The Adventure Ends. 04/10/26

I have taken many shots against adventure travel, But maybe there’s a way to do it that doesn’t seem so, well, adventurous. Have you ever tried glamorous camping? The portmanteau for that is glamping. I once took a safari featuring a glamping site. All day you saw magnificent African animals, lions, rhinos, hyenas, zebras, elephants. It was fascinating. The only exercise required was walking to breakfast and then to the open air Jeep. If you saw kudzu on the trip, that night’s dinner might be Kudzu Wellington. After dinner you go to your glamorous tent. But not alone, because there might be a baboon not so happy to see you. No kidding. But that tent. Nicer than a lot of hotel rooms I’ve stayed in. A raised platform of varnished teak, a king bed with anti-fly drapes, a full bathroom with shower and toilet and running water. This was not exactly roughing it. And it certainly was an adventure. One I will never forget. But it’s the more vigorous type I rail against.

When I was younger, we did two, count them, two Vermont Bicycle Tours. Vermont, the green MOUNTAIN state. Back then they had these low handle bars where you had to bend over to decrease your wind resistance and ride a hard narrow saddle so you don’t sink, therefore getting the most out of each pedal. That was also an unforgettable experience. The part I remember is getting back on the bike the next day. Put it this way. I didn’t know if I’d ever be capable of having children since I couldn’t feel anything down there in the place you do child-making stuff. I’m happy to report however, no lasting damage was done. Now however, I ride an e-bike with a soft, cushy seat and something they call “pedal assist.” It amplifies the effort you make when pedaling. I happen to live in a New York suburb in what is called the Hudson Valley. I’m at the bottom of said valley so to get anywhere you have to go straight uphill. Like I have to go up an enormous hill to get to a beautiful, relatively flat, bike trail through the woods. I used to put my bike on a rack on my car and drive up the hill to the path. Now no rack, just pedaling. I put on the pedal assist to level 5 (the max) and I’m gliding uphill while the poor people in their spandex suits and bent over handle bars are huffing and puffing and standing up on their pedals and breathing hard. I passed one of those guys on my e-bike last fall and he looked at me with a sense of longing in his eyes. As if to say, “How can an old guy like you be getting up here while a young guy like me is out of breath?” I anticipated his thoughts and said, “Don’t worry, I’m cheating.”

So that’s how I stand on adventure travel. John, on the other hand, is a fan. If you get a chance you can post on this blog to tell us your adventure travel adventures. If we love one, we might even turn it into a comic. Thanks and have a great, slightly adventurous, weekend,

Andy and John