A rapid descent into Dog Valley Rarely do I write about a ride I didn't dream-up, plan, and execute. But this was all Jake Francis. Jake is a bee-guy, flower-guy, pollination ecologist, chemical ecologist, and behaviorist. He is one of the smartest scientists I have chatted with. He is a creative DIY-guy from the kitchen …
Continue reading Sub-24-Overnight; Swift Industries Solstice Camp Out
The Calico Hills and Mountains as I had left them Division (8533') and South Donnelly (7719') Peaks are snow covered In planning this route I knew I was going to peak out at 7100' yet my goal was to keep my elevation low to avoid the snow. Low and slow is a challenge in this …
Continue reading Ride Report; Granite Range, Negro Creek to Leadville Canyon
Buying a packraft for touring in the driest state sounds a little crazy. But during the storms of 2017 Nevadan deserts flooded. The desert's alkali flats, playas, ancient lake beds went from dusty dry hard pan to feet of water. We are coming up on 2 years since these storms dropped record rain and snow …
Continue reading Gear Review: Kokopelli Hornet-lite Packraft
I felt very fortunate to come across the "Truckee Trunk Sale" event on Facebook. Local bikepacker Blake Bockius hosted the event so David Wilson could fire up the grill and show us his fine collection of bags. About a dozen or so riders showed up at Casa Bockius in Truckee, CA for a fun social, …
Continue reading Bag Party with Nuclear Sunrise Stitchworks LLC
"If you make it I will ride down and you can take my picture. For perspective," Pete let me know. If I survived? What were the range of outcomes riding down the face of the dune? Ripping success, a slow stilted descent, tumbling down the sand face, and somewhere in the mix was not surviving. …
Most of what I write about are short half day outings. These are exploratory routes that I imagine can be linked together or expanded upon to suite anyone's needs. I plan them in particular areas but occasionally stumble across "lines on the map." These write-up get filed under "Ride Reports." To me these are the …
Winter in northern Nevada can be a tricky time to ride in the dirt. We have some of the stickiest peanut butter like clay conditions mixed in with our steep rocky sandy back roads and trails. This year has been particularly wet, which is great for our drought stressed wildlife and agriculture, but challenging when …
A couple of years ago I picked up a Salsa Fargo frame and fork with the idea of adventure touring. I had some 29'r disc wheels and a build kit from an old cross bike but then it sat. Two winters later it came together. After 250 miles of mixed day trips and commuting I …
