STORIES
More Adventures. More Stories.
The Mountain
The mist floated silently down over the mountains, a moody, transparent wall that left the trees diminished, their skeletal branches waving at the clouds. My shoes squelched over the gravel road, the mud a river between the chunks of rocks and debris from the heavy rains. Birds chittered, their voices echoing throughout the patch of […]
In Which I am Almost Swept Out to Sea, Make Bad Choices, and am Lost in a Sea of Shrubbery
The cottage stood on a small hill next to a sandy path that led down to the sea. Low bushes met the sand and ran in a line between the shore and the start of scrubby inland grasses, and although they created a natural wall directly in front of the cottage, I could hear the waves all night long.
In Which I Drink My Own Urine
March 2018 The sun would rise at 5:33 every morning, but I rose before it, lacing up my shoes and pulling my hair back into a tie. I brushed a few pieces away from my face in one of the long mirrors in the boxing ring. A moment later I was off, feet pounding down […]
Heading South: The Return of #FindingFitzRoy
Honduras The sun is brilliant rising, warm oranges reaching from behind the mountains, touching the leaves on the trees and slowly making its way across the road. The pale shapes of the morning take form and become the highway, and I am no longer a shadowy thought but real, and present, and riding again, illuminated […]
In Which I am Hit by a Truck
On the Road from La Ceiba to Tegucigalpa, Honduras // 10 AMThe rain that had filled the potholes on the red dirt road had gone, leaving only empty spaces. My motorcycle bumped up and down as I leaned right and then left, slowing down then speeding up, navigating the twisting road that followed the river […]
Fear, Machistos, and Riding through Guatemala and El Salvador
Rio Dulce I rode across the bridge into El Salvador, and when the bridge ended there was an empty bit of road with buildings to the left down a hill, a little stand to my right, military men milling and people milling around. There were no clear signs that I could see, and I sat […]
Of Loss, Role Models, and Storms
On the Road, Campeche, Mexico Rocketing down the highway, drops of rain nipped at the tops of my legs. I leaned forward into the wind, as if propelling the motorcycle forward through force of will. The road wound through hills in front of me, enormous dark storm clouds gathering behind. I had been outrunning the […]
Of Motorcycles, Police, Wild Camping, and Cockroaches
June 12, 2017 Week Ending 6.11.17 Miles Ridden: 672 // Total Miles Ridden: 4062 Zihuatanejo The moon was high in the sky, a small yellow orb in the distance, matching the yellow lights that shone on the opposite shore. I could hear the sound of the waves crashing below as I descended the steep concrete […]
Of Life on the Road, Dogs, and Grumpiness
Week Ending 6.05.17 Miles Ridden: 470 // Total Miles Ridden: 3390 Puerto Vallarta I zipped around a bus that had been making frequent stops, following the river that wound up the road in the distance, passing small shops and a Tortilleria, where fresh tortillas were being made by a silver machine. All of a sudden, […]
Riding up Stairs, the Pacific, and the Loss of Ego
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico The two lane road wound across the desert, cacti popping up like telephone lines and scrubby trees dotting the skyline for miles. I leaned into turn after turn, opening up the throttle and throwing the bike right, then left, then right again. The early sunrise was golden, and at […]
Into Mexico, Becoming Fearless, and the Tent-Eating Raccoons
Nuevo Laredo, Mexico I was waiting at the Banjercito office in the Migración building, having just crossed International Bridge II from Laredo, Texas into Mexico. I held my motorcycle helmet in one hand, and my tank bag in the other, simultaneously clutching a large ziplock of all my documents needed for my temporary vehicle permit […]
On the Road South— from Rainy DC to Bayou Sunshine
The moon shone, a white orb in the sky above the parking garage rooftop in Asheville. Nelson and I sat in empty parking spaces, our adventure vehicles parked haphazardly across spaces in front of us, cherry tobacco smoke pouring from the corncob pipes were were smoking. It was Monday night in North Carolina, the kind of night […]
From Montañita to Baños, and the Art of Suffering
Montañita, September 1, 2016 I woke up around 5 PM, my entire body feeling like I had been beaten with a club. I had spent the last few hours sleeping on and off, in between waking and throwing all the covers off because of my high fever, then waking up again freezing to try and […]
From Guayaquil to Montañita and into the Great Unknown
The cab raced through the darkened streets, pausing only now and again to roll one way or the other to avoid a pot hole or swing around a traffic circle. It was 2 AM, and almost every storefront lining the street was dark, their metaled and graffitied doors closed until the next morning. All of […]
The Art of Lone-liness
Cape Town 2012 There’s a certain spot in Cape Town where the road suddenly dips and there she is— the Mother City spread like a carpet to the sea, Table Mountain looming in darkness and the city aglitter. In October 2012, I crested that hill for the first time, windows down and the summer breeze […]
Still Alive
For the last 333 days, I’ve been hunkered down in Baltimore, USA, after falling into a full-time job by accident. I wasn’t looking for anything permanent, just something temporary to make some money while I was in town last year for my sister’s wedding. “We have an opening at Under Armour for an Interactive Designer, […]
Gear Check: How to Get Your Bike Around the World
One of the biggest challenges on any trip when there’s equipment involved is “how do I get it there?” Exactly one year ago, before starting my cycling trip across Europe, I was asking myself the same question. I assumed at first I would just ship my bike from the US to Portugal, pick it up […]
Gear Check: The Four Things You Need for Navigation on a Long Cycling Trip
I could barely keep my eyes open as I wandered down the long corridor through the airport in Lisbon. Would my bike be waiting for me at the baggage claim? I had been traveling for 35 hours, and before that, had been up late the night before having a minor panic attack thinking about the […]
Gear Check: How to Dress for Cold Weather Backpacking, and What to Bring
For Thanksgiving this year, I’m doing something a little different. I’m heading to Dolly Sods, West Virginia, USA for a cold weather backpacking trip with one of my friends. Dolly Sods has one of the most varied temperature ranges on the east coast due to its range of elevation and geographical location, and I wouldn’t […]
Gear Check: Your Ultimate Checklist for Backpacking. Don’t forget the UNO deck.
