The Ramble - As Told Through Images
My take on the Desert Ramble is now live over on my Exposure site. Hop on over and check out what a bunch of dudes, on Fat bikes, with cameras in tow, were up to.
Filtering by Category: Trip Report
Gnat's Desert Ramble
Chasing Rainbows -- Night one and a race to find camp after a mere 19 miles of hard, really hard, riding
Ten guys, all avid cyclists and photographers, descended on Fruita, fat bikes in tow, for what would be a most awesome ramble through the desert. Like all good trips, there is balance between the reality of plans versus what is actually achievable. Skills, conditions, gear, all combine to alter what is the expected reality.
This trip would be no different, and while the goal was a figure 8 loop from Fruita to Moab and back, following the renowned Kopokeli trail -- the reality of rain, slick mud that turned to hard clay on our fat bikes, would all conspire to alter our plans.
I am working images now and hope to have the full story up on my photo essay site later this week. In the meantime, I am slowly streaming some of my favorite images onto Instagram as are the others. Follow the hash tag #desertramble to find what others are posting.
From the bottom of my heart, my deepest thanks to JB for putting this together. Truly one of the most memorable trips of my traveling time.
And we are done -- Not!
Sustainably raised and farmed oysters served up at the lovely Eventide in Portland Maine
The Farm To Table Cycle trip has come to a close and now we dig deep, edit images, and begin the process of telling the fantastic stories that we encountered. For now, you can read updates over on our 'Micro' blog site -- www.farmtotablecycle.com where we will be posting images and telling short versions of these stories. Shortly, I will have the Farm To Table Cycle photo essay online where more images and a few words will be shared with all.
For now, a huge thanks to all of the people that helped make this extraordinary trip possible. I am once again honored and humbled buy the lives of so many people doing such inspirational things.
Coconino 250
North of Flagstaff joining the AZT
Decompression
Erik and Josh working the dustbowl of the Oregon Outback
I am back from my whirlwind trips this spring, The Pisgah, The Kentucky Bourbon Trail, The Coconino 250, and the Oregon Outback. Now for editing and sharing along with my ramblings on gear, life, and bourbon.
Coconino 250 - Slowly getting the story done
Leica and the Coconino 250
A gamble, taking the Monochrome to the desert... Would it work, would I be able to tell the story only in B&W? Would the Monochrome survive, like its fore fathers? Who knows, but looking at this first image, one of Eszter's Salsa Spearfish, I am very excited about the possibilities...Looking at a second, of Eszter bombing down the trail gets me really going...
It will be another week or so before I look at everything, but....
Pisgah and the Spearfish
I am currently down in Brevard NC putting the new Salsa Spearfish through its paces. This is an amazing place to ride, photograph and enjoy good local brews. I feel like I have just found a hidden gem on the east coast. With miles and miles of forest roads and single track it is definitely a mountain bike playground unlike anything else I have found on the East Coast.
The Hub, located right at the mouth of the Pisgah on the Davidson River, is an absolutely fantastic base camp. The shop staff is super friendly, willing to help with digesting the unfathomable amount of riding options. The shop is fully staffed with bikes and all the kit you could need as well as a cleaning station outside. Inside they have a little pub setup where you can grab a nice draft brew from one of the local breweries. I have made it a practice of stopping post ride and enjoying a nice cold Pisgah Pale Ale.
The Fish, well what can I say, truly a home run by Salsa. This is one of the nicest and most fun bikes I have ever ridden. It climbs like a billy goat and flies down the single track in effortless fasion. I am super stoked to be taking this bike to Arizona for the Coconino Loop in a couple of weeks. There is no doubt that it will make for a fantastic bikepacking experience. Loads of travel when necessary and yet rigid enough to make the flats an efficient and comfortable experience. More on that trip in a week or so.
I will update my Photo Essays site with a full story but for now, here are a few teaser images from my first week.
A slightly different perspective
My writeup of the Lost Coast is now live up on the Salsa Culture site. That has a few more words about the trip and what it meant to me and the others. Take a look and let me know what you think. I have mentioned it before and I will say it again, an epic set of coastline that I look forward to seeing again.
