A thrilling ride down the "Camino de la Muerte," or "Death Road," has become a popular adventure destination in Bolivia. I, personally, get nauseous just looking at the photo.

A 56-year old U.S. tourist, Kenneth Mitchell, was killed here in mountain-biking accident after tumbling from his rented bicycle and falling down a 200-foot cliff. Mitchell is the 12th cyclist to die on the road in the last decade.

The highway east from La Paz, the world's highest capital city, winds dramatically down the face of the Andes, dropping 11,800 feet in just 40 miles. According to IHT, the narrow dirt track earned its nickname for the frequency with which Bolivian buses would plunge off its 3,300-foot cliffs, killing hundreds a year until a new paved highway opened 2007.

The cause of the accident is unknown. Mitchell's bike, left behind at the cliff's edge, was in perfect working order. Strange.

I am a big ZipCar fan. I can guarantee that I would like a similar service using bicycles instead of cars, as well.

DC is launching a first extensive bike-sharing initiative in the US. Registered participants can access 120 "smart bikes" at 10 different locations in the downtown area. Retrieving the bike is easy.

• Go to any bike station (see photo)
  
  
• Wave your SmartBike DC user card in front of the card reader
  
  
• Follow instructions on screen
  
  
• Retrieve assigned bike from rack

Bike-sharing has been popular throughout Europe, with cities like Paris, Barcelona or Stockholm using them. Will it work in car-infatuated America? That's a good question.

There are problems with the idea translating into this market. The US is a litigious society. People will sue if something happens to them. Helmets are not provided, yet they are required in many states. There are other liability issues. If they bike gets stolen, the customer pays.

I sincerely hope they can figure out how to make it work. It's a great idea.

If Desperate Housewives has taught us nothing else-- and it hasn't-- we've at least seen that there's often more to the suburbs than meets the eye. Over at one of my favorite travel sites, Vagabondish, Ben Hancock tries to explain that the suburbs don't completely suck, especially if you're willing to approach them with the right attitude.

One key to surviving, and perhaps even enjoying, the land of "big box" stores and McMansions is this: Seek out local businesses. "People like to pretend that mom-and-pop shops get squeezed out by national corporations, which is only half the story: local businesses are more often killed by public capitulation to convenience," Hancock writes. "Even in the suburbs, you shouldn't be a part of that."

Despite the fact that the suburbs often seem navigable only by car, walking and bicycle are still entirely legal, and frequently these modes of transport offer a closer, better view of the 'burbs. Worth noting: bicycles, unlike cars, receive infinity miles to the gallon.

Hancock also suggests hanging out in parks, checking out religious centers, and if nothing else, "Hey, IHOP is always open."

These tips are all great, really, but the most important thing is attitude. If you've grown up in the suburbs, like I have, or if you're just spending time there to visit friends or family, it's easy to think that there's not much to see. Take that attitude, and I guarantee your expectations will be met. But if you're open to the idea that there's usually more to the suburbs than Wal-Marts and Starbucks, you just might find something you never expected.

Like that cute housewife down the street.

If you are an outdoor aficionado, you may already be familiar with Wend. The outdoor magazine based out of Portland, Oregon fills its pages with stories from around the globe that peak the interest of not only outdoor enthusiasts, but anyone with a wanderlust. The latest issue covers a trip through Iceland, volunteering in Indonesia, trekking Afghanistan and surfing the Great Lakes; that's what I call good reading material.

Being the eco-friendly souls that they are, the Wend crew finally put the magazine online, making all of the articles accessible via your computer. You can still buy the print version, but if you are out traveling -- or just want to save on paper consumption -- the new online version is just as satisfying. And it's free.

Check out the virtual version of the latest issue here. And if you are feeling truly inspired, shoot them an email and pitch a story.

I am the first to admit that I find Europe's quaintness annoying sometimes. All the picturesque towns and medieval city centers can get old, figuratively speaking.

However, I will probably never get tired of Europe's winding roads. You'll hardly find a better place to motorcycle. If I could define the best globalization has done for me, it would have to involve a Harley Davidson on a European road in Italy somewhere, drinking French wine and eating Thai food. Shallow, but very satisfying.

I was happy to see that The Guardian has come up with a list of best motorcycling roads in Europe.

