I arrived in Glasgow this morning and my first stop was to pick up a scarf in the colors of a deep ancestral line - the Armstrong Clan. My paternal grandmother was an Armstrong, and her ancestors trace back through southern England and the Isle of Man (1700s) to the Castleton area north of Edinburgh... Continue Reading →
July 24 is a holiday in the state of Utah, so I logged a 69-mile ride around the Salt Lake valley to take in the festivities and remember some special pioneers. I followed the parade route -- South Temple, 200 East, 800 South -- then up to the Salt Lake Cemetery and This is the... Continue Reading →
In eighth grade, my nickname was Sven. I was new to the school and when the English teacher asked another student what my name was, the dude responded, "I don't know, Sven or something." And so it stuck. All year. My blog takes its name from the Old English word swain, which in turn comes from... Continue Reading →
Norwegian Constitution Day or "grunnlovsdag," celebrates the day in 1814 when Norway’s constitution was signed in the town of Eidsvoll, Norway. The holiday is also commonly known as "Syttende Mai" or the 17th of May, and is marked by children's parades, marching bands, speeches, flags, wearing traditional clothing (called a "bunad"), and eating lots of... Continue Reading →
My annual goal to ride 5,000 miles with the British magazine Cycling Weekly involves monthly challenges that break up the large task and offer some fun. For April, one such mini-challenge is to take a selfie at a cycling café and report on its best cake. How hard could it be to find a British... Continue Reading →
In 1760, the Anglican Reverend East Apthorp commissioned architect Peter Harrison to build a private residence high above the bank of the Charles River. The resulting mansion - one of the largest and most magnificent in Cambridge - was surrounded by extensive grounds that extended to the river front. The home's opulence, combined with East's... Continue Reading →
the Bikeswain 