Last weekend was a long holiday weekend so Jesse and I wanted to get out of town for a small adventure. My irritated back from the previous week seemed to be under control and while my foot still didn’t seem ready for much hiking or rugged mountain biking, it DID seem ready for a dirt…
This Body. Four Weeks. And Memory Lane.
The sun was setting. I put music in my ears and continued to pedal into the darkness. I had been pedaling since 5am, a time of day during which my water hose had froze within minutes. In March 2014 I had recently started bikepacking with the goal of racing the Tour Divide (TD) that summer….
Patience.
It’s come to my attention that I don’t always do a very good job of keeping people up to date with my life details, instead just dropping comments about my current life events in a blog post without following through with details or a wrap-up. First, let me say to the reader that then asks…
When Plan C turns into Plan D…
Baja Mexico, Central Arizona, Southern Arizona, and still a trip cut short. Months ago Jesse and I started planning an exciting car-free bikepacking trip to Baja. We had train tickets from Santa Barbara to San Diego where we would then start pedaling the Baja Divide route for about 300 miles before taking a bus back…
My Life Feels Like a Country Song
You know: my dog died, my wife left me, and my truck won’t start. Or something like that. None of those things have actually happened to me, but the last week has been particularly trying and emotional. The past week also perhaps marked the most socialization and close contact we have had with other humans…
Leaning In To The Long Dark Nights
Over the long Thanksgiving weekend Jesse and I wanted to explore somewhere new, but also not drive too far. About a 40 minute drive from here is Happy Canyon Road which leads deep into the Los Padres. I’ve been to the end of the road several times for hiking. The road ends in a Wilderness…
Finding Flow in the Unknown
Resilience. Trust. Bravery. Flexibility. These are just a few of the characteristics required to leave behind secure employment for adventure and the unknown. You can infuse adventure into your life while keeping a full time job by planning big trips for your few weeks of annual vacation. You can also focus on micro-adventures that happen…
Filling In (My) Gaps On the Map
Following the bikepacking trip that Jesse and I did in northern NM, my realization that between fires, the plundering of public lands, and the likely increase in pandemics to come in the future, the time to see places on “my list” is now. This reality is driven home yet again, as a new fire just…
The Trails Will Always Be There, Right…?
I used to always think, well if I don’t get to a certain location/trail/bikepacking route one year, I can always do it the next year. However, with rapidly accelerating climate disasters and pandemics that stymie travel that assumption is becoming increasingly untrue. In that light it feels more imperative all of the time to get…
A Climate Refugee – Of the Most Privileged Sort
I’ll start with the beautiful. By early August the garden that Kai and I were cultivating was popping! We were eating green beans, corn, lettuce, cucumbers, beats, radishes, potatoes, zucchini — boy were we eating zucchini, also eggplant and tomatoes were just starting to come on, as well! It was also proving to be one…