Another Dirt Fest has come and gone, and, as usual, it was a big blur punctuated by highlights. It was my third year helping out with the event, and it seems as though every year I become farther removed from the participation aspect and more closely intertwined with the organization and making-stuff-happen aspect of things. …
Bikepacking Rothrock State Forest & Big Valley.
Though I don't do it nearly as often as I'd like, every time I leave on a bicycle with everything I'll need to spend the night packed in my panniers, I just have this good feeling of excitement and adventure and utter peace all at once. A couple weekends ago, I went on my first …
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Paddling Stone Creek.Â
Stone Creek is a small stream that runs parallel to the main road that runs from our house to town. In the summer, it's usually tough to navigate all the way down it in a boat due to the many shallow spots. But a couple weeks ago, all the rivers and streams were running high …
Sunshine and skinny tires.
Sunday was the first really warm day of the season, with temps souring into the 50s and barely a cloud in the sky to boot. Luckily, it was also my day off. Trails and wooded areas were still pretty well packed in with snow and ice, so it was a fitting occasion to break out …
Winter’s last hurrah.
Spring is in the air, I can feel it. Despite the fact that temperatures have still been way below freezing the past week, something seems a little bit different. The birds are chirping more, the sun feels warmer when it shines, and the weather report confirms that next week, it will indeed rise above freezing, …
Riding on Standing Stone Creek.
It's been a cold winter. It started out rather mild, with days in the 50s through December, but the past month or so has been brutally chilly. There have been plenty of days with highs in the single digits, and it's been regularly dipping below zero at night. The snow is also just deep enough and just …
The oatmeal ride.
I sat in my car in the parking lot, tired, hungover. It was early, too early for how late I had gone to bed the night before. I felt more like snuggling in the warm covers than hopping on a mountain bike and pedaling through the snow for a couple hours. But I refused to …
Welcoming the Alpacas.
The latest news on the block is this: Evan and I got ourselves a herd of alpacas. They arrived a week and a half ago. Evan and his friend Chris made the journey together to pick them up several hours away, and returned home close to midnight with a box trailer containing 5 furry fluff-balls. …
Frozen Fat, Day 3: Shoreline Shenanigans.
If Saturday's ride is at all serious, Sunday's is anything but. Rather, it's wheelies and derbies, costumes and skipping stones. It's a party on bikes, no endurance needed. There are lots of stops, laughs, and log ride attempts. And everyone wins. The venue changes from Rothrock State Forest and Martin Gap to the Allegrippis Trails …
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Frozen Fat: Things that happen after dark.
After a long day of riding, we all stand around the fire, commune in exhausted happiness, and take part in random bicycle-related debauchery. This years feature was the ski chariot pull.
helena kotala 