In this journey, husband and wife team David Kroodsma and Lindsey Fransen will start in Turkey in April of 2014 and gradually move east, crossing central and south Asia. Their goal will be to better understand the countries they travel through - more specifically, they will research the water and climate challenges facing the regions, including drought, water shortages, floods, pollution, and sea level rise. How is this region coping with these problems, and what do they mean for those of us who live on the far side of the globe?
Both David and Lindsey have academic backgrounds in global environmental studies and work professionally on water and climate issues. This trip, though, will be less about academics and more about on-the-ground experiences: What do the people they meet say about water resources and climate change? How do these issues compare to the other challenges people face in their day-to-day life?
And of course, this trip won't just be about climate and water; it will be about experiencing these countries by bicycle - about the people, the landscape, and the joy of seeing the world go by at ten miles per hour, with no windshield, protection from the elements, or engine other than ourselves.
Below is an outline of our route. Note that this route may change, and that we are also not committed to biking every mile; it is more important to us to learn about the places we travel, and we may end up skipping various segments.