We are not the anti-social hedonists many associate with the name Bohemians. Anyone who has followed our adventures knows we don’t avoid challenge or discomfort. We get our high by pushing our bodies and minds in pursuit of creative living, travel, and intimate connection with the World and it’s peoples. That is the New in New Bohemians.

Many people searching for our site found instead a folk rock band, Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians, since they had the .com long before we conceived of a web presence. They’re a laid back group with a great sound and meaningful lyrics you can actually understand. They have an interesting, and long, history, that I may explore in a future post.

With the help of John Hoyle at The Small Webmaster, we have manged to get our site second only to Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians, and are gaining an ever increasing following. We will keep the content fresh and, sometimes at least, exciting. You will find travel narratives from all over the world, and close to home, by tandem bicycle, sailboat, motorhome, Asian trains, an aging Soviet era airliner, and one Lada. There are in excess of 300,000 words and who knows how many pictures, with more to come: Tandem, An American Love Story, Around Australia by Tandem and Cruising the South Pacific with Captain Bligh. Start off with photos of these places on our travel portfolio.

Many people have responded to our newest blogger, Lucky the stuffed panda we rescued. He is coming to life, and will join us on our next adventure, when we ride our tandem, Zippy from Sichuan to Yunnan, China, and into Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. We think his blogs will be an interesting view of his country of origin. He may decide to stay. Who knows? We will be posting our own blogs and perhaps some videos.

We leave in early September for Chengdu, where the recent devastating earthquakes killed thousands. We’ll take Lucky to see his namesakes at the giant panda breeding center. From there we’ll attempt to pedal up over the Tibetan plateau, in search of Shangri-La, and beyond.

We’ll give you another heads-up before we leave. For now, check out our Silk Road Crossing page. It is an exciting preview of the challenges and rewards of independent travel in Asia.

Life it good. Share your thoughts on what your read, and tell us about your adventures.

Tea in Turkey with the girls who turn silkworm casings on hot days. This day was 40C.

Another think came to me. This one is long. I think I like it. When I told it to Bob and Claire, they looked at each other, smiled and hugged a little hug. I think they know about wheresoever and go and heart too.

I like the picture Bob came up with to go with my new think. He said it was from a place called Turkey, and Claire said the girls were fun, even if she couldn’t understand anything but the laughter.

I still wonder where these thinks come from. Does anybody out there know?

My head fluff is acting up again. I’m doing more of the think thing. I kind of like this one, since I’ve been seeing really pretty country lately. But I know I didn’t think this by myself. Somebody really smart thought this first. Bob and Claire think I’m a smart panda, but I think I think these thinks are coming from another place. I wonder where?

Bob Says Writer's Block is Normal

Hi big people, and maybe some little ones. This is Lucky again. Did you see my first blog? Bob and Claire rescued me from the middle of a remote highway. I don’t remember how I got there. I hope my memory comes back. Bob took a fake picture of me in the road and was caught by the flashing lights guys. Claire laughed herself sick. I think Bob is good at making a fool of himself.

Bob and Claire told me my life with them would be adventurous. The next day they began to show me how to ride a bicycle. Something about China and bicycles seems to go get them all excited, and it looks like I might be a part of what they have planned.

I wish she'd look where she's going!

Riding in Bob's Olympic Peninsula Bicyclists Jersey

Yikes, Too Fast!

We went to a high place called Lizard Head. It was cold. It was even colder coming back down in Claire’s pocket. I’m not too sure about this bicycling stuff. I heard Claire say it would be a lot more of a high place in China and even colder.

Me at Lizard Pass

Brrrrrr

I think they want us to do a lot more of this high and cold places as practice for China. At least they promised some other fun stuff in between.

Last night it got so cold in the motorhome that the skylight was all frosty and it was cold inside. I wish they would invite me into their bed on cold nights. But there are already three other pandas there, and they have seniority. Maybe later.

Frosty Morning

When I landed on my head in the road I think it made me all funny. Now I think all the time. I didn’t used to think. And I listen to Bob and Claire and wonder how humans think, and what makes them do the things they do. I get hints that Bob and Claire might not be like lots of humans. Like the three pandas they talk to and sleep with, and all that hard breathing and sore muscles they get from those bicycles. They laugh a lot too, and they just snuggle closer when it gets cold. I think they have some stories to tell me. But for now I think we’re just supposed to have fun, and get ready for China.

Last night I heard them whispering about a China place. I thought they said, “Shangri-La.” But I can’t be sure. It might have been my imagination.

Bob and Claire Rogers' lunch spot high overlooking The Wave

We had to drive our motorhome, Turtle about nine miles on a rough road, an adventure to tell at a later time. We leveled up and had wonderful evening light a great dinner and all the comforts of home; another million dollar view, for free.

The morning of our permit we awoke in darkness, ate a quick breakfast, were on the trail at first light, and had hiked two of  the three miles to The Wave by sunrise, with lots of stops along the way for photos.

Chasm near The Wave

We spend most of  the day scrambling all over the drainage that contains The Wave, which is itself quite small, and added another couple of tough steep miles. There is a small arch high on a cliff above The Wave, and we determined to get to it for our lunch spot. After a few dicey moves and an hour or more of climbing, and pausing for photos, we made it. The view of The Wave from the arch was spectacular. It appeared to get little use because of the difficulty in getting there. We took a second, slightly easier route back that led us to the Second Wave, and a spectacular chasm, nither of which most permit holders find, but we were able to pinpoint them from our raven’s roost high in the arch.

Claire on Steep Slickrock Backwards!

Strange Mars Like Formations Near The Wave

On the hike out in mid afternoon, we took a difficult slickrock side canyon high to some amazing fragile sandstone formations. I don’t have a name for them now, but will before I do the full post of this adventure in or new Turtle Chronicles, in the works.

How old is this tree?

No Motorhome Road!

These posts are meant to keep our readers informed of our travels, but of necessity must be short; we have been a week without Internet or cell signal. For each adventure you see here there have been three we haven’t been able to share yet.

Stay tuned.