Once it was time to leave Amsterdam on our bikes the sun was out and shining brightly. Perfect timing. The plan: ride north to the giant dyke, ride across, then head back south. No big deal, right? The first day of riding lead us along the Markermeer (the bay-like body of water above Amsterdam. The ride was quite breezy with a constant Easterly wind. We now understand, from a first-hand perspective why there are so many windmills in the Netherlands... wind is a plentiful resource here. The riding was, as usual, flat. No hills in sight. After battling some headwinds and [View Full Entry]

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Here's a recap of Day 1: We were too excited to sleep on the plane (which turned us into zombies later. More on that...) Our bikes arrived intact and we built them back up without a hitch! Next we had to find our way to the campsite, just outside of Amsterdam, on the water. After buyng a map "Amsterdam op de fiets" (Amsterdam by Bike) we headed out of the airport on a superb bike route. Holland is flat. We already knew this but it was very alarming to behold. No wonder everyone and their mother and small infant ride a [View Full Entry]

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It was only two weeks before our scheduled departure. Sara and I drove up to Squamish, BC with Justin, a friend of ours, for a quick bouldering excursion. The weather, however, was not on our side. We sat disheartened to see the beautiful Squamish boulders soaking in the rain, rendering them unclimbable. Our last day in Canada began with an incredible sunrise and a wonderfully dry day. We set out to the boulders to find only a few with enough sun exposure to be dry. The others still soaked in the dark of the forest. It happened around mid-day. Sara started [View Full Entry]

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