SoFla Coast 2 Coast Ride
From the Atlantic Ocean across South Florida to the Gulf Coast and back in a single day on the bicycle? After one aborted attempt last year I finally pulled it off in Mar-2021. See the trip report for details.

20x 200km rides in the year 2020
After some really long rides in March, April and May I had thought the long-distance season is over for the year. But by August I had formulated this new goal of riding 20x 200km in 2020. Check out the various routes, especially building on the loops discovered the previous year!

Riding Home from Georgia
Jacksonville is the last city in North-East Florida prior to the Georgia border. The Amtrak train took me up there, followed by an Uber ride to the border. Then the full moon and steady N wind helped me ride 524 km back home in early May 2020. Check the trip report for details.

South Florida Midnight Loop
Midnight riding in South Florida. Due to the weather conditions, March and April always seem to be the best months for really long rides in South Florida. I had planned a 410 km route down to Fort Lauderdale and back around Lake Okeechobee for my longest single day loop ride!

Riding Florida Loops
Some of the most scenic cycling routes are loops where you don't pass any part of the route back & forth. In the spring of 2019 I experimented with gradually extending such loops right from home. Check the trip report for details.

Following the Atlantic Coast
Downwind riding in Florida. I had long waited for the right weather pattern with strong N winds to do this exceptional ride down the Atlantic Coast. Check the trip report of my longest Florida ride, some 441 km from Jacksonville down to Juno Beach!

Eastern Europe Tour
We had planned to tour Eastern Europe by rental car with an ambitious 7 countries in 2 weeks program. Despite some challenges, the trip was a success on many levels.

Morning hour at Lake Okeechobee
Lake Okeechobee had beckoned several times before. But could it be circumnavigated from home without driving there? How would I cope with a 300 km round-trip ride? Check the trip report for photos of my longest ride in 10 years!

Inlet Kayaking in South-East Florida
Various inlets along the coast in South Florida create a diverse kayaking playground between the Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. Check my report about some recent kayaking adventures in SoFla.

3000 calories at halfway mark!
This was going to be one more long ride prior to starting a new job the next Monday. I wanted to know just how many calories you can burn on a long day on the bike. Check the trip report for photos of what became my second longest ride in Florida.

TriRail-assisted tailwind-riding in SoFla
Only a few wind directions lend themselves for tailwind assisted riding in South Florida. However, there are a few good public transportation options, including bus and train, which make the return trip a lot easier. Check my preferred routes for when tailwind riding is an option in SoFla.

Pool Redecoration, August 2012
After Tropical Storm Isaac had moved through South Florida in August 2012 it was time to help restore everything back to normal. Click above or here to watch a 90 sec time lapse movie of this workout on YouTube.

Early morning during 100 mile group ride
Coast to Lake was the motto for the 100 mile loop ride organized by the Red Cross riders in South Florida. Check out the trip report for photos and impressions from a fast ride with the peloton.

Motorcycle Ride in Kaernten, August 2010
A particular nice summer day on August 1, 2010 had me renting a brandnew BMW motorcycle for a full day ride over the Grossglockner and some other pass roads in Kaernten, Austria. Check the trip report for photos of this combined riding and hiking day in the Austrian Alps.

Panamerican Peaks is my adventure of a lifetime: Riding from Alaska to Patagonia and climbing the highest peak of every country along the way! It will start in May 2009 and take about 1 year. Check out the Panamerican Peak Blog for frequent updates about this trip.

Machu Picchu - lost city of the Incas
Machu Picchu was one of our destinations in Peru this fall. We followed the classic Inca Trail, which led us past a dozen other interesting old Inca ruins, before delivering us to Machu Picchu on the forth day of hiking. Check the trip report of this journey and take a look at the picture gallery for a selection of all Peru pictures.

Topping out at Harney Peak
Black Hills of South Dakota - that was our destination on Labor Day 2008. Visiting National Monuments and Memorials, hiking the pine forest, horseback riding, camp fires, and two caves were on the agenda. Check out the trip report for photos from the Black Hills.

