The Pyrenees by Moto – a week riding & hiking in these majestic mountains (Sept 2025)

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The Pyrenees Mountains… finally!  

Some fun facts:  the Pyrenees is a 267-mi (430-km) long mountain chain that forms a natural border between France and Spain, and spans from the Atlantic Coast to the Mediterranean Sea. 

We’d hoped to zig-zag through the mountains, criss-crossing between France and Spain but… it turns out there aren’t that many roads that cut through this high, snow-capped mountain chain. Ha! 

So for this trip, we decided to explore the French side.

To start our adventure, we drove up the long, winding road to the Col du Tourmalet, one of the highest paved mountain passes in the French Pyrenees at 6,939 ft (2,115 m). This pass is one of the most famous climbs on the of the Tour de France so, we were not surprised to share the road with some pretty darn amazing cyclists… wow!  

From there, we spent the week winding up and down more high-mountain passes (sharing the road with more amazing cyclists), meandering through beautiful quaint villages and hiking in some truly amazing mountain landscapes… alpine lakes, granite peaks and… so many waterfalls! 

Some highlights of the trip…

  • exploring the Réserve naturelle du Néouviell.
  • standing below waterfalls cascading down the glacier-carved granite walls of the Cirque de Troumouse and Cirque to Gavarnie amphitheaters.
  • meeting the statuesque Comtois horses at the Col de Pailhères.
  • hiking up to the alpine lakes and granite peaks in the stunning Parc National des Pyrenees.
  • marveling at the Chateau Carcassonne, the medieval castle said to have inspired the design of the Castle in Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.

And did I mention… amazing mountains and so many waterfalls!

There was so much more to explore but alas… a chain of incoming storms forced us home earlier than planned. Oh well, it was a great introduction to the beauty of the Pyrenees, and we’ll be back for sure.  

But don’t take my word for it… see for yourself!

Enjoy!

A Week in Iconic, Colorful, Vibrant…. New York City! (Aug 2024)

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What a wonderful surprise!!

I don’t know how he did it, but Mathieu planned a trip for us to New York City, and kept it a surprise from me for months. He finally told me where we were going the morning we were heading to the airport. Finally… I was going to NYC!

We spent 8 days day-tripping from our stylish boutique hotel in Midtown. We walked and biked all over Manhattan, visiting the “must see” sights… Times Square, the Empire State Building, Chinatown, Central Park, etc… and the World Trade Center Memorial, where we paid our respects (“gone but not forgotten”). It was definitely a highlight to finally visit the places and landmarks that make NYC so iconic.

And as we ferried past the Statue of Liberty, I must admit I got a little choked up. Seeing her there, standing strong and glistening in the sun, a beacon of hope for us all. [Of course, Mathieu made sure to remind me she was a gift from the French.. ha!]

Other highlights for me? Celebrating my 54th birthday with a picnic in Bryant Park… sipping tequila and munching on tortilla chips while enjoying a free concert with the locals, Perfect!

The street art! We spent hours wandering through various neighborhoods of Manhattan and Brooklyn, hunting for colorful, provocative pop art in public squares, on street corners, along alleyways, sides of buildings, rooftops, and bridges. Such a great way to discover the lesser-visited parts of the city.

And… I LOVED being in the birthplace of… hip hop.., imagining the music scene as Grandmaster Flash, Run DMC and the other founders were coming up. And yes, I sang lots of Beastie Boys, especially “No Sleep Til Brooklyn” as we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge.

There’s a reason NYC is such an iconic city… the architecture, the culture, the art, the vibe, the people… amazing. But don’t take my word for it… see for yourself!

Enjoy!

Trekking the Stunning Tour du Mont Blanc (Sept 2024)

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Imagine hiking through the beautiful mountains of the Alps, crossing through France, Italy and Switzerland, to circumnavigate around Western Europe’s highest mountain… this is the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB).

