
May 20th 2009

Atleast We are not in the Worst State in the Union Anylonger... North America » United States » District of Columbia » Washington

trugos extremos
Rolando Armira Jerez, 16 years old, been riding for 1 year and three months and kills it!

Behind the wheel in DC: Dan Robinson, Sarah's dad, was late for work the other day, and while he does not commute via car, he often asks us to drive him to the metro light rail stop six blocks from home. Just like that the keys to the VW van were in my hands, parking brake off, and away we went, me driving for the first time in two years. Inside the deathbox rather than out side of it, what an odd sensation, very much akin to watching a movie through a screen. And with so much stuff to watch out [View Full Entry]

By Adventure Learning Grant
March 29th 2009

Third World Country #14 North America » United States » Texas » Austin

casting call
ring ring

Mexican lunch snack: Fresh tortillas, tomatoes, cheese, feeds two for .25 USd each Bridge crossing: Before crossing this double suspension bridge, signs banning both cycling and horse drawn carts were observed and ignored. The 50kmp traffic did not seem to mind. Boarder thoughts: I can just walk across that boarder that other have to walk 20 hours through the desert to get too, risking life and limb along the way. The dividing line, just hope over by some like us. Hospitality: A yard full of chickens and eleven days till that long rest and possible visit with friends and folks i [View Full Entry]

By Adventure Learning Grant
March 1st 2009

Pueblo bicicleteros todos!!! North America » Mexico » Tamaulipas » Tampico

Help Please
Do you have some free Gasoline???

Born Into Privalage: to walk the streets at night or just to walk. to watch violance on TV and not be a part of it. to be free from finatial restrictions to be my own boss. to ride a bike a few kms. to have a bike. to have water clean water. to know what i know and be in a posistion to act. get scard... A few words writen down after watching Hotel Ruanda in a shitty Mexican Hotel room, and aside from our newest song, their are shitty and non shitty Mexican Hotel Rooms. Yucatan crossing watching fence line [View Full Entry]

By Adventure Learning Grant
January 28th 2009

soggy journals in north america North America » Mexico » Quintana Roo » Chetumal

look mom!
I am washing my cloths!

...And were back to our regulary schedualed program which includes 3:40am wake up calls and stiffing the hotel on a small gas payment and steeling a sheet and a small cook cup to boot. Our departure from Livingston Guate comensed with an over packed boat ride destined for Puartos Bario. The soon to be rained on comuter croud makes us bike riders feel outa place while they litter coffee cups into their own ocean. We make a wet salud to our beloved departing ones of Martina and Yessica with a brakefast of kings: 4 beers, 4 coffees big tortilla, 8 hard [View Full Entry]

By Adventure Learning Grant
January 12th 2009

On a new maya tour... Central America Caribbean » Belize

Maya Tour happens to be a very popular brand of bike that is made in china and sold all over guatemala. After spending 3 months at maya pedal, I feel that i´m starting off again all over on a new tour. My journal writing has suffered in the past few months due to an incredible growth in my social life. I did not realize how much it was lacking untill I got to Maya Pedal and starting cooking, cleaning, and working in the shop with Carlos, the lead mechanic and the other volonteers. Maya Pedal Recap: A very dysfunction NGO, Maya [View Full Entry]

By Adventure Learning Grant
November 14th 2008

P2C2E house... Central America Caribbean » Guatemala » Guatemala & Antigua

Been more than a while, so an update or downdate of sorts is due. After meeting up with a felling cyclinst, Monty, in Nicaragua, we crossed the board to honduras only to find us sleeping on the floor of a small town politcal campain. Yes the soon to be mayor (election in two days...) through us a huge party, cause we were white, and sleeping on thier floor. As part of the party thier was in blairing loud music, crossdressers shaking some serious ass in tight as cloth, a machetty swinging drunken lunitic and a little bit of tiquila, witch a [View Full Entry]

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Adventure Learning Grant - Tyson Minck

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