urban bicycle journeys

Thoughts while pedaling

About

Paco Marshall took his first unescorted long distance bicycle ride at age twelve and his first overnight ride at age fifteen, sleeping on the edge of a football field.

More than fifty years later he is still bicycle touring but only since 2011 has he chosen to share his adventures with others.  By 2025 he has written about three hundred blog posts, each about a bicycle trip.

He flourishes the descriptions of his trips with social commentary and occasionally historical facts about the places he visits.   A bicyclist travels on back roads, away from busy highways.  He sees parts of America, and indeed the world, that few of us see.

He actively photographs his journeys and mixes those pictures with the text. When not away traveling he and his wife Tootie split their time between Chapel Hill NC and New Orleans LA.

 

 

 

9 responses to “About”

  1. Elaine Avatar
    Elaine

    Great trip through Indiana! I enjoyed your photos and commentary.

    Reply
  2. Peter Karwacki Avatar
    Peter Karwacki

    I live in Ottawa Canada. I feel a cycle trip in Japan could be fascinating, and possible a bit dangerous but at my age, necessary. Ever consider a trip like that?

    Reply
  3. Bruce Houlder Avatar
    Bruce Houlder

    I enjoyed looking at your blog very much. Thanks. Do you have a recommendation for a good safe route for cycling Nimes to Lyon. Did you use any particular guide or set of maps? Or did you just follow the wind? We are doing Bordeaux to Sete to Nimes and on to Lyon in May.

    Reply
    1. Paco Marshall Avatar
      Paco Marshall

      We followed Google Maps on my phone. You will see on the map that most of the way from Nimes to Lyon is along the Rhone river. Starting in Orange, 57 kms from Nimes, there is a wonderful flat paved bike path just about all the way to Lyon, about 200 kms. It switches back and forth on both sides of the river. I do recommend taking the commuter train at the Lyon suburb of Grigny, it cuts out what I hear is dangerous cycling on the last 13 kms into Lyon. You can wheel your bicycle right on the train.

      Reply
      1. Bruce Houlder Avatar
        Bruce Houlder

        Brilliant. Thanks. Bruce

    2. Bruce Houlder Avatar
      Bruce Houlder

      For your help last year For our trip down the river Rhône. Improved a great ride from Geneva to Montpellier. In fact cycling in to Leo proved no problem as we found a very good cycle path that took us right into the centre. It is true to say that going south from there one is going through some difficult suburbs but we decided not to use the train and just cycle long. In 2 weeks time, we three 75-year-olds are taking a ride from Passau on the Germany/Austria border down to Budapest. Really looking forward to it. Happy cycling. Bruce

      Reply
  4. Marike Avatar
    Marike

    We read about your bike ride from Rocky Mount to Tarboro. We really enjoyed it ! Thank you.

    Reply
  5. soletsky Avatar
    soletsky

    I have been binge-reading your posts. I greatly enjoy reading about your trips, especially the ones in Canada. Thank you for taking the trouble to write about them.

    Reply
  6. Graham Rush Avatar
    Graham Rush

    Hello Paco,
    I’m hoping you’ll remember the very pleasant encounter we had last July at a gas station/convenience store on the outskirts of Saint-Fabien, Quebec. You and Lyman were on Bike Fridays, working your way along QC132 from Quebec City to Rimouski, and I was heading in the opposite direction.

    I enjoyed your Quebec trip journal (and others) at http://www.citybiketrips.com. The following link connects to my Quebec trip journal on “Crazy Guy on a Bike” , a vast repository for such accounts. Go to
    http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1mr&page_id=601864&v=3q#pic_3840811 for a photo part way down.

    I also recall we uncovered an extraordinary coincidence in our both having family relations in the small Texas Panhandle town of Stratford. Mine could be traced through the Pronger Brothers ranch.

    I hope these lines find you and Lyman well amid the covid19 turbulence and turmoil. I had been planning a bike ride through Quebec, Labrador, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia this coming summer, but it’s obviously not going to take place. We’ll look to 2121…

    Stay safe, and cheers,
    Graham Rush
    Kingston, Ontario

    Reply

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