The Old Guy Bicycle Blog

Quick Take: My bicycle ride from Lubbock, Texas, to Pensacola, Florida, included hundred-mile days, dangerous storms, summer heat, and plenty of unexpected challenges. Yet one of my favorite days from the entire trip was a peaceful ride along Louisiana’s Tammany Trace, where a gentle rain, two unexpected conversations, and an alligator that never appeared reminded me why I love bicycle touring. A peaceful day on Louisiana’s Tammany Trace became one of my favorite memories from the entire ride to Florida. When people hear that I rode my bicycle from Lubbock, Texas, to Pensacola, Florida, they usually assume my favorite memories involve the biggest accomplishments. They imagine the hundred-mile days, crossing state lines, surviving the summer heat, or finally reaching the Gulf Coast. Those moments were important, but they are not necessarily the ones I remember most clearly. Looking back now, one quiet and rainy day on Louisiana’s Tammany Trace may have been one of...

Updated: May 2026 I stumbled across a YouTube video that featured a man named Dean Nicholson cycling the world with a very unexpected travel companion: his cat, Nala. Their journey is one of the most heartwarming things I’ve seen in a long time — and it’s a story every cyclist and animal lover should know. From Welder to World Traveler Dean, a 31-year-old from Dunbar, Scotland, had long dreamed of traveling the world. In 2018, he quit his job as a welder, loaded up his bike, and began riding across Europe. His original goal? To make it all the way to Australia — then fly to Argentina and ride north to Canada. But the trip took a surprising and beautiful turn in the hills of Bosnia. A Meow That Changed Everything While climbing a steep mountain pass in Bosnia, Dean heard a tiny meowing sound. Curious, he stopped, looked around, and found a stray kitten on the roadside. She was all alone, barely old enough to survive — and she walked straight up to him. He named her Nala , and that...