Car-free in Carcassonne

Biking across Pont Vieux in front of Carcassonne castle

As some of you may know, we are currently living in the south of France, in the medieval hilltop city of Carcassonne. Without a car. We decided to try the French lifestyle and are “toodling around on bikes dans la campagne francaise“[1] instead of driving everywhere. More accurately, we are trying out a life of picking up our fresh baguettes and croissants in the morning by walking to the local épicierie. Biking to the local open air marché to fill up our panniers with farm fresh lettuce, freshly picked local oranges and homemade cheese every Saturday. And wandering for hours around the red-tile roofed Mediterranean villages on the French coast, just an hour’s train ride away on our weekly excursions.

Cycling New Zealand’s wild West Coast

Glaciers, snow covered Alps and rainforest: from Wanaka to Greymouth

Christmas morning dawned quietly in New Zealand’s lush Makarora River valley, winding below snow capped Mount Aspiring National Park. Outside our simple backpackers cabin, our bicycles stayed dry, tucked under the eaves, as the rain pattered softly on the roof. Lorenz and I dug into our clothes panniers to find the few small Christmas gifts we had been hiding for days on our bicycles. We laid out our tiny stash under our impromptu Christmas “tree”—a bouquet of green ferns and bright red cherries hanging from branches that Lorenz had gathered from a tree outside.

Cycling New Zealand’s Stunning Southern Alps circuit

From Christchurch to the Alps to Ocean Trail and Wanaka

Majestic 12,000′ snow-capped mountains. Towering glaciers. Glistening, turquoise alpine lakes. High plateau grasslands lined with brilliant purple lupins. And wild, verdant coastal temperate rainforests. New Zealand’s Southern Alps Circuit is awe inspiring and jaw droppingly beautiful. It is easily one of the most stunning bike tours we have ever taken in our lives.

Cherishing the Christmas Chaos

Spending a year and a half on a bike, camping in a tent, with two children, somehow opens our eyes to truths we forget in our busy lives. This Christmas I want to share with you the words of a newsletter I wrote in Japan, on our family’s world cycling tour. They ring as true today as before–perhaps even more so as many of us struggle to feel happy about the world we live in after Covid.

20 Nights in a Tent

& Upcoming Breathtaking talks

How to spend 20 summer nights in a tent in the Pacific Northwest (even if you do have a job, the campgrounds are full on weekends, and you don’t want to travel far). NOTE: backpacking counts, but it’s not the only answer!

Cycling South Korea: The east coast route and islands

“OOOH. Look at that one!”

I pointed to the red and gold fireworks exploding above us on the long sandy beach of Yeongdeok, South Korea. Lorenz and I had pitched our tent on a camping platform, next to hundreds of other happy Korean families, squatting around fires on the beach and roasting meat on their traditional barbeques. It was Gaecheonjeol, the Korean national holiday, celebrating the beginning of the Korean people in 2333 BC, by the legendary bear-god, Dangun. For miles, the beach was filled with excited, running, laughing children, and their parents and grandparents shooting off colorful roman candles above the quiet ocean, sparkling silver under the night moon.

Coming this spring: A Breathtaking talk near you!

A talk under the stars at REI San Diego Sept 2022

Spring is finally here! Time to pull out the bikes, start dreaming of some outdoor adventures—and join the Ebers as we stop by to give a talk about adventuring by bicycle at a local event near you! For all our friends and sponsors who we missed last year, we’re catching up with a busy schedule of events in the Pacific Northwest and along the east coast from DC to Boston this spring. And if you missed us on the California leg of our Bike and Book tour last summer, you get another chance as we return to the Patagonia headquarters store in Ventura this fall. Below is a short list of upcoming events:

Cycling South Korea: The famous Four Rivers Cycling route

“You are from America?” the petite, dark haired Korean woman asked Lorenz and me in perfect English as we stood in the central square of Suanbo, gazing in curiosity at the stalls around us—tables set with apple puffs and triangle-shaped, spicy rice-seaweed kimbap; booths with silk paintings and wooden crafts; and in the center, a fountain and stage bustling with dancers dressed in elaborate gold headdresses and purple gowns gathered at the feet.

Thanks for an amazing 2022!

Biking for clean air and asthma on our Bike and Book tour

Thank you for making 2022 such a fun and successful year for Bike for Breath! As 2023 rapidly approaches, we want to share with you a snapshot of our many adventures in raising awareness about asthma, clean air and sustainable travel over the past year; update you on our projects for 2023; and most of all celebrate all that you have done to help make this happen:

Cycling the US West Coast Seattle to San Diego!

“Hey man, I care about clean air. Right on!” someone shouted from a car passing us and honked in support as we pedaled out of Arcata, CA.

“Around the world for asthma? No way!! How many miles did you bike?” an older couple in our campground on the Columbia River in Washington asked as they passed our tent on their evening walk.

“Why asthma?” a woman questioned, staring at the sign on the back of our bikes in the Bandon, OR parking lot while we took photos of a set of craggy sea stacks.

“Are those bikes yours?” We nodded as we drank our coffee on the outside veranda of a café in Santa Barbara, sitting next to our heavily loaded touring bikes. “Where’d you start?” Continue reading “Cycling the US West Coast Seattle to San Diego!”