Ice Lagoon in Iceland
Glaciers, Volcanoes, Waterfalls, Lava-fields, Continental Shelf boundary and Rift-valley, Fjords, Desert, Geysirs and Hot Springs ... such diverse and often otherwordly landscapes attracted Jill and me to Iceland. At the end of June we enjoyed 24 hours of daylight for sightseeing, hiking, horseback-riding, white-water rafting, ocean kayaking, soaking in hot springs, and more. Check here for the trip report and here for a photo gallery of this rough environment near the Arctic circle.

Go ride, kayak, hangglide in one day!
Triple play on a particularly nice Saturday in June 2008: We pedaled the tandem bike, paddled the double kayak, and flew the hangglider all in one day. Check out the triple report for photos from land, water and air.

Wet Adventure with Puerto Rico Aventuras
Memorial Day weekend 2008 saw us flying to Puerto Rico for 3 � days. We enjoyed the old town of San Juan, hiked up to the top of El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest of the United States National Park Service, rappelled down 250 ft to explore a cave with an underground river and visited the world�s largest radio telescope in the hills near Arecibo. This is the story of one busy weekend.

Day 2 at 2008 MS 150 fund-raiser
MS 150 breakaway Miami to Key Largo was our goal again on the first May weekend in 2008. This year we rode on our own tandem and we came prepared after 2500 training miles. Check out the trip report for photos, GPS tracklog and memories from the fastest fund-raising ride with the green tandem train.

Crossing the bridge over Port St. Lucie canal
Lake Okeechobee in South Florida is a challenge to ride around. Almost 200km, about 2/3 of it on a paved levee with beautiful views of the lake and wildlife around it. See the trip report how we rode around on the tandem on the first day of March, 2008.

Tandem Ride and Ocean Kayaking
The last weekend in 2007 was spent with both tandem bicycle riding and kayaking in sunny Sanibel Island and Captiva Island. Check out the trip report for photos, GPS tracklogs (from our TrackStick) and memories from the Island getaway on the Florida Gulf Coast.

Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania
Safari in Africa - A dream for many of us who cherish wild life and seeing big animals in their native habitat. See the Safari Photo Album we put together from the 3 National Parks: Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and Serengeti.

Reaching up to the snows of Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro - the highest mountain in Africa had been our goal for the first of 2 Tanzania vacation weeks. Check out how Jill and I climbed this volcano in 7 days expedition-style and see some pictures of the fantastic views from this highest free-standing mountain in the trip report.

Blue Ridge Parkway in Shenandoah NP
Skyline Drive - 105 miles of the finest roads anywhere, right through Shenandoah National Park - pure motorcycle heaven! See the trip report on how we spent Labor Day 2007 in picture-perfect weather hiking, riding a Harley, enjoying the cool mountain air and views, and visiting spectacular caves in Northern Virginia.

Topping out on the Griesskogel
Summer in Austria and hiking in the Alps - that was our recipe for this year's vacation again. Many sunny days and good visibility greeted us on the mountains, also yielding many panorama shots. Check out some highlights from various day-hikes in Austria.

Pordoi-Joch in the Dolomiten
Dolomiten in Italy - a dream come true for outdoor enthusiasts during all seasons, but especially for motorcycle fans in the sunny days of summer. Check out how I showed my girlfriend Jill her first day ever in the Dolomiten in July 2007 on the back of a BMW motorcycle.

Little Stick = Big Brother
GPS is the technology used by this new USB-gizmo called TrackStick! Put it in your pocket and it will track wherever you go - anywhere on the planet! Export its data to Google Earth and you'll be able to retrace your ride with astonishing accuracy. Check out the trip report + track log of a recent morning bike ride I did to Hobe Sound.

Fund Raisers - Fun Riders
MS150 was the name of the game again this year from Miami to Key Largo. Team Citrix was pedaling again to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Check out the trip report for photos and narrative of this year's ride.

