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
Kelsey Long - Indigenous trail runner, mountain biker, and Rising Hearts athlete advocate
Kelsey Long is a Diné/Navajo trail runner, mountain biker, and community builder who lives in southeast Oklahoma on the Choctaw Nation Reservation. Kelsey is a co-founder of We Run Long, a community of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) trail runners that seeks to expand BIPOC presence in the sport while honoring Indigenous lands and amplifying diversity at races and beyond.
You’re more capable than you know - Whitney Washington in South Korea
Whitney Washington is an adventure filmmaker who enjoys long-distance bike touring on paved trails. After completing a solo bike ride across America on the Great American Rail Trail in 2021, Whitney pedaled solo across South Korea along the 4 Rivers Trail in 2024.
She believes everyone has unique capabilities to be adventurers and hopes other people will set aside limiting narratives and explore what their bodies can do.
10 tips to slow travel the U.S. by train
Slow travel invites an unhurried exploration of the world. Train travel offers “retreat in motion” where you can connect with personally nourishing and meaningful experiences. Riding Amtrak is beautifully suited to deliberate journeys in America, and whatever your traveling preference, every ride will deliver a memorable experience.
Slow travel sense - a smell of Ft. Worth, TX
Slow travel invites you to engage your senses and notice what you notice.
In a four video series, I take you on a visit to Fort Worth, TX where I used bike share for the first time as a transit option. I adventured along the Trinity River ... and noticed a distinct smell.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Points in Time - car-free from Portland to Dufur
With new transit service from Portland to Hood River, it’s possible, and even enjoyable to travel car-free to the little out-of-the-way town of Dufur, Oregon. Dufur is home to a three-story brick hotel, the Balch Hotel, a great place to spend some time. Geologic, cultural, immigrant, and transportation history abounds in the landscape between Hood River and Dufur along the Columbia River.