A r i zo na
gr a nd c a n yon—nort h r im R ECO M M E N D E D BY
Jared Fisher
Few if any visitors come away from the Grand Canyon unmoved—whether one steps off a tour bus and peers over the edge of the South Rim for thirty minutes or traverses the canyon from north to south. For Jared Fisher, the best way to experience the wonders of one of the planet’s most awe-inspiring erosion events is to bike upon the Kaibab Plateau, high above the Canyon’s North Rim. “There are several factors that make the Kaibab Plateau a very special place to ride,” he elaborated. “First, the plateau is not very hilly. It’s pretty mellow for a mountain biking tour, a great trip to introduce ‘roadies’ to cycling in the dirt. It’s really like a rolling meadow. “People usually associate the Grand Canyon with heat, but that isn’t the case on the North Rim. You’re 1,000 feet higher than on the South Rim, and as a result it’s much cooler, plus you have very different flora; here, it’s more ponderosa pines and aspens than cacti. (The elevation at some points on the Kaibab is near 9,000 feet.) The North Rim is also spared the crowds that you see at the South Rim. They get an average of four million visitors a year. On the North Rim, it’s more like forty thousand. When I’m out for five days, I can generally count how many people I see on one hand—a forest ranger or two is all. From a riding perspective, it provides lots of options—folks who want a fuller day of riding have lots of choices once we get to camp. The roadies appreciate this. “Finally, there are the spectacular views that vary each day. From the Kaibab, you get two very distinct perspectives of the canyon. When you’re on the top of the plateau, you get a bird’s-eye view of the canyon from a perspective that’s 3,000 feet off the valley floor. You also can see the East Rim of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon—the site where the canyon is coming through the desert, like a train coming toward a tunnel. Seeing that cut is one of my favorite points on the trip.”
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BRITISH COLUMBIA
award-winning, organic wines, including Cipes Brut, a sparkling wine fashioned from Riesling and Chardonnay grapes. “The winery has a large pyramid (painstakingly designed and built by owner Stephen Cipes) that’s used to house the wines—particularly the sparkling wines,” David continued. “It’s central to the proprietor’s vision for the winery.” After a few more miles, you’ll visit Carmelis Goat Cheese Artisan Inc., a familyowned boutique goat cheese maker that creates varieties ranging from traditional chevre to a Camembert-style cheese to “Goatgonzola”—a blue cheese, of course! The Okanagan wine industry, it’s worth noting, has had a bumpy ride to respectability. Wine has been made in the valley since European settlers arrived in the early 1800s, though the early product—pressed from native grape species—had a, well, acquired taste. Early efforts to cultivate European (Vinifera) grape varieties failed, but changes in governance concerning wine production and perseverance paid off. The microclimates David mentioned allow significantly different varietals to be grown in close proximity to each other. New cultivation techniques have yielded not only high-quality Rieslings, Gewürztraminers, and Pinot Gris (the Okanagan rests at the same latitude as Germany’s Mosel Valley), but Pinot Noirs, Cabernet Sauvignons, and Merlots as well. David mentioned several wineries he enjoys sharing with guests. “For pure spectacle, it’s hard to beat Mission Hill. From the grandeur of the buildings to the majestic views looking out over the valley, it’s over the top. For a unique wine, you can’t miss Silver Sage. They do a variety of fruit wines, but their most memorable wine is a Gewürztraminer flavored with sage. You can’t help but think that this is the wine that must be served with turkey at Thanksgiving. I also enjoy Church and State Wines, particularly their tasting area. You sit at a long bar. Behind the bar, there’s a wall of glass with wine barrels on display behind. The glass reflects the vineyards behind you. It’s a wonderful montage. Overall, the tasting experience in the Okanagan is very relaxed. Vintners are easygoing and have a sense of humor, but are still eager to educate visitors about what they’re doing.” A “must-ride” for any cyclist touring the Okanagan region is a portion of the Kettle Valley Railtrail. The railway has an interesting provenance. Up until the later 1800s, western Canada was quite isolated from the eastern portion of the country. It was wellknown that there were rich mineral reserves in present-day south central British Columbia. Canada’s first transcontinental railroad, the Canadian Pacific Railway, was significantly north of the mining reserves and of little use in getting mining supplies in
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S pa i n
m ajorc a R ECO M M E N D E D BY
Daniella Soeder
opposite: Majorca’s road builders seem to have had serious cyclists in mind when they set to work.
