Scott’s adventures

What is adventure? An adventure is similar to an exploration or a feat of endurance, but an adventure has the connotation of being poorly planned. In a way, all of life is a poorly planned adventure, where we play with the mysteries, dance on the edge of the unknown and push the boundaries of what it means to be human.

These are stories of my adventures through life, like riding a bicycle around the world, being the Cultural Ambassador to Argentina and—hopefully—many more, big and small. I like to collect life experiences. I invite you along for the ride as I explore the inner and outer world and learn to become a better person.

Choose Your Own Adventure books from Scott's library

Help choose the next adventure

Scott's BIG! adventures

Scott Stoll's before and after picture of his bicycle tour around the world.

Around the world by bicycle

A photo of us mimicking the pose of the presidents on Mount Rushmore.

How to make a memorable moment

Seal of the United States Department of State

Cultural Ambassador

Recent favorite adventures

Totality during the 2024 Solar Eclipse looking like a diamond ring.

Totality or Bust

Delicate Arch panorama at Arches National Park, Utah. The arch sits next to a bowl underneath a beautiful sky.

Charged by a bull in Arches National Park

Grizzly bear Glacier National Park foraging for grub worms.

Going-to-the-Sun Road on a bike

Cayo Real to Vieques island swim. Satellite view.

Fear of water versus fear of self

Scott riding his bicycle on Mars. The background is actual Mars, and the photo of Scott is from Tibet.

Scott’s name lands on Mars

Scott Stoll Shuttle Bike Kit Ohio River

Scott’s World Record

Adventure Updates

There are many steps to completing any adventure. 

Below are stories from the road, and some stories about stories. Yes, writing a book is an adventure and a hard one — it requires one to bare their soul, which I think is harder than facing the bears. 

There aren’t as many stories here as you might expect. That’s because when my adventures graduate, they get promoted to a book or short story. I delete all the old blog posts — close to a thousand to date — so that my readers can just focus on the best of the best. 

Bahamas license plates mural artwork

The untold adventures of life

The Big Dipper rises over El Capitan. Tiny dots of light on El Capitan white and orange lights reveal the location of climbers at night.

Constellation of Climbers

Late at night in Yosemite, I mistook a cluster of lights for a constellation. They were actually climbers resting on El Capitan, suspended in hammocks above the valley floor. The real Big Dipper hung upside down overhead, turning the whole scene into something unforgettable.
Waymo ride Dennis and Scott

The future is here!

Riding in a fully driverless Waymo in the Bay Area felt like stepping into an episode of Star Trek. Here's what it was like when Dennis and I took a ride. And, yes, this the Dennis who accompanied me halfway round the world.
Boarding Pass Artemis II moon

NASA is going back to the moon, and I’m going along for the ride!

Once again my name will be aboard the ship. And if I'm lucky, I will be chosen to attend the launch and promote this pinnicle of human apsiration.
An old overexposed photo of Gertrude Ederle pictured swimming in the English Channel.

Notes to our future selves

While visiting my parents’ home, I found an old note I’d written to myself: “I hereby declare I will swim the English Channel!” I had forgotten all about it—forgotten the dream, the confidence, and the young man who believed he could do anything. I never swam the Channel, but holding that note reminded me of something more important.
The Kon-Tiki is a balsa wood raft with a rectangular shape with a large square sail displaying a stylized face design. The raft is made of giant balsa logs tied together with rope on top of which sits a small cabin. The ship is decorated with various flags, including Norway, Peru and the United States.

Kon-Tiki — a book that changed my life

The first true adventure story I read was Kon-Tiki, and it was then that I realized I could go on my own adventure. I didn't know the Kon-Tiki still existed until I arrived in Norway.
Tripe and intestine soup Tanzania

What is the grossest thing you ever ate?

Here is a fun bonus chapter from Falling Uphill that I thought I would post online as part of my 25th-anniversary celebration. My book was getting long, so I cut this chapter because I didn't think it matched the tone I was going for. However, I do think it is one of my funnier stories, and it showcases just how odd we humans are.
Scott Stoll wearing an embarrassingly tight swimsuit.

Harnessing the passion to swim one mile

A story about getting fit both physically and mentally to swim one mile. I also share the process that I created to harness different types of passion. Did you know there is more than one kind of passion? I didn’t. In retrospect, it’s a similar process that I used to cycle around the world. And, it’s a process that you can use to achieve your goals, too.  
Cycling up the Worlds Steepest Hill

Did you break a world record?

Many years later, this question is still one of the most common questions about my journey around the world on a bicycle. Did you break a world record? The short answer is yes and no. In this article, I'll explain the rules for circumnavigating the globe according to Guinness World Records, and, more importantly, how we are all setting our own personal records every day.
View all of Scott's adventures