Sharry Miller

To the End of the Road

April 26, 2012 - Bhutan I'm going to quote directly from the beginning of my journal entry for this day, as it not only sums up today's ride, but most days' rides. Thirty kilometers today, out of Paro as far as you can drive to the west, and back again. In typical Yeshey/Rinzin fashion, we were assured there were no hills, but the second half was one long climb. My granny gear and I are... Read more →

Headwinds, Of Course

April 25, 2012 - Bhutan Bhutan and Alaska have at least one thing in common: there are very few roads going anywhere. It's inevitable that if you're going to travel around a small area for very long, you're going to keep going back over the same routes. Our group has been doing that with mountain passes. Today we drove back to Dochu La, the pass with the 108 chortens. This time, we rode down it... Read more →

Hiking, Biking, and a Birthday

April 24, 2012 - Bhutan "Beaver one, beaver all, let's all do the beaver call!" Fifteen grown women stuck their front teeth out and made little chewing noises. By the end of the song, our honoree, Judy, was looking at us like we were crazy. Perhaps we were, but how often does a girl get to celebrate her 74th birthday in Bhutan? We were ready to go all out to make Judy feel special. Judy... Read more →

Momos, Butter Tea, and Yaks - Oh, My

April 23, 2012 - Bhutan My legs and lungs keep getting stronger, but they were thoroughly stressed by trying to ride up hill on a full stomach, not to mention on a day that was, for me, too hot. I'm always eager to try local delicacies, but, oh my, this was too much. After a very pleasant ride along the Dang Chhu, we arrived at the cafe/shop owned and operated by Rinzin's wife (hmm, I... Read more →

Rafting Father River

April 22, 2012 - Bhutan I made my first real mistake of the trip today. I've been pleasantly surprised by how well my shoulder's done considering rough roads we've been riding. I haven't suffered anything but minor aches easily handled by aspirin and valerian. Paddle boating, however, was not the right thing to try. We had a nice ride this morning, but I'm not sure how long it was. For a numbers-conscious rider like myself,... Read more →

The King is Coming!

April 21, 2012 - Bhutan "The King is coming! The King is coming!" Like a gaggle of giddy school girls, we clustered together on a wide spot on the side of the road, positioning ourselves and our bikes to best see and be seen. We'd heard rumors that Bhutan's fifth (and current) King was supposed to be coming down the road behind us, and we were all hoping to get a glimpse of His Royal... Read more →

Himalayan Hills

April 20, 2012 - Bhutan News break: the Himalayas are hilly! Surprised? Neither was I. I knew going into this trip that the three weeks of flat, sea level riding I'd gotten in after the snow had melted off the Valdez roads was not going to prepare me for riding in Bhutan, and I was right. Today kicked my butt. The plan was to ride from our hotel to the end of the road at... Read more →

Finally, Bhutan!

April 19, 2012 - Bangkok and Bhutan I carefully arranged my luggage tag so that the WomanTours logo was obvious as I sat waiting near the Druk Air counter at the Bangkok Airport. I'd arrived at 2:30 am, half an hour earlier than I was supposed to be there, so I was the first to show up. I didn't figure there was much chance I was going to miss seeing a group of 16 women,... Read more →

Braving Bangkok

April 16 - 18, 2012 – Bangkok Pulling in cockeyed behind another parked car, the driver of my overpriced taxi said, “I can’t drive down there.” He pointed down a narrow street to the left. “Is that where I need to go?” I asked. Not quite sure I wanted the answer, I gazed at a street awash in a thin layer of mud. Garbage lined the gutters. Passage was blocked by hundreds of people. He... Read more →

Still Alive in Asia

Shopping reigns supreme in Asia. I'd had high hopes of a good nap on the 5+ hour flight from Bangkok, Thailand to Seoul, Korea overnight so that I'd be able to escape the Incheon airport and explore Seoul a bit during my 11 hour layover today, but the constant bustle of the beautiful Korean Air Lines' flight attendants as they first served meals and then hawked duty-free wares allowed me only brief moments of dozing.... Read more →