1. Backpack. My pack of choice is this Osprey Aura 50. Osprey packs fit me well and last virtually forever (I’ve beat my daypack to hell for the past 10 years, and it’s still trucking). Mine is a 50 liter, because I’m not a big human. For a tall guy, a 60 liter could be […]
Why Couchsurfing is Past its Prime
Kaolack, Senegal 2012 I pulled strands of dusty hair out of my eyes, squinting into the sun, my arm hanging out the open window of the sept plus in rural Senegal. The sept plus, French for ‘seven more’, a dilapidated station wagon in which seven people and all their luggage were stuffed, was headed towards […]
Batumi marks the spot.
After thousands of miles, 15 countries, and 114 days, I am in Batumi. After thousands of miles, 15 countries, and 114 days, I am in Batumi. #georgia #batumi #cycling #biketrip #biking #travel #traveling #gopro A photo posted by Dani Bradford (@lonerucksack) on Jun 17, 2015 at 10:47pm PDT
Of Beautiful Croatia, Kikis, and Albania
Split, Croatia was so beautiful, I almost couldn’t believe it. I was wheeling my bike through the White City of Gondor, looking up at the white ruins, down at the worn white steps and smooth pathways winding through old buildings giving way to open squares. I was talking to my friend Patrick, whom I had […]
Of Fundraising and Biking and Cleanliness
I am filthy. My jeans have grease stains where they’ve rubbed up against the bike chain, and I was sad to realize this morning the long, dark stain I discovered on my shoe was, in fact, a tear where the fabric had worn tissue thin. They will have will hold together a bit longer— roughly […]
Pity and Paella
So I’ve been sick. Piteously, moan in my bed sick. No one would know it, because I like to go out and hike mountains and drink sangria anyway, but I am. There’s a night trip to a hot springs tonight, from the hostel, and I am willing myself not to go. It gets chilly at […]
In Which I Encounter Cyclist’s Palsy, and Bilbo Baggins
For the last week I’ve been harboring the illusion biking is making my hands massively strong. I thought this, because at the end of each day, the only truly exhausted parts of my body were my hands. I thought, that like a hard day of climbing, my hands were simply tired— but every day getting […]
How I Took First Place in the Volta to Algarve 2015
Something extraordinary happened on the road a few days ago. Here it is: Early that morning, I had my panniers packed and downstairs by the sofa in the hostel common room. It had been a wonderful (and warm) two days. After camping the whole first week, I was happy to be around other travelers, and […]
Adventure Countdown: Biking 4,400 miles through 14 countries
GOAL: To bike and climb from Lisbon, Portugal through the Mediterranean + Turkey, ending in Batumi, Georgia. Tomorrow morning, I’m catching a flight and embarking on biking and climbing my way around the Mediterranean. I’ll fly to Lisbon, Portugal, assemble my bike in the airport, and hit the road to start my quest of biking […]
#Adventure4Life — Join the Adventure and Help Cancer Fighters from July 21st – 31st
Being outdoors and having adventures shaped my life. It always has. When I saw OutdoorMindedMag’s called for adventurers to be part of the #Adventure4Life team, I had to be part of it. The #Adventure4Life team is made up of 25 people, each having planned an epic adventure from July 21st to the 31st and raising $1,000 […]
Guess what!? I’m one of 25 Adventurists…
On July 21st, I’ll be heading out into North Carolina’s Smoky Mountain Wilderness, as one of 25 adventurists in the #Adventure4Life Challenge. Each adventurist plans their own #Adventure4Life Challenge, and I’ll be backpacking 95 miles across the state, sleeping in a hammock, and it’s going to be awesome (and an good excuse to pick up […]
The Perils of Being Stranded on a Mountain
Ethiopia is beautiful. Dry, brown rolling hills morph into giant rock formations and canyons where sheep and hyenas roam. Stone huts, tukuls, with thatched roofs perch on cliff-tops, and the bustle of a market on a weekday morning can be heard from the mountainside. I had planned a 5 day trekking trip with a local […]
Ice Climbing in the Adirondacks
I’ve been wanting to go ice climbing for the past two years, ever since I saw my climbing gym, Earth Treks, offers a trip. This year, I wasn’t going to miss out. I booked a room at the ADK Trail Inn, packed up all the gear I had (which wasn’t much, after traveling in Africa […]