It was a moonless night. The sky was cloudy and I could only see the patch of hazy stars that were directly above me. The horizon was almost pitch black, something rare, to have so little amount of light pollution. My eyes could barely pick out the dark outlines of the buttes and spires that during the daylight resemble seven sailors, a sitting hen, a battleship, and a castle.
Read MoreThe Great Sand Dunes look so out of place sitting in the middle of the San Luis Valley with the snow covered Sangre de Cristo Mountains as its backdrop on the eastern side. On our drive from Salida to Crestone, Jerud pointed out the sand dunes to me; from afar you could see the land turn smooth at the foot of the mountains. I was very excited to see the Great Sand Dunes and knew it would be a unique experience. But I wasn’t prepared for how spellbound I would be by them.
Read MoreAfter walking out of Salida Mountain Sports and Absolute Bikes with maps and a list of trails to check out, Jerud and I felt eager, excited and overwhelmed. Salida has so many trails that it would take years to complete any large portion of them. I have to remind myself that it’s ok that we won’t be able to see and do all trails, and that we’re living on the road now which means coming back will be a lot easier than traveling in our previous lifestyle.
Read MoreOn our last day in Salida, CO we had decided that because of the snow and muddy roads we had to leave town. Our 14-day stay limit was up at Salida East Recreation Area and our other boondocking options weren’t viable because of the road conditions. The plan was that we would head to Great Sand Dunes National Park the next day. Early the next morning Jerud got a text from his grandmother. Turned out his grandmother and grandfather were in Colorado Springs until the next day staying with his aunt and uncle. They hadn’t seen Jerud in a long time and wanted to see the RV, so we headed to Colorado Springs for the next two days.
Read MoreBefore we arrived Salida, we said to each other, “We’ll only be here for three or so days before we head onto Durango.” Salida wasn’t even on our radar until Andrew insisted that we stop and check out the town. Andrew, Reid and Brant (two brothers he met) rode through and stopped in Salida during his Great Divide tour last summer. Him and Reid randomly decided to ride the Backbone Trail on S Mountain (Arkansas Mountain Trail System) to get into town from the Great Divide route. I remember him calling me to tell me about this incredible piece of singletrack that brought him into a cool town.
Read MoreIn Denver we experienced what it would be like to live in a shopping center parking lot. Jay, our friend we went to visit, let us stay in the parking lot of his retail store while we were in town. It worked out really nicely because it was conveniently located to all the errands we had to run while in town. The spot Jay picked out for us was actually pretty nice - we were parked away from all the other cars and essentially had our own little section of the parking lot.
Read MoreStonewall Falls Trail is about 12 miles from the campground and has close to 13 miles of trail. It was the closest mountain biking trails to us so we checked it out. We also hiked down into Tallulah Gorge and it wasn't what we expected.
Read MoreIt's been too long since we've taken a day off and spent it the way we used to. Our excuse for today's day off was to celebrate Andrew's birthday (belated) and Tybee's birthday (early).
Read MoreStepping out from the forest of cedar and moss I am stunned by what I see. Lake Twentytwo sits at the base of Mt. Pilchuck.
Read MoreTwo days ago, June 4, Andrew got on a plane to Calgary, Canada. With a one way ticket and his bike. To ride the Great Divide.
Read MorePMBAR (Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure Race) is this super popular race put on by Pisgah Productions. So popular, it sells out in less than a day (update: it sold out in 16 hours in 2014 and a record of 5 hours in 2015). The race is a checkpoint format with teams of two riders. But the highlight of the race (aside from spending an entire day in Pisgah on a bike) is that you don't know any details of the race until the morning of.
Read MoreIt was a beautiful sunny and warm March day. Friends were heading out to Linville Gorge to climb and the dogs and I got to join them.
Read MoreThe weekend was spent riding. Short rides, but we got out nonetheless.
Read MoreThe forecast was calling for a significant winter storm - anywhere from 4 - 10 inches (that's significant for us in the southeast) of snow depending on the elevation. We brought the dogs out to play in the snow and went snowboarding.
Read MoreIt was the day for the dogs. We decided to bring Tybee and Tyki hiking somewhere they don't usually go. To change things up, we drove out to hike the trails in Montreat.
Read MoreNace invited to take me out on these trails he rides that isn't open to the public. They are on the land of a local girl's summer camp.
Read MoreWe are finally seeing positive changes to the trailer instead of "negative" changes from constantly tearing it apart!
Read MoreBearwallow Mountain has a special place in my heart.
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