A couple of other pics, in color, to highlight the story:
The Lost Coast - The Story Soon
Traveling the lost coast was like a trip back in time, rugged, remote, beautiful
Images and a few simple words -- coming soon....
The Lost Coast
Man, I can't believe it has been 6 weeks or more since this trip completed. I am, unfortunately, just getting around to editing the images and writing the story of this amazing trip. A special thanks to Erik and Andrew for including me on what was an epic trip along the Lost Coast of California. The Mukluk hung tough, outpaced by friends with skinnier tires, she did the best she could and while not the fastest, she certainly earned the most STYLE points. More to come soon....
2013 Autumn Gales - In the Books
Another successful gathering of paddlers and coaches down in Stonington CT. This event, hosted by Greg Paquin of Kayak Waveology, has become the go-to premier rough water paddling event on the East Coast. For the 3rd year in a row I have attempted to capture the event to the best of my abilities. Lots of images left to edit, and as with the AW1 review, I hope to get them all done by Monday. In the meantime, a few teaser images to get things going....
The go anywhere anytime bike - touring Down East Maine
Tucked away off the beaten path is one of my favorite little beach spots
One of the things I love most about the Salsa Mukluk is its ability to go anywhere at anytime. No other bike I have owned has offered me this kind of flexibility. On each of the long distance expeditions and tours where I have traveled by Mukluk, I have been able to cover an incredibly diverse set of terrain.
E and her purple Muk with Escalators ready to be studded
Locally, in Down East Maine, the story is no different. On any given ride, I can cover road, dirt trails, bogs, mud flats, beaches and whatever else mother nature throws my way. The fall weather has continued to be spectacular and yesterday was no different. Hopping on the bikes we did a spectacular 20 mile loop along the bold coast, choosing dirt where we could, some remote beaches and a finishing ride in the dark (and I mean dark...).
The beautiful fall blueberry barrens
An old abandoned smoke house sits back in a protected cove
As the high pressure system moved in, the rain passed us by and the winds continued to pick up. The setting sun this time of year is just spectacular giving you dramatic skylines and lighting up the rust colored blueberry barrens. We turned around as the light began to fade, stopped in to visit friends -- like all good guests, we arrived carrying with us two bottles of JK Scrumpy's, tucked neatly in my Porcelain Rocket Booster pack, to share with John and Lisa. The two are building a house right on the coast, on one of the most spectacular pieces of land I have ever seen.
What a spot for their new home
Bikes, friends, food and drink, agh life is good. With the dark rapidly approaching it was time to head off. My light had been destroyed by water, so with nothing more than flashing lights on the rear of my bike and a little camp headlamp, it was a race back to town. Heading out, while riding into a strong headwind, we were stoked that at least on the return leg, the wind would be at our back. Alas, as all good travelers know, the wind gods constantly conspire against you, and tonight would be no different. The front now passed, the winds had swung to the west and we had a full on slog at hand.
Fading light and the race back to town
This region of Maine is simply spectacular and difficult to describe with words alone. The coastal roads offer up a visual feast for the eyes and an endless array of paths to explore. While you could drive it in a car and get some sense of the beauty and complexity of the area, it really must be experienced on two wheels. The ability to stop, detour, explore, smell, see, and breathe in the majesty of the region is the only way to truly immerse yourself in Down East Maine.
The Lost Coast - Day 1, images not words
A couple of images to tell the story of that memorable first day. Lots more to come, and even on Day 1, these few images don't do it justice....Wow, all I can say is WOW.
Beer, Bikes, Friends
As with all good tours, and bike rides, good beer and good friends make for a spectacular adventure. Here we have a couple pics from the recent Lost Coast Tour that cast a bit of light on both. I will have an entire gallery dedicated to the food we ate, the beer, wine and whiskey we drank, and the people we met. To me, those things culminated in one of the most awesome Adventures I have ever had!! Cheers guys and gal, it was a great ride and I look forward to Part II.