Top 10 motorcycling roads of Europe:

1. The Cat and Fiddle run - A537, Buxton-Macclesfield, England
2. The Amalfi Coast Road - Naples to Salerno, Italy
3. The Transfagarasan Highway - Sibiu to Curtea de Arges, Transylvania, Romania
4. Bergen to Geiranger, Norway
5. Trabzon to Savsat, Eastern Turkey
6. Furka Pass, between Gletsch and Andermatt, Switzerland
7. A2, the Antrim coast road, Northern Ireland
8. Bar in Montenegro to Sarajevo in Bosnia
9. Saranda to Vlora, Albania
10. Cabo de Gata to Granada, Spain

I want to go now.

Kelsey's post about traveling through Portland got me thinking of all the great stuff that comes out of this west coast city. First of all it was just rated the greenest American city, and of course it has the infamous bookstore Powell's. But even better, the city also manages to produce a lot of inspirational travelers.

One of Portland's current traveling teams is Elicia Càrdenas and Andy McKerrow who are making their way by bike through South America. Starting in Northern Patagonia in early January and working their way down to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, Elicia and Andy are taking part in another great adventure to add to the list of global cycling pursuits. Back in Portland they work for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, so you know they are pretty cycle friendly.

You can follow their trip, with lots of pictures to spice up your gray winter days, on their blog sponsored by Wend Magazine.

Some people travel around the world on airplanes, some on horseback and others on bicycle. Mark Beaumont is one of the latter. On Friday February 16, the Scotsman arrived in Paris, completing his round the world bicycle journey of 18,000 miles which took him exactly 195 days and six hours. Mike's not the only one to attempt to bike around the world, but he certainly is the fastest. The 25 year old vegetarian -- he had to eat 6,000 calories a day in order to keep up his energy -- beat out the previous record by 81 days.

So what's on the packing list when whizzing around the world on two wheels? 80 kg of gear, a very expensive bike, and probably a little bit of motivation thanks to trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records; he is expected to enter the famous book once his journey is verified. Add to that a little common sense -- he changed his route to avoid the insurgency in southern Thailand when crossing to Malaysia -- and you have the ingredients for the finest, and toughest, of world travelers.

What were some of his global lessons? There's too much fast food in America and Australia, you can cycle across Holland in four hours, you never know when your wallet is going to be stolen by crack addicts, and Istanbul provides for the scariest cycling. Sounds like the beginnings of a great travel book if you ask me, so for his adventurous spirit, I think Mark deserves a nice round of virtual applause.

Looks like something straight out of The Flintstones, eh? My question is, well, aren't they going to be kinda screwed going uphills?

The shot was taken in the village of Banaue, the Philippines, during a festival (here's more information). What's more, the setting is absolutely gorgeous: the Banaue Rice Terraces, which are sometimes referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World."

For more pictures from this photographer, see here.

On your trip to the slopes for some much needed excitement and adventure, you awake to find fresh powder. Lots of it, too. You begin to head for the runs and realize that in your excitement, you've forgotten your gloves. No matter, you think, I have to get out there! A few hours later, your hands begin to blister and get numb. What do you do?

This is a common situation and one that I have seen happen all too much. The condition is frostbite and it can not only slow down your trip, but can cost you your extremities!

This is a condition where the tissues of the body, generally the fingers and toes, begin to actually freeze. This can cause massive damage to the tissue and sever cases, beside being very painful, can require amputation of necrotic (dead) tissue.

There are two conditions to know, frost nip and frostbite. Frostbite is the worst and most severe form, characterized by destroyed tissue and numbness. Blister formation and muscles damage are also common. Frost nip is less severe and does not destroy the tissues.

A backpacker in Peru I met has been spending the last half year or so bumming through South America. He told many thrilling tales, but the one that really stood out being his biking trip down the world's most dangerous road, right outside La Paz, Bolivia.

In the Youtube video below, you'll see what appears to be a not-too-wide bike trail. In fact, buses and trucks routinely drive--and pass each other--on this so-called road. And you can share in the experience, though I highly recommend against riding in through on a bus.

Biking trips are routinely offered on the road, but be prepared to face rain, sleet, snow, mudslides, landslides, Yeti attacks, and oh death.