The Freedom of the Mountaineer
“Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer.” ~John Muir. I’ve been thinking a lot about why I love the outdoors. As long as I can remember I have been drawn to, and moved by, the deserts and mountains. I used to think that perhaps I had been born in […]
Conservation As Mirror
Wallace Stegner, in 1960, wrote: Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed; if we permit the last virgin forests to be turned into comic books and plastic cigarette cases; if we drive the few remaining members of the wild species into zoos or […]
Matt ‘Bronco’ Bradley
“On the great high plains where the northers blow/This breed of the brave is found.” Matt ‘Bronco’ Bradley died Tuesday March 20th, 2012. He was 41. Matt was a cyclist, cancer survivor, folklorist, and professor. He was generous, friendly, and instantly likable. His constant optimism was a source of inspiration and motivation for his students and for […]
The Best Bike?
What makes a bike perfect? Does such a thing even exist? Invariably we ask each other about our rides.”How do you like your bike?” “How’s that suspension fork handle?” “Do you like your new frame more than the one you had?” And the answers are almost entirely positive. “I love it.” “It handles great. Quick, and […]
Gritty Fitty
“They tell me you are a man with true grit.“ Grit is an overused word. Especially in the world of sports. Mediocre baseball players, the type who hit for very little power, throw weakly, run slowly, and strike out a lot, are often called “gritty’ because they “play the game the right way”, or “get their uniform dirty every […]
A Leap of Faith
Racing a bike is risky. Racing a bike is revealing. It peels away layers of bravado and confidence. It exposes us for who we really are. What we really are. No amount of talking or training or skill can hide the stark, naked reality of a bike race. Our core is turned inside-out for anyone and […]
Zion National Park
Zion National Park was Utah’s first Nation Park. It was formally established in 1919.
