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
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.
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.
Heidi Across America - the tour begins
The Heidi Across America book tour begins! This update covers the first week of my tour in mid-May 2024, which involved a bike tour, train travel, and a gush of upcoming events, gratitude, and opportunities to share about my memoir.
Pre-publication slow travel
I’ve been wanting to write and publish a book for most of my life, and the accomplishment deserves multiple celebrations. Slow travel asks the traveler to pay attention to the moment and, often, experience the journey as the destination. With this in mind, I made a pre-publication visit to Oregon to see family and friends.
The beingness of slow travel
I’m not bothered about the many places in America I haven’t seen. But making the investment to travel to Europe meant time I spent not seeing sights felt wasted. A death doula’s wisdom turned that around for me.
Glimmers - slow travel nourishment
Nourishment comes in many forms. A croissant. Bread. Joys and delights. A blooming cactus. A heart-shaped puddle. A thoughtful partner. Attention to the moment.
Kevin Belle and the Great American Rail-Trail
Kevin Belle is Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s Project Manager for the Great American Rail-Trail, an east-west route that connects trails and paths in 12 states between Washington, D.C., and Washington state.
Kevin enjoys running, biking, performing in drag shows, and hosting trivia events as Whiskey Ginger.
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?
Off-season slow travel to Ucluelet, BC
We encountered a couple who had stopped to photograph some tiny mushrooms. “It’s amazing what you can see when you slow down,” the woman said. Her comment reminded me to be deliberate and curious as we explored the area.
Embracing the magic of life - Whitney Washington
Whitney Washington is an adventure film maker, bike tourer, kind-hearted soul, and expert at conceiving big adventures. Her creative work is about seizing the moment of being alive, of discovering her capabilities, and inspiring others to lean into their fear and find their own story in the world.
A bike tour from Portland - slow travel
After Preserving the Historic Road International Conference, I pedaled from Portland toward Corvallis on the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway. The journey was an experiment in climate-friendly and slow travel.
Talking to bicyclists - road project planning
Whether you’re leading a road project engagement process or wondering why people are often in your way out on the road, there are a few things to keep in mind to ease tensions. And comics!
Rose City Chica - a walk in the neighborhood
Shelli Romero and I walked and talked in her neighborhood, stopping to appreciate flowers and plants we encountered. Shelli works in transportation equity and owns a career-coaching business.
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.
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.
Pedaling Olympic Discovery Trail
The Olympic Discovery Trail has about 30 miles of paved path through the forest around Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park. The path was a perfect destination to ease two people who enjoy riding bicycles back into pedaling shape.
Welcome to Wander and Wonder
Wander & Wonder explores climate-friendly travel and equitable access to outdoor recreation. Transportation is a leading contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and the tourism industry. Additionally, outdoor recreation is not easily accessible to many people, yet time spent outdoors is important for personal health and well-being.
A wild spring into summer - friends, prompts and comics
Friends and prompts are integral to maintaining a creativity practice. Unexpected things can happen when other people are there to give you support and cheer you on. These surprises are a little bit of wildness to remind you of what’s fun about creativity and to keep you inspired.
Make a mark - iteration as practice
Being a creative is a matter of acknowledging and nourishing your creativity. One mark at a time. Over and over and over and over again. This is called practice, and it’s how all art and creative works get made.
Accomplishments and creative pinch points
I often forget to acknowledge the small acts of creativity that are part of my daily practice, especially when I have a big, difficult task. I still do both, but it requires adjustments, especially motivating myself to visit the difficulty day after day and managing how I feel.