Driving is too fast. Walking is too slow.

Bicycling is just right.

I just cycled one my favorite roads in the world: Highway 12 through Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah.

I’ve driven this road a few a times, and it always passes too quickly. It’s so gorgeous. I want more!

Of course I can pull over and walk around. But what I’d really like is to drive roughly 10mph, feel the wind on my face, not worry about cars behind me, and get some exercise at the same time, rather than just sitting all day.

That’s cycling.

(Really, you don’t have to worry about cars—as long as you stay near the white line and make yourself highly visible.)

Walking across a desert landscape like this is also a joy—but it’s a tough, hot, dry place. Long walks require big water carries, and backpacking trips require serious preparation.

If only there was a way to move a bit faster than 3mph, so you didn’t have to carry so much… and glide through the downhills… and transition to walking whenever it suited you…

That’s cycling.

Give bicycle touring a shot. It’s a hell of a way to travel.