Wander & Wonder

Climate-friendly and slow travel, equitable access to outdoor recreation, and nature’s awesomeness

daily practice

When you go slow enough, you create things

Illustration of a person with a heart on their chest arms up surrounded by a painting, a water droplet, a plant, friends, a gray cloud with a sun behind it, a heart, writing
Spokes Fighting Strokes - Kristin Weiss and recumbent triking
slow travel Heidi Beierle slow travel Heidi Beierle

Spokes Fighting Strokes - Kristin Weiss and recumbent triking

Kristin Weiss is a bilateral stroke survivor. She and her partner, Brad, co-lead the Wisconsin Chapter of Spokes Fighting Strokes, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting stroke survivors and other people who have difficulty with balance and coordination. Adaptive cycling, in the form of a recumbent trike and community, gives Kristin and others a way to enjoy the outdoors and support each other in their recovery.

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Kelsey Long - Indigenous trail runner, mountain biker, and Rising Hearts athlete advocate
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Kelsey Long - Indigenous trail runner, mountain biker, and Rising Hearts athlete advocate

Kelsey Long is a Diné/Navajo trail runner, mountain biker, and community builder who lives in southeast Oklahoma on the Choctaw Nation Reservation. Kelsey is a co-founder of We Run Long, a community of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) trail runners that seeks to expand BIPOC presence in the sport while honoring Indigenous lands and amplifying diversity at races and beyond.

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You’re more capable than you know - Whitney Washington in South Korea
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You’re more capable than you know - Whitney Washington in South Korea

Whitney Washington is an adventure filmmaker who enjoys long-distance bike touring on paved trails. After completing a solo bike ride across America on the Great American Rail Trail in 2021, Whitney pedaled solo across South Korea along the 4 Rivers Trail in 2024.

She believes everyone has unique capabilities to be adventurers and hopes other people will set aside limiting narratives and explore what their bodies can do.

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10 tips to slow travel the U.S. by train
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10 tips to slow travel the U.S. by train

Slow travel invites an unhurried exploration of the world. Train travel offers “retreat in motion” where you can connect with personally nourishing and meaningful experiences. Riding Amtrak is beautifully suited to deliberate journeys in America, and whatever your traveling preference, every ride will deliver a memorable experience.

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Slow travel sense - a smell of Ft. Worth, TX
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Slow travel sense - a smell of Ft. Worth, TX

Slow travel invites you to engage your senses and notice what you notice.

In a four video series, I take you on a visit to Fort Worth, TX where I used bike share for the first time as a transit option. I adventured along the Trinity River ... and noticed a distinct smell.

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Heidi Across America - on the road
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Heidi Across America - on the road

This installment of my slow travel update covers my book tour from mid-May 2024 through late July 2024. I visited states from Oregon and Washington to Iowa using various forms of transportation. It’s heavy on gratitude and the beauty of collaboration and synchronicity.

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Mike Steen - attending to health and mobility
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Mike Steen - attending to health and mobility

Mike Steen lives in Portland, Oregon, and experiences cerebral palsy. He loves spending time outdoors and feels fortunate to live close to Forest Park where he walks and pedals his recumbent trike. He shared the health benefits of time outdoors and exercise, and we discussed the opportunities and challenges of using an adaptive bicycle to access recreation.

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On celebrating accomplishments - ta-da!
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On celebrating accomplishments - ta-da!

Celebrating accomplishments demonstrates love for who you are. It might be difficult, but it’s important to recognize your efforts. This self-nourishment supports personal gratitude and love that extends beyond the self to your greater community interactions. How do you demonstrate “I love you” to yourself?

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Wander and Wonder, a Venn diagram
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Wander and Wonder, a Venn diagram

I made a map of the Wander and Wonder topics – climate-friendly and slow travel and equitable access to outdoor recreation – to help me imagine what travel in the future might look like. This framework is a work in progress.

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Beach walks and slow travel
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Beach walks and slow travel

One of the ways you can have a slow travel experience is by planning less, lengthening your stays, being spontaneous, and responding to serendipity. I brought my bike, but I didn’t ride it. Instead, I walked three beaches.

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