LARRY HAMMAR

In researching for the Transamerica bike trip that I took a couple years back, I ran across this guy's flickr and was floored. Larry Hammar (hammarhead2) was a cycling tour guide (and maybe still is?), leading groups across the country, through Canada and the Yukon, to Alaska and everywhere in between, from the Bikecentennial '76 onward. It took me probably 30 minutes to choose this photo above because they're all so good. When we were on our trip out west we still saw a few of those original 76 Bike Route signs. Some things really don't change all that much, and trips like these remind you of that. Check out all the photos, then start planning a bike trip with your friends. That groundhog didn't see his shadow, you know.

SURFWISE

Re-watched this guy this morning for probably the fifth time. A good number of you I'm sure have seen this, but those who haven't, please do so. Surfwise is a documentary that came out a couple years ago about the Paskowitz family, living under the reign of the utopia-driven father Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz. Doc gave up his practice as one of the top physicians in Hawaii in the late fifties, to devote the rest of his life to traveling the world and surfing with his family of eleven in a 24' camper trailer.Catch the trailer and pick up a copy here, or check it out on Netflix.

GORDON EASTMAN

In the late sixties and early to mid seventies, Gordon Eastman, an outdoor photographer, made a couple of films titled High, Wild & Free and The Savage Wild. Eastman starred in, filmed, photographed, directed, produced and wrote the score for both films. They were first shown exclusively in the theater, but were eventually leaked to TV in the late seventies as "nature programming". The Savage Wild is a tale about Eastman raising a litter of wild wolf pups from infancy, followed at every turn by the wolf hunters, Redbeard and his little chronie. High, Wild & Free was referred by somebody on Netflix as being "to hunting what Endless Summer is to surfing."The links above click over to streaming on Netflix. Worth a watch for sure.

The Zen Of Running

Thank you to KIKI COLORE for pointing out the downloadable version of The Zen of Running, Fred Rohe's 1970s "classic" meditation on moving our legs to get from one point to the next. I was unfortunately sidelined last season due to some IT problems, and it's been a bummer finally getting back into it on a treadmill. The roads and sidewalks out east just won't allow for the real thing. Yet. But thank the lord for the foam roller. That thing is a true blessing.I don't know much about the Zen of Running other than the reading it this morning. It's a short, meditative, picture heavy book about accepting the rewards of running in the present, feeling your body throughout the process, and starting small, conquering the feasible goals while ignoring ego. Easy, right?

THE COOKIE LADY

June Curry (aka The Cookie Lady) received the Adventure Cycling Association's first ever Trail Angel Award in 2003. The award has since been named after her, in honor and recognition for her help towards over 11,000 weary traveling cyclists on the Transamerica Trail. June Curry began baking cookies for cyclists the very first year that the Transam was run, during Bikecentennial '76. Curry lives atop a ridge just after a grueling climb in Virginia, just before the Blue Ridge Parkway. Over the years Curry offered water, lodging, a place to relax, and of course cookies in exchange for stories from people all around the world. Curry's home (and cycling "hostel") serve as a literal museum, with yellowed polaroids, sweaty caps, and used bike tires, archiving over thirty years of the Transam. Over the years there have been hundreds of articles written about The Cookie Lady, including from the New York Times. Hats off to you miss Curry.

WALK

Currently re-reading this 1979 book by Peter Jenkins, A Walk Across America. Perfect winter read when you're good and itchy-footed. This book was a serious bestseller back in '79 and has been reprinted a ton so there's a dusty paperback in almost every thrift store I've ever been in. Or grab one here."Five thousand miles and thirty-five pairs of shoes later..."

AMERICA RECYCLED

America ReCycled is a project by brothers Tim and Noah Hussin, drifting around the country on bicycle to document and redefine the American Dream. So far they've made three short films, one on their starting place, building their new bikes from scratch at an Asheville, NC bicycle co-op, while staying at an Urban Homestead named The Montana House. The third titled "Notes from the Road" documents their first few days of the journey. BEAUTIFUL.From their site...

"We’re two brothers riding recycled bicycles across the United States and meeting people. Lots of them.But whether they’re devout Baptists who’ve lived in a small southern town for four generations or disaffected crust punks packing themselves into a crumbling squatted building, there is a common thread that ties them together.We sense a growing movement in this country that rises above race, region, and subculture. Americans are yearning to rebuild space, community, and local culture, each in our own way. And it’s going to take a lot of blood, sweat, and ambitious insanity.It will mean different things for different people. Some are rethinking business models to facilitate more intimate and local exchange. Others reinvent living spaces to allow for more community at home. It’s coming from all different angles and from all sorts of people. Fuel and transportation, energy use, urban/suburban planning, building construction, farming and food production, public space and civic art.And it’s already started. All across the country, people are finding innovative ways to come together and make revolutionary change on a local level, to regain control of their lives, rediscover independence, and recycle the American Dream.We’re finding them. And we’re telling their stories."

Help the guys out along the way with a meal, have 'em stay a night if they're passing through or shoot them some cash for a diner meal along the way.

CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TRAIL

The Continental Divide Trail runs for 3,100+ miles from Mexico to Canada, along you guessed it, the Continental Divide. The Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA) was formed in 1995 to aid in the completion of the trail, and help maintain the miles already blazed. In 2007, Francis Tapon round-tripped the CDT, by first hiking from Mexico to Canada, then back. The trip took him 6 months to finish, and rounded out his Triple-Crown. There is a similar mountain bike trail through the Great Divide Basin spanning from Banff, Canada, to Mexico. Check out the trailer for Ride the Divide, a documentary about the "world's toughest mountain bike race". Sheesh.

HIGH ON LECONTE

High on LeConte is a blog that acts as a daily journal/weather record for those who work at the LeConte Lodge, on Mt. LeConte (Elev. 6,593 ft.) in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. During the winter months, only one person at a time acts as caretaker of this snowed in lodge and set of cabins, which remain closed for the most part until spring. They keep tabs on the weather, take videos/photos for the park, and have lots of time to themselves. Sign me up.

SAVE THE BALD EAGLES

While Bald Eagles were removed from the endangered list in the U.S. in 1995, and from the threatened list in 2007, it is noted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a recent report that an alarming number of Bald Eagles are being found dead on roadways here in Michigan. As the winter sets in and lakes and streams freeze over, fewer available fish pressure bald eagles to scavenge roadkill, be it deer, coyote, fox or raccoon. Don't know if this increase is true the nation over, but wherever you are, be careful out there.

Outdoor Retailer

It's that time of year again. Good ol' Outdoor Retailer. Three or four days in the poorly lit Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City, looking at all that the outdoor industry has to offer. Which is almost everything. Even beef jerky companies get a booth. If you're going to be there, drop me a line. I'm flying in tonight and I'd love to catch up.