Day 6 – Rotterdam to Gouda – 49 km
We say goodbye to Rotterdam, crossing over the Erasmusbrug bridge, the second largest in the Netherlands.
The Home of Gouda Cheese
Category: travel
Rotterdam, The Strangest Dutch City
Day 4 – The Hague to Brielle – 54 km
From The Hague, we cycle along the coastline to The Hook of Holland, a spit of land at the mouth of a major shipping channel.
Netherlands Cycling Adventure
Day 1 – Amsterdam – 42 km
We pick up our comfy cruiser bikes from Mike’s Bike Rental in central Amsterdam and carefully strap on all our worldly possessions for the next two weeks. It’s time to explore Europe’s “low countries”.
The Long Way to Amsterdam
A New Adventure
After spending the first half of this year hiking long distance trails in New Zealand and the Canadian Rockies, I’m excited to begin a completely different kind of adventure. I’m off to Amsterdam to aimlessly cycle through the flat countryside of the Netherlands while snacking on stroopwafel and Gouda cheese.
Craters of the Moon
Craters of the Moon National Monument in southern Idaho is often described as “the strangest 75 square miles on the North American Continent”. This chaotic mess of volcanic craters, lava flows, and piles of loose rock is so other-worldly that the Apollo astronauts trained here in preparation for their moon missions. Julius Merrill, who visited in 1864, described it as “a mass of Black Vomit”.
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Te Araroa – New Zealand’s National Trail
A month ago we completed the South Island portion of the Te Araroa, New Zealand’s national trail, which runs the entire length of the country. We were amazed at the rich diversity of scenery and landscapes. From the steamy rainforest and hidden coves of the Queen Charlotte Track to the craggy cliffs of the Richmond Range to the endless golden tussock fields of the Rangitata, we felt like every day was a new discovery. New Zealand packs a tremendous amount of variety into a small country. Sore feet and heavy packs are already fading memories. Instead, we think fondly of the people we met along the trail who shared the journey with us or welcomed us into their homes.
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Te Araroa – Bluff & The End
From Riverton we walked along the long sandy beach all the way to the outskirts of Invercargill, New Zealand’s southernmost city. The walking was quick and easy, although high tide was in the middle of the day, forcing us up into the sand dunes briefly.
