Counting Days

There was a time this year when I thought we would never get away.  Untangling from all of the things in life has been a long process.  The idea is to ride and to be free.

 We recently drove the first five days of our trip.  By car, it was only 4 hours on dirt and marginal roads.  By bike?  We could do it faster, but why rush?  Kremmling, Colorado, will be our first metropolis, where we will ply basic goods from a sleepy town.  The next stop along the way will be Steamboat Springs!

We don't have long now.  We are putting the last touches to all of the details.  We have sponsorship for our major needs and are firming up final relationships.  The #bicyclejournalists are soon to ride!

We want to tell your story.  If you are an adventurer, if you live to ride a bike, to break camp at sunrise, to see new places and meet new people, you might be the person we are looking for.  Please send us a note, bikeadventurertim@gmail.com!

Warm Showers More Than Saving Water With A Friend

Being on the road and "out there" is one of the highlights of my life. As I sit here, I am contemplating getting "out there" again as soon as possible. This time, I hope my trip is as a brand ambassador for Blackburn Design #beablackburnranger2016 and as an advocate for bicycle touring!



When we are on the road there is something we all need but have troubles finding. We can rent a hotel room in an emergency situation (if there is one). But if you are "out there" enough, you know hotel rooms kind of ruin the "out there" feeling. They also become exorbitant if used too often.

Instead, there is a phenomenal program called WARM SHOWERS, in which generous people open their homes for a night to legitimate bike travelers.
Warm Showers says on their website: 

"The Warm Showers Community is a free worldwide hospitality exchange for touring cyclists. People who are willing to host touring cyclists sign up and provide their contact information, and may occasionally have someone stay with them and share great stories and a drink. All members agree to host others either now or in the future, but for some members hosting may be in years or even decades in their future."

Instead of "saving water, shower with a friend", Warm Showers makes a gift to traveling cyclist who need it the most.

Every situation is a little different. Some homeowners will allow you to pitch your tent in their front lawns. Others will invite you into their home to use a spare bedroom and bath. In both cases, you probably get what we really need, a shower to wash the road wear off, and a chance to charge up those critical devices.

Having stealth camped on multiple locations in the bushes but within feet of a major highway, I can speak to the sense of safety Warm Showers hosts provide to their guests. Of course, they can't open their homes to everyone, or they soon become a boarding home and the gift to travelers turns into a job. Rather, it is a special match between the host and the cyclist in which, for a short night, the cyclist gets the things he/she needs the most and the host pays it forward.

In 1993, two friends, Terry Zmrhal and Geoff Cashman thought it would be cool to set up a hosting service for traveling cyclist. Roger Gravel began to update and manage the list. In 2005, Randy Fay added the mapping feature so people could see on the map where their host would be.

A small group of people manages Warm Showers which is a non-profit organization. There are over 80,000 members with locations throughout the world, though primarily U.S. based.

As a bicycle tourist, (and having hosted a Blackburn Ranger), touring is not just about bicycles. It is about the people you meet along the way!

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You can apply to be a Blackburn Ranger here.

You can vote for me as a Blackburn Ranger here.

Riding In The Rain #beablackburnranger2016

Any day on a bicycle is a fantastic day! Jimmy and I were making a run for the hot-springs town of Glenwood Springs. In front of us lie one of the toughest path-bike routes in the nation, 10,500 foot high Vail Pass.

On a good day, the climb up from Frisco is a challenge. The grades are steep and the route turns into a series of sharp switchbacks requiring low-low gear and a determination from the bottom of your soul.

We like to think nothing stops us. The rain and cold weather was stopping everyone else. But we pushed on, up the steep and relentless routes through Copper Mountain. In the crisp air of 10,000 feet, we started looking for a place to camp.

We had just crossed the 4th bridge after Copper Mountain. Only 2 more tough bridges left to go. You could hear the traffic from the East and West-bound interstates. Once in awhile we passed super-built bridge running high over our heads.

Finally we found it, a tiny step on the steep hillside where we could pitch a tent. The rain had slowed. Each of us went about the chores of pitching a tent, perched above the trail in one of the few level spots over the entire route. Now snug in our sacks, the rain started again. Our old North Face tent began to leak like a sieve. It was going to be a long night. At least, we could rest in the bosom of the mountainside.  The babbling brook of Ten-Mile Creek talked to us throughout the night.

I love adventure.  Sometimes adventure is found in doing something others do at a time when no-one else will try.  We were alone at nearly 10,000 feet.  We were soaked, but we were safe.  Any day on a bike is a day of adventure!

Riding the Trails

Camping On The Colorado River

We had been riding hard all day.  Our paths had followed I-70 now for nearly two days.  We were on the Glenwood Canyon Bike Trail with only a few miles left to get to the hot springs in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

In many places, the trail is just wide enough for a rider or two.  More than that, there is the highway, sometimes suspended above you.  There is also the Colorado river.  Beyond that, there is almost no real estate to pitch a tent.

We were exhausted.  It was getting dark.  What could we do?  We didn't need the problems the State Patrol can cause bike tourist who make the mistake of camping in rest areas.  There are four rest areas in Glenwood Canyon.

So we finally found one of the few spots on the Colorado River and pitched the tent.  This is God's country and he had finally made room for us to sleep.

Bicycling Touring Pro Answers Your Questions

Do Men Have To Wear Tight Bicycle Pants To Tour?

This youth, Darren Alff,  has years of experience on touring bikes.  He answers many questions which will help the bike tourer get a start in this passionate sport!

Warm Showers, A Place To Camp, Sleep, Cook, Meet Others 

In The Lifestyle-No, It Is Not KOA

Are you planning on a long term tour but don't know where to clean up along the way?  Try Warm Showers, a non-profit organization which helps bicycle tourers world wide find a place to sleep, to shower and to relax from the road.  You might be a person in need of these volunteer services, or you might be a person biking through and in desperate need for a place to let your hair down for a few hours.  Warm Showers matches traveling cyclist and a few others a place to crash while on the road.  Each host has his own set of rules and may limit the kinds of things the host can do for the rider.

Some hosts offer sleeping space in their homes.  Others offer a yard where you can pitch your tent in confidence.  Sometimes the host will provide a meal, or let his guests have access to a kitchen so they can prepare their meals on their own.  Those who become hosts have often been themselves riders so they know what bicycle tourers want when they retreat from the trail or wilderness.

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON THE GREAT DIVIDE MOUNTAIN BIKE ROUTE