Author: Gonzo Girl
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Riding
The folks who believe the world is flat have never been on a long cycling tour. I realized this yesterday as we were riding somewhere in the middle of France. The “French flats”, as we had endearingly named this region. And relative to many places, it is. But as we hacked our way through an…
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Travel vs. Vacation
Flashback 2016. Sitting at Gatwick airport waiting for our flight, we, like everyone else in the airport, were logged into the one free hour of wifi available. Checking email and Facebook, my family was just passing time before our flight to Spain. As the time grew closer for boarding, an announcement. Fight delay. Then again.…
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¿Habla inglés?
As I desperately looked through my backpack one more time, it was painfully clear, I had forgotten my wallet at the hotel. I looked apologetically at the cashier and longingly at my pile of groceries and murmured, “Lo siento”, as I skulked away. It had taken 30 minutes to find something that we could eat…
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Little Surprises
I was longing for a hot shower. The fantasy of this simple pleasure kept me focused for the last 10 miles of a grueling day. Arriving at the Costasnovasurfhouse ( yes, one word) I smiled to myself. A youth hostel. I should have known with a name like that. So when the sun-weathered owner walked…
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No Airlift
As we posed for our Bon Voyage picture at SeaTac airport, my sister in law called out teasingly, “You two look like you’re in an ad for AARP magazine!” Here we were, heading out for a huge bicycling adventure, and somehow it slipped my mind that Rick and I are, well, mature. Not in the…
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Trust Yourself
I wonder if Magellan felt nervous before he voyaged into unknown waters? Did Vasco de Gama lay awake at night second guessing his decision to trust a centuries old sea map and establish a sailing route to India? And Columbus? Was he secretly over-thinking every aspect of his big journey into the cavernous Atlantic Ocean?…
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Be Strong
“Do you think we should pay attention to that sign?” Rick says just a little sarcastically as he pedals up next to me. “What sign?” I gasp, as I down-shift. He laughs. “Oh, you know, the huge one back there that reads, ‘Trail Closed’”. We had been training for our big ride across Europe for…
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Thank God for Naive Optimism
As I write this, I am catapulted back to 2016, when we were embarking on our two year adventure in Thailand. That first blog was so rosy and hopeful and so very naive. Frankly, if we had known more, Rick and I probably would have opted for a “safer” choice. Luckily, we did not and…
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Unrequited
“I know we’d be best friends”, I thought as I finished the epic book, The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl. I imagine that if we were introduced at some dive bar, we would hit it off instantly. I mean, Dave and I, we have a lot in common. He’s witty. I’m…
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I Heart Millennials
My statement was met with disbelief. So, I repeated myself, very slowly. “When I was a kid, no one used olive oil. We used Crisco or Wesson oil.” Both sons just shook their heads sadly. Finally, one son said, “But mom, how did people make dipping sauce for artisan bread? How did they make Aglio e Olio? How did they…
Gonzo Girl 