Around the world on 2 wheels

One mans journey of personal discovery involved leaving his life in America behind to pedal a bike around the world, vowing "not to stop until I was happy with my life".

Scott Stoll did an amazing thing in my book, and this story just barely touches the surface.

In his mid-20s, full of angst, unsure of where life in advertising was taking him or whether he really wanted to go there, Stoll asked himself a question back in 1996.

"If I could do anything in the world, what would I do?"

Pedal, he told himself. Maybe even bicycle around the world...

After bicycling 40,220 kilometers (nearly 25,000 miles, just longer than the equatorial circumference of the world) through 48 countries over 37 months, Stoll finally stopped pedaling.

His trip ended in October, and he returned to the US in December.

It was an exhausting yet exhilarating trip filled with both human kindness and treachery, with nature's beauty, challenge and danger.

It was a trip that initially involved only the US but, years later, turned into a decision to traipse around the world.

So, with a friend, he started off a new, in 2001.

The friend eventually returned home, and he continued on his own.

The farther they went, into Central and South America, the more they realized that world events didn't seem a barrier to their travels. He said, "We didn't have any problems until Europe," their next stop after a trans-Atlantic flight.

Europeans he encountered viewed Americans as fat and lazy and untraveled - stereotypes that made him angry and defensive.

"I felt I was the bicycling ambassador of my country," he said. "I'm aware that America has mucked around a lot, but I don't agree with anyone that 9-11 was what we deserved."

They avoided parts of the Middle East because of the war, but ventured into Egypt and found some residents particularly unfriendly and even threatening.

In Nepal, Stoll stayed discreetly inside a store while protesters burned President Bush in effigy during a protest on the street.

An often interesting, frequently dangerous, journey where he was sometimes afraid, but frequently touched by the people he encountered, led him eventually to the happiness he craved.

You can read some of his adventures here: The Argonauts.

The stories, and photos, give a fascinating glimpe into various parts of the world, and one mans ( 2, actually, if you count the stories of his friend ) personal journey.

Do like I have done, and save the link to the site so you can spend time, at your leisure, enjoying the adventure. ( It's gonna take me a while to make it through it all, trust me! )

Full News story-- MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL: Covering globe on 2 wheels by Laurel Walker.