Category Archives: Travelogues

Cuba is an island. A very big island, sure, but it’s completely surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico, on the northwest, the Caribbean, on the south, and the Atlantic, to the northeast. That means literally thousands of miles of beaches, … Continue reading →

We left Bayamo, The City Of Horse Carriages, mid-morning after driving from the carriage factory to the outskirts of town. Juan pulled into the “terminal” – a dusty wedge in a Y intersection – of Las Mangas. We milled around, … Continue reading →

On June 16, 2017, the five-month old Republican administration announced a tightening of travel restrictions to Cuba. With the warming of US-Cuban relations in 2014 under President Obama, Americans found travel to the island a bit easier. Ever since the … Continue reading →

“Look! It’s Granma!” I pointed at the cartoonish billboard with the word splashed in red across a white stone base, a small wooden boat rising from frothy waters in the lower left corner. “We need to stop – up there … Continue reading →

Santiago de Cuba is the country’s second city. Founded five hundred years ago at the upper reaches of the Bahia (Bay) de Santiago de Cuba, it has long been a linch pin to control of the island nation. Plundered repeatedly … Continue reading →

Cheryl and I left the seaside lunch stop together. On the first day of biking, I figured 56 kilometers of fast riding was enough, and spending the next 40 riding with Cheryl into the town of Guantanamo would be more … Continue reading →

The load out seemed so familiar. A baker’s dozen bike riders, clacking along the asphalt, surrounded by the “snap/hiss” of pump heads being released from tire valves, anxious and eager. Leaderless, we each rolled out when everything seemed ready. Our … Continue reading →

Cuba is a Caribbean island, sure, but on a much grander scale than, say Puerto Rico or Jamaica. It is, indeed, the greatest of the Antilles. To gain an idea of its breadth, were Cuba rotated clockwise a bit and … Continue reading →

“Look! The new ’59’s!” September, 1958, 5th grade at Pleasant Ridge elementary school. I was seated at the far right of the classroom, right behind Kathy MacNeil and her long black wavy hair. The left side looked out over our asphalt … Continue reading →

I’ve been off the grid the past three weeks, biking in Cuba. I plan to write a full set of reports on the trip on the blog, but will serve up the outline for the experience first. Intro: Cheryl and I … Continue reading →