Author: billthorness
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Cycling Books for Armchair Adventures
Here’s a list of great stories about bicycling and travel. Check them out! Do you have a favorite cycling read? Let me know and I’ll add to the list!
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New Substack Newsletter
Join me on Substack to read my newsletter Annotations, which will cover memoir, family, history and other topics. Read past entries and subscribe to get each edition delivered to your in-box.
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A Brief History of Cycling in Seattle
“Trees sway overhead and the pitted pavement rises gently on the way into Interlaken Park on North Capitol Hill. At the spot where East Interlaken Boulevard splits, take the low road and pedal between wooden posts and you will be transported back in time — 125 years, to be exact, when Seattleites first bicycled here…
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Solstice Hope Springs From Midnight Soil
On Sunday, I held the darkness of the earth in my hand. It was warm and comforting.
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Vietnam’s Mekong Delta: A Friendly, Flat Bike Tour
Author’s note: This travel article was slated to appear in publication in late 2019, but of course the coronavirus pandemic put an end to almost all travel, and writing (or publishing) travel stories seemed pointless until the pandemic ends. Although it has not ended yet, at the one-year anniversary of this wonderful trip, I wanted…
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Shirley’s Beet Pickles
If your beets are sizing up, or you can get a big batch of them at a farmers market, how about making some tasty pickles? This is my mother’s beet pickle recipe, simple and yet delicious. And of course, since it came from her and it is food I loved as a child, it always…
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November Tasks: Slow Gardening
Grab that sliver of sunlight between showers and get out into the garden. Fleece up and tidy the shed on a rainy day. Scratch out some thoughts on next year, with notes on this year’s successes and duds. There are some November tasks for us Maritime Northwest gardeners. But this season is also a time…
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Save Your Own Seeds
Do friends rave about your vegetables? I don’t have to ask if you rave about them to your friends, because I know you do. Most committed edible gardeners are more than just a little crazy about their produce. It’s closer to a love affair. I can still hear myself waxing poetic about the amazing Jimmy Nardello…
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Tips for Better Bike Camping
Heading out for a camping trip by bike is gaining in popularity, as you can mix favorite types of recreation together. Why not load up your bike and skip the car? You may just get bitten by the bike travel bug and turn a weekend into a journey. Load the Right Bike Long-haul cyclists use…
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Sharp Idea: Tend to Your Tools
Heather from a Southern California beach town contacted me recently about using sand for cleaning garden tools. She had come across my Seattle Times article on tool maintenance. This seemed like a good time to revisit this task, which I do every winter. Hi Bill, Someone from my local gardening group keeps her garden tools in…