Cool ride South in cool air from the North
A strong cold front brought crisp air and fresh NW wind to South Florida - just the recipe I had been waiting for to power a long tailwind ride across the State. Check the trip report to see pictures of a 14 hr, 325 km bike ride from Orlando to Palm Beach Gardens.

Floating on the Loxahatchee River
The Loxahatchee River is one of my favorite Florida paddling trips. It is also the only designated National Wild and Scenic River in Florida. Check out how we spent the last Saturday of the year 2006 on the Loxahatchee River.

It's Better in the Bahamas!
Thanksgiving weekend 2006 saw us hopping across to the Bahamas for some very nice Scuba Diving. We explored underwater Walls, the famous Blue Hole, Coral Caverns and watched a dozen feeding reef sharks. Between dives, we relaxed according to the diver's theme: Eat, Sleep, Dive! Here is the trip report.

Light House at Sunrise in Acadia NP, Maine
One of the most memorable impressions during our fall vacation in Acadia National Park in Maine was the pink glowing granite during sunrise at the Bass Harbor Light House point. Check out the entire trip report with pictures of hiking, kayaking and biking.

Weekend Fun in Grand Teton NP
Labor Day weekend 2006 saw us flying halfway across the continent to Montana visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in picture-perfect weather. We saw plenty of wildlife, waterfalls and hiked up to mountain lakes. Find out what Philip liked best in this trip report!

Morning glory on the way to the Dolomiten
The Dolomiten in the Italian Alps are a dream destination for every motorbike enthusiast. Green meadows, blue lakes, yellow rock walls, narrow pass roads with endless turns and little traffic - what more could you ask for? Check out how friend Frank and I toured the Dolomiten on a beautiful day in July 2006.

Mountain biking above the clouds in Austria
Getting up early one summer day in July 2006 in Austria and climbing 4000+ ft with the mountain bike was rewarded with this otherwordly view of the surrounding mountains above the clouds. Check out the full story of our ride up to the Tauernmoossee!

High point and highlight of the MS 150 ride
2000 riders had registered for the 2006 MS 150 event to ride the breakaway from Miami to Key Largo. We participated on two tandems as part of Team Citrix, making new friends and raising considerable funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Riding on a Harley down to Key West
10 years ago I moved to Florida. Ever since then I held the dream to rent a Harley Davidson and ride it down to Key West. Check out how I fulfilled that dream on a weekend in April 2006!

Sunset view 3.000 ft above my community
Wellington in South Florida has many things to offer. One of the less known highlights is a sunset from 3.000 ft over nearby Loxahatchee swamp. See this and other scenic views from an evening hangglider flight in the very crisp air of Thanksgiving Day 2005!

Getting L.O.S.T.: Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail
A few days after category 3 hurricane Wilma devastated large areas of South Florida I rode on the scenic trail built on top of the levee around Lake Okeechobee. Click here to get a feel for the scenery as well as see some amazing pictures of storm damage!

High Pine at 11.000 ft above Lone Pine, CA
From sea level in Florida to the highest mountain of the lower 48 in California - that was my ambitious plan for Labor Day weekend 2005. Read the story about hiking the High Sierra and how lack of oxygen turned me into a "no-brainer" and forced me to abort the bid for the summit of Mt. Whitney!

Fuel efficiency rating: 70 miles per 1 Gatorade gallon!
Coming back from Fargo to Florida increased my daily commute by a factor of 20. The idea to ride my bicycle to work helped turning this into an advantage, as it gives me a 70 mile 4 hour outdoor work out during sunrise and sunset. Click here to see how a long day in the office gets framed by a nice beginning and ending!

Riding high in the French Alps
4 friends got together in July 2002 for a one-week MTB trip in the French, Swiss, and Italian Alps. In 5 sunny days we crossed 6 passes higher than 2,500 m, riding, pushing, and carrying our bikes. We experienced a fabolous MTB trip through several National Parks.

Into Thin Air in the Austrian Alps.
The hottest day of the year 2005 brought ideal conditions to climb high glacier peaks in the Austrian Alps. Click here to see what an 18 hr combined bike and hike trip up to the summit of the Grossvenediger looked like.