D E S T I N AT I O N
“After a recent tour of Majorca,” Daniella Soeder began, “one of my guests said, ‘If Disney was to invent a road bike ride, this would be it!’ There’s something to this thought. We have many switchbacking roads that twist up and down the mountain passes and along cliffs that hang over the Mediterranean. Add to this a perfect climate, very light traffic, and a unique culture, and you have all the elements of a premier cycling destination.” Majorca is situated some 120 miles (193 km) southeast of Barcelona and is the largest island under Spanish administration. Throughout recorded history, Majorca has been under the sway of the Romans, the Byzantines, the Moors, and now, the Spanish. Residents speak a dialect of Catalan, Mallorquí, though Spanish is also to be heard. “People here see themselves as Majorcan first, Spanish second,” Daniella continued. “Though many people think of Majorca for its beaches, we have a thriving agricultural area in the center of the island—wonderful fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as lamb and goat. We’re especially known for our almonds, figs, and olives. Some of the olive trees here are one thousand years old. The age of the trees gives our olive oil a great complexity.” Professional and serious amateur riders in Europe know Majorca as a training destination—both for its climate and its climbs. “On a tour this fall,” Daniella added, “we saw both the current world champion (Englishman Mark Cavendish) and the Tour de France winner (Australian Cadel Evans) on their bikes.” Daniella’s favorite tour focuses on the northern half of the island, crisscrossing the Sierra Tramuntana. After a night in Valldemossa, one of Majorca’s most beautiful mountain villages, you’ll embark on the first of several epic rides. “This day, you’ll climb through five colls (or passes), each gaining roughly 1,000 feet in elevation,” Daniella explained. “There’s not a mile of straight road on the route as you twist and turn through olive
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INDONESIA
through small villages and local markets and experience the way of life of the local people, but besides that, we always leave time to do hikes, visit the beach, snorkel the reefs, and visit temples and other cultural sites.” Bali and Lombok are two of Indonesia’s thirty-three provinces, lying just to the east of Java, and a few degrees south of the equator. The volcanic nature of both islands makes their soil exceptionally fertile; several volcanic mountains on both islands rise dramatically from sea level to higher than 10,000 feet. Bali and Lombok were colonized by the Dutch in the second half of the nineteenth century, the Dutch East India Company having been established in the region in the early 1600s to facilitate trade. After a brief occupation by the Japanese during World War II, Bali and Lombok became part of Indonesia after it declared its independence from the Dutch in 1945. The Dutch assented to the change in 1949. Visitors generally fly into the international airport in Denpasar, Bali. From there, Emile likes to shuttle them to Ubud in the center of the island, which is recognized as Bali’s cultural capital, thanks to a concentration of artists and the presence of several key Hindu temples. Here, one has a chance to observe the vibrant Balinese brand of Hinduism, which differs from the religion practiced in other parts of the world, combining elements of animism, Buddhism, ancestor worship, and traditional Hinduism. While visiting Ubud, you may wish to hike through one of the area’s exquisitely terraced rice fields or take a walk through the Monkey Forest. The Monkey Forest is considered a sacred site, for its ravines and thick copses (which are believed to harbor human and animal spirits) as well as for several temples. As the name implies, it is also home to more than three hundred long-tailed macaque monkeys, which wander the woods in troops. Your cycling begins in earnest as you head toward the mountains in northwestern Bali and then move across the north and east coasts. Starting on the slopes of Mount Batukaru, you’ll weave up and down along tropical rain forest habitat that’s dotted with cocoa, coffee, and clove plantations; you’ll smell the clove before you spot the plantation! You’ll pass the Pura Batukaru temple, another important Hindu site, and visit the rice fields at Jatiluwih, which unfold in green undulations toward the sea. The area’s rice planting traditions are currently under consideration to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Given the many rice fields in Bali, it’s no surprise that rice is a staple. “Meals typically feature some vegetables, tofu, and some duck, fish, or chicken,” Emile added. “But, it’s mostly rice. As a saying goes ‘if there isn’t any rice in it, it isn’t a meal.’”
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