Just wanted to update you on plans for the next few months, but first of all: And–drum roll–I’ve finally worked out my route through Europe! I plan on attending the UN Climate Conference in Morocco this November–that’s the sequel to last year’s COP21 in Paris–but it’s too far to bicycle there in time, and I wanted to … Continue reading What’s Next: Athens to Copenhagen
Üzeyir is an agricultural engineer living in Üzümlü, Turkey. We spoke when I visited in August of this year. “In our work, we’re always discussing how the climate is changing. I had lessons on that in school, and this is one of the biggest issues in the world. But in our work, we deal most with … Continue reading Humans of Climate Change: The Farm Engineer
Kapadokya/Cappadocia, Turkey to Λέσβος/Lesbos, Greece– 1,062 km this section (Total Mileage: 11,914 km/40,075 km) I’ve made it through Turkey to Lesbos, a Greek island just off the coast of Turkey. I came here hoping to speak with some of the migrants who have made it to refugee camps located on the island. Many of these people come fleeing conditions and … Continue reading Out of Asia: 15 Photos From the Road
Oltu, Turkey to Göreme/Cappadocia, Turkey– 836 km this section (Total Mileage: 10,852 km/40,075 km) My route cycling west across Turkey. I entered Turkey ten days after July’s failed coup attempt. Earlier this year, when I first announced plans to pass through Turkey, I received messages from relatives and followers concerned about the risk of terror attacks and kidnapping. At … Continue reading The Long Summer Ahead: 17 Photos from the Road
During an idle moment at a laboratory bench three years ago, Forrest first mentioned to me the idea of traveling to Asia and riding his bike home – to Oregon. The mindfulness of his subsequent work was exactly what I had come to expect of my friend and lab partner. A year into following his writing and photography, I was eager to turn the lens on Forrest. How does the narrator of 10,000 km of climate change stories describe what he is doing, and how is he holding up? Continue reading On Tour: 12 Questions for Forrest Watkins, 360 By Bike Founder
From an email I sent out to followers a few days ago, a short retrospective of the past 5 months on the road: Just over a year ago, I took the first pedal strokes of a journey that will eventually cover six continents. I set out to understand what climate change means to people around … Continue reading Milestones.
In 2012, the late French street artist Bilal Berreni (alias Zoo Project) and filmmaker Antoine Page traveled overland across Asia to the Pacific Coast of Russia. They drove a truck full of art supplies and film equipment, stopping along the way to paint and film. Out of their trip came the film C’est assez bien d’être fou (It’s … Continue reading Frescos on a Dead Sea: Art, Water and Justice in Central Asia
In May I passed through Almaty, the largest city in Kazkhastan and its historical capital. Recently arrived in Central Asia, I was looking for insight into the politics of climate change in a country both threatened by increasing water stress and economically dependent its Caspian Sea oil reserves. Professor Nygmet Ibadildin was kind enough to … Continue reading Humans of Climate Change: Professor Nygmet Ibadildin
Shymkent/Шымкент, Kazakhstan to the Aral Sea/Арал Теңізі, Kazakhstan–635 km this section (Total Mileage: 8791 km/40,075 km) I’ve ridden over mountains, through a summer in southern China and an early-spring blizzard, but it was the Central Asian Steppe that got me. I cycled for days to get as far as I did. Most of them temperatures … Continue reading The Endless Steppe and the Aral Sea (Also, Giant Spiders): 14 Photos from the Road
Bishkek/Бишкéк, Kyrgyzstan to Shymkent/Шымкент, Kazakhstan–540 km this section (Total Mileage: 8156 km/40,075 km) Heatstroke to freezing rain in 48 hours. The last six days have driven into my skull, with force and repetition, the importance of water in a water-scarce region. Academics and politicians are fond of saying that water is Kyrgystan’s only natural resource. In reality, … Continue reading Summer in the Valleys of Kyrgyzstan: 13 Photos from the Road
360 by bike 