Utah - the powder paradise!
Snow without end, prior and during a 4 day weekend in February 2005 with friend Chris Garty - that was the recipe for daily doses of deep powder, spectacular slopes, delicious dinners and two very happy campers. Check out the photos and report of this epic skiing trip!

It takes two to tandem!
Minneapolis Grand Rounds bike path on a clear day in the fall is a great way to sight-see while exercising. Even more so when you're riding a tandem with a good friend you haven't seen in a while. Click here to preview your next trip for two in the fall!

Two thumbs up after reaching the Canadian border
701km (433 miles) in under 24 hours! Thanks to consistent tailwind, the willingness to endure 20 hours in the saddle and the great support by friend Matt Keller I could set this new record. Find out how the South wind blew me across the entire state of Minnesota from Iowa to Canada!

From Fargo down to the Nebraska border
500 km mark is cracked! Starting at midnight and doing 200 km prior to breakfast, I followed Hwy 75 South through Minnesota, into Iowa and arriving at the Nebraska border in Sioux City after 23 hours for a new single day record of 536 km (333 miles)!

Getting ready to ride in Casselton, ND
The ND chapter of the National MS Society had organized a fund raising charity ride near Fargo in mid August. I rode nearly twice as many miles, raised about three times my personal fund goal and ate thousands more calories than usual. Read the trip report to find out why.

GrossGlockner Pass in the Austrian Alps
Grossglockner - the highest mountain in Austria - also sports the highest mountain pass you can drive across on a regular road. See how I combined this pass with another train tunnel crossing to close a 100mile, 8,000 ft vertical climb loop in the Austrian Alps in July '04.

Stations on route to Minneapolis
Records are meant to be broken. After the Winnipeg rides last summer, I had this other crazy idea in my head: How about riding with the bicycle from Fargo to Minneapolis in one day? Click the trip report and it's pictures to see what an 18 hour 440km bike day looks like.

Split Rock Light House, Lake Superior
Fairytale forest, windy roads, rolling hills, many small + one great lake, and distant relatives - that's what drew me again to ride the big loop of Duluth, Ely and Lake Superior's fantastic North Shore drive.

Skiing Alta in Utah
Friend Matt and I left Fargo for a 3 day skiing weekend in Utah. If you heard amazing stories about Utah's incredible snow...believe them. Better yet, come try it for yourself. It truly is the "Greatest Snow On Earth!" Check the skiing trip report and it's pictures to see what we found.

Granite Peak Wilderness September 2003
Granite Peak, highest point in Montana, had attracted a group of six climbers from Fargo. We endured winter camping at 10.000 ft high on Granite Peak. We found solitude and natural beauty in a secluded wilderness. Read how we (almost) climbed Granite Peak.

Happy bikers arriving at Winnipeg
Overcoming head- and crosswinds, cold and heat, rain + lightning, and up to tripling our personal best for long distance riding: Our group of 6 riders left Fargo at 4:30am and arrived in Winnipeg 16 hours and 401 km later. Check out the full report.

Ride from Fargo to Winnipeg, Canada
Ever rode a bicycle with a strong tailwind and wished it would never stop? This dream came true for me on the longest day of 2003, with the longest and fastest bike ride of my life: 400km downwind hammering from Fargo to Winnipeg!

Lake Superior North Shore, Minnesota State
In mid May 2003 I drove East to Minnesota for two days of fine bike riding. Lake Superior's North Shore and Mille Lacs were beckoning with crisp cool mornings, blue skies, and no mosquitoes yet! Check out the full report.

High Atlas Mountains in Morocco
Together with friend Frank Sarre we recently took off for a motorcycle trip to Morocco. Frank put together a trip report in German on his homepage, I decided to put together a trip report in English. I started with the initial email dispatches on the road, added some scanned in photographs and put some finishing touches on it.

Then I went to work on the report of my trip to Alaska two years ago. Take a look for yourself. Feel free to sign in the guest-book or send me an email. Let me know what you think - all feedback is welcome!