One of our favorite things about New England is the changing of seasons. Just as soon as you’re starting to feel sick of one, the next begins to show and you get all excited about cool air and crisp leaves under your feet, or the gray glare of winter, thick socks, and warm fires. Such distinct seasons lend themselves to reflection, and as our temporary home base of Maine has transitioned from Summer to Fall, we’ve welcomed the time to look back on everything we learned from Alaska to Argentina and around Europe, and think forward to what’s next.
When we originally found out that we’d need to head home after a year on the road, we posted to our Facebook: “Life is like photography. You use the negative to develop.”
We are doing just that. This hiatus has given us some perspective on the project, and as we move forward, we hope to be able to give you (our readers) more of what you want. We’ve had requests for more videos, more adventure, and more culture and with all that in mind, we’re shaking things up a bit.
We’re planning to hit the road again in January 2013 with some new sponsors (in addition to our favorite standbys), new equipment, and… on foot. Unfortunately, Mo won’t be able to ride again for some time, and so after much deliberation and loads of tears, we’ve decided to travel through Asia and Africa without our trusty Waterford bicycles. It’s going to be strange to have to rely more on strangers to help us get around, but in that sentence you can hear the gift: we’ll have to rely more on strangers.
We’ve always been advocates for meeting and getting to know locals, and traveling without bicycles is going to push us to spend more than one or two days in each place we stop, so we’re looking to spend more time with twenty-somethings and delve a little deeper into their lives. We’ll be able to do more interviews, make more multimedia, and go further. (Can you tell we’ve been working on thinking positively about this?)
In so many ways, this new mode of travel is scarier. We’re old pros at traveling by bicycle, but we’ll have to figure out the tips and tricks for traveling without. We’re sure to make some major mistakes, but we’re nothing if not persistant! So, stick with us as we evolve. We’ll be posting new packing lists, asking for route suggestions, sharing new sponsors, and even giving away some great new gear right here on this blog! We’re plowing over these little bumps in the road, excited about what the future will bring, and headed to Asia and Africa, cameras in hand and (as corny as it sounds) you -our followers- in our hearts. Thank you guys for all your love and support.
By the way, due to popular request, you can now Follow my blog with Bloglovin! Let us know about other features you’d like and we’ll do our best to accomodate!
All the images in this post are Alan’s photography from his new website.