Monday I'm heading down to the border near Sierra Vista, AZ to start riding north.  I'll be on the Western Wildlands Route and pedaling my new steed!  Here's the description:   https://bikepackingroots.org/project/western-wildlands-route/ Assuming all goes well I'll ride 3+ weeks to Kanab or Escalante in Utah where I'll meet Noel for some desert camping.   The bike's a Priority 600 ADX with a Pinion gearbox and Gates Belt Drive so no dirty chain or derailleur worries.  I'll need to carry up to 9 liters of water a couple of times, but this bike can handle it.  I've bikepacked (mostly dirt roads and trails, as opposed to bike touring on mostly paved roads) a few times and am looking forward to a bigger trip away from cars.  Depending on summer plans I might return to ride the Utah, Idaho and Montana sections later.  Happy Spring!

To wrap up our SE Asia trip we headed to the beach on a Cambodian island not far from Thailand.  Our lodging... M'pai Bay is a fishing village discovered by the backpacker and ex-pat crowd.  Even with the tourists it's quiet and the local kids play on the beach. Lowest cost "boat" I've seen. Besides relaxing on island time, we came here so I could get dive certified.  Success! We enjoyed some tasty food, snorkeling, massages for Noel and sunsets. Now comes the long trip home after our  adventures and experiences.  Thanks for reading!

Nong Khiaw is a 4+ hour drive on bad roads so we took a boat halfway. Not in the flatlands any more! One day we visited a village museum where people lived in caves to survive the US bombing.  The hikes still have signs warning you to stay on the trail due to unexploded ordinance. The boat ride seating tweaked my back (recovered quickly) so while Noel went downriver to villages and waterfalls I went uphill for views and some new birds in the forest. On the drive back to Luang Prabang our driver organized a group to move a pickup that had created a roadblock. Next up - Elephant Conservation Center and it may be our favorite of the trip.  Another rough drive, but it's a peaceful place with: The ECC gets rescued elephants and works to rewild and breed them.  Tourist visits c...

After the bike tour we were ready for a slower pace.  We flew to Vientiane and back into the land of temples. We settled in to Luang Prabang as our base for activities and good food.  Today we went to a rice farming experience. and yesterday we did a day ride across the Mekong.  We were invited to refreshments at a village party, but couldn't figure out what the occasion was. Evenings start with a sunset drink above the river... followed by dinner. Sausage was very tasty, didn't try the frog.  So far Cambodia is winning on taste with Laos and Vietnam trailing.  The main street is heavy-duty tourism by day and night. Tomorrow we take a van and boat to Nong Khiaw for a few days of hiking and smaller Lao village exploration before heading south to an el...