“That time when...I rode a little over 200 miles in Nepal with six other ladies from all over the US. Some I didn't know, a few I knew, and one wildcard! We couldn't have had a better mix of ladies to explore Nepal!"

In the summer of 2018, I was coaching at a Ladies All-Ride event in Brevard, NC when a fellow coach Susan Clifford asked if I had an interest in a trip to Nepal in October of 2019. Her inquiry couldn't have come at a better time because I had recently been wanting a soul-filled journey. And no better way to experience that than on my bike with some other fantastic ladies. I said yes and didn't look back. Susan was the one to organize the trip with World Ride and the company that runs guided rides in Nepal. Susan was also the one connecting all of us ladies together as we all lived in various parts of the States.

We all gathered in Kathmandu in October of 2019 after a year of planning, training, and organizing. I knew Susan and my friend Michele whom I met at Roam Fest in Brevard. The other four ladies were all new to me, but we all seemed to have some connections. Either they all knew each other from living in VT, or now somehow lived near each other in WA. Then we had a wildcard named Sarah because she had been wanting to do this ride but didn't have a group to do it with. The organizer of World Ride asked Susan if she could join our group and we got lucky with a strong addition to our group of ladies!

Long story short we traveled the Annapurna Circuit in 10 days with two guides and porters covering a little over 200 miles. We started in Besisahar around 760 meters (2,493 ft), traveling up to Thorong La Pass at 5,416 meters (17,769 ft), and from there it was all downhill literally. That's where my Instinct 70 was both great for long days in the saddle but also for descending straight down to Jomsom and beyond to finish the trip up! In truth, the trip was one of a lifetime for me. With the help of family and friends I was able to leave my daughter at home and travel for 3 weeks to beautiful Nepal for a trip with strong ladies I will never forget. All while atop my two-wheel adventure mobile - my bike!