This iconic, multi-day trek has been on my bucket list for some years, and finally in September, I did it!

Trekkers seek out this iconic 110-mi (177-km) loop trail for the amazing scenery…. the picturesque valleys, lush forests, crystal-clear rivers, and charming villages. And of course, to be in the presence of giant mountains, and NOT just the towering Mont Blanc, rising 15,766 ft (4,805 m) above sea level, but all the adjacent mountains as well!

I would have liked to do this trek with Mathieu or my brother or a friend but no one was available, and I didn’t want to wait any longer, so I decided to do it solo. Given the trail’s popularity, with an estimated 20,000 people completing it each year, I was sure I wouldn’t be alone… something I found comforting and… a bit worrying.

Like many trekkers, I LOVE immersing myself in the natural beauty around me and find it distracting when I’m surrounded by TOO many other people. But… I also LOVE sharing the experience, the wonderment, the joy, and the challenge of trekking with others.

Lucky for me, mid-September was the perfect time to do it. The weather was good, the “trekker traffic” was fairly light, and I got to hike with some really great people. [*Special shout-out to Nathalie, Sebastian, David, Malgorzata & Piotr!] So, I got to immerse myself in stunning natural beauty AND… share the experience… perfect!

There’s a reason the Tour du Mont Blanc is such an iconic trek… both the views and the vibe are… epic. But don’t take my word for it… see for yourself!

Enjoy!

Morocco by Moto (Part 4): “The Cathedral”, More Waterfalls, Gorges and Beautiful Forests, the “Blue City” of Chefchaouen & Spending Time in the Seaside City of Al- Hoceima (May 2024)

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In May 2024, Mathieu and I packed up the motorcycle and spent nearly four weeks touring around the beautiful country of Morocco (Maroc in French). Here are some of our favorite pictures and videos from our nearly 3,450 mi (7,000km) road trip.

Part 4…

For our fourth and final week of the trip, we started out by winding through the beautiful Aleppo pine forests of the Atlas Mountains to visit “The Cathedral”, a monolithic rock that rises to 6,142 ft (1872 m) high. Stunning! We then traveled north, visiting the waterfall and gorges of Ouzoud and passing through the lovely forests of the National Parks Ifrane and Tazekka, before arriving to “the Blue City”, a true highlight for us! The beautifully colorful, charming city of Chefchaouen absolutely stole our hearts (and once you see the pics, you’ll know why!)

After basking in a ridiculously fabulous amount of blue, we headed north where the beauty continued as we passed through the high mountains of the Talassemtane National Park, and onward to reach the stunning blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. We spent our last several days in a traditionally-decorated Moroccan apartment in the quiet coastal city of Al-Hoceima where we caught up on some work, relaxed, started the process of sifting through the 700+ photos we took, and reflected on the amazing landscapes we saw and the lovely people we met during our 25-day, nearly 3,450-mi (7,000-km) road trip through Morocco by Moto.

We hope you’ve enjoy traveling with us and that you’re inspired to visit this beautiful country!

Click here to see Part 1.

Morocco by Moto (Part 3): Canyons, Dunes & More Canyons! (Gorges du Dades & du Todra, Sahara Dunes, Cirque de Jaffar and Gorges du Ziz; May 2024)

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In May 2024, Mathieu and I packed up the motorcycle and spent nearly four weeks touring around the beautiful country of Morocco (Maroc in French). Here are some of our favorite pictures and videos from our nearly 3,450 mi (7,000km) road trip.

Part 3…

Our route during the third week was my favorite!! It was amazing to zig zag across the Atlas Mountains, winding thru gorgeous canyons, then head south to the “gateway to the Sahara Desert” (wow!). After a few nights admiring the beauty of the massive dunes, we north to explore more breath-taking canyons. And adding to the scenery we passed through were the genuine smiles and waves from the locals we encountered… truly heart-warming.

Enjoy and… stay tuned for more!

Click here to see Part 4,