Edith Piaf may well sing Non, je ne regrette rien" (No, I Regret Nothing) https://www.google.com/url?sa=...but I don’t quite agree. In the late 1970’s I met a fellow who did cycle touring. I had enough trouble getting a decent load on a motorcycle and for the life of me could not see how to get all of that camping gear and other necessities on a bicycle.

Thus, it was more than a decade later that I did my first decent cycling tour. Cora and I were living in Scotland. Cora, an American citizen at the time, had renewed a tourist visa several times and now had the ultimatum. British immigration gave her notice to leave. But in the nick of time, we got married. In fact, time was so short that we drove from Aberdeen to London so that she could submit her papers at the Home Office. With that done, we continued on our merry way to Portsmouth, where we left the car, got the ferry to St Malo and cycled across France. What a trip! The seeds were sown!

Since then I have done many trips, often with Cora but, since I retired, often alone. In no particular order, these include:

• Scotland, including many islands and parts of Ireland
• Across France
• Across the USA (east to west) & down the west coast (8000 km)
• Jordan and Israel
• Vietnam and Cambodia (4000 km)
• Japan (4000 km)
• England to Singapore (19000 km)
• Canberra to Margaret River and back (8250 km)
• Pamirs and Kyrgyzstan (4000 km)
• Uluru to Canberra (3200 km)
• Snowy Mountains
• Gibb River Road in the Kimberley

Of course, there have been many other smaller trips of 500-1000 km so much so that I have pedalled a good 60,000 km on a loaded bike.

Is there a reason for why we go where we go?  Probably not! The ride across America was a compromise after I suggested riding from Scotland to Australia and Cora gave me a rather strange look!  I think Vietnam came about because I grew up in Australia with news from the Vietnam (American) war on the radio each night. And Jordan – I think that came from someone sending me a postcard from Petra. Yes, it’s all random stuff. Jump on your bike and go, leave planning at home and you will have an adventure.

Heart

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Now, let me be simply outrageous on a cycling blog and finish this bit as I started – with motorcycles. It’s hard not to mention going to India, buying a Royal Enfield motorcycle and riding across India and then through the Indian Himalaya including many of the World’s highest passes including the Khardung La (5602 m), all with Cora on the back. That’s higher than the roughly 5000 m I have been on a bicycle.