Stories
Wolverines – Fact or Fiction?
Jason Kirchner joins us from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in Newport, Oregon to dive into one of nature’s most enigmatic creatures: the wolverine. As the District Wildlife Biologist, he answers questions like: What are wolverines? What do they look like? How do they behave? Where do they reside? Separating fact from fiction, we […]
Deceptive Waters of Malheur Lake
Located in Harney Basin in eastern Oregon, Malheur Lake sits within the 187,000 acres of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, an area that is an important wildlife habitat. Aquatic Biologist, […]
Oregon Black Pioneers
Did Oregon even have Black pioneers? Listen to our interview with Zachary Stocks, Executive Director of Oregon Black Pioneers (a non profit which preserves the history of Black Oregonians) to find out more about this whole topic. When did Black pioneers arrive in Oregon? What were some of the places where we ride bicycles today that were […]
Rural Riding Etiquette (The Wallowas Region)
Gravel rides near the Wallowa Mountains often traverse remote and rural areas. While you may be out for a Sunday morning gravel ride, there are many ranchers actively working. Eric Makela, Vice President of the Wallowa Mountains Bicycling Club, shares insights on enjoying and staying safe during rural rides and being a good visitor.
Pine Mountain Observatory: Exploring the Cosmos
Welcome to Pine Mountain Observatory, nestled in the serene landscapes of Oregon about 34 miles southeast of Bend. In this episode, we unveil the highlights of the night sky with our guest, “astro monk” Alton Luke, Head of Operations at Pine Mountain […]
Jumping Cholla: Does This Cacti Really Jump?
Have you ever encountered a jumping cacti? More specifically, the jumping cholla cactus in Arizona? If you have ridden our Rock Art or Bring a Fork routes in Arizona then you have dodged more than a few of these spiky cacti. Today we interview Peter Breslin who […]
Wolf Lichen
Do you ever see some bright green, shrubby looking creature on a gravel ride? This organism is likely Letharia Vulpina (and no it does not have magic or poisonous powers like a spell) which is also knows as Wolf Lichen. Bryologist, mycologist, and lichenologist Tim Wheeler works to dedicate his life studies towards nonvascular plants and […]
All Things Beavers
Curious about beavers: Where do beavers live? What’s their impact on other wildlife? How do they impact the surrounding property where they live? When should we reintroduce them? Can you relocate a beaver? Are they a protected species in Oregon? How have the laws recently changed about beavers?
Listen to our interview with […]
Wild Burros: Helpful or Harmful?
They may be cute … but are wild burros actually helpful or harmful? Dr. Erick Lundgren who is an ecologist with a lot of research concerning wild burros, […]
All Access Ride Guides
Travel Oregon recently announced they will fund the nonprofit Dirty Freehub to create 20 to 25 gravel cycling All Access Ride Guides across the state of Oregon. These electronic guides are designed to help adaptive athletes, ebikers or other cyclists such as the 75 year old athlete with aerobic challenges, the person who got busy with […]
Controversial Juniper Trees
The juniper tree is an iconic tree across Central and Eastern Oregon and yet, in some places they are being removed. Find out the real scoop about this unique tree from Gena Goodman-Campbell who is the Stewardship Director at ONDA (Oregon Natural Desert Association) where she works to engage volunteers in hands-on restoration projects in […]
When You Call 911: Search and Rescue
Today we meet with Patti Lynch, a former Law Enforcement officer, to talk about Search and Rescue and what that looks like in times of trouble. When should you call Search and Rescue and what happens on their side to deploy a rescue. As a cyclist, what should you carry that will really make a difference when things go south.
Get To Know Joseph, Oregon
Learn about Joseph, which is a town in Eastern Oregon, as Chris talks with Jude Graham who is the Wallowa County Museum Curator. They discuss history, art, culture, events and activities. Among other things, Joseph even hosts a […]
Why I Quit Strava …
… by Kevin B English
Strava is a “social network for athletes,” it offers a space for individuals to track their exercise, share their achievements, and engage in friendly competitions. For me, Strava and other social networks like Ride With GPS do a great job of inspiring me to get outside and exercise. Recently Strava and other […]
Saving Old Growth Trees with Ken Wu
Ken Wu, former Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance, has spent years protecting ancient forests in British Columbia. A major player in protecting Big Lonely Doug, Ken tells how he named the iconic Doug Fir. He also talks about how the indigenous people of Canada play a vital role in protecting these iconic trees […]
Tree Conservation Through Photography with TJ Watt
Meet TJ Watt, Big Tree Hunter, co-founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance and an award-winning nature and conservation photographer from British Columbia whose images have helped bolster campaigns to secure the protection of important environmental areas.
In this episode, TJ explains how he got interested in big trees, what it’s […]
Yachats and The Amanda Story
In Yachats, Oregon the town pays tribute to indigenous heritage through a story about Amanda. How did this one story come to represent the history of the local tribe? Joanne Kittel started out wanting to donate 1/2 miles of land in Yachats, Oregon to support the Oregon Coast Trail. This turned into 30 years of research and advocacy work […]
Joy Ride
This podcast explorers Kristen and Ville Jokinen met and fell in love while scuba diving in Vietnam. Ville then left his native Finland to join Kristen in Oregon, and together they embarked on a life-changing two-year cycling adventure covering 18,000 miles from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina.
Despite never having cycled […]
Sculpture Representing First Woman to Bicycle Around the World
In March 2022, Chris Cole, a local Bend artist, installed a new sculpture in the Discovery West neighborhood. This new public art in Bend, Oregon is a tribute to Annie Londonderry, the first women to bicycle around the world in 1894 and 1895. The seven foot tall, inverted pyramid design includes decorative bike cogs, ship window, and […]
The Endangered Sonoran Pronghorn
In Southern Arizona you might be lucky enough to see Sonoran pronghorns. In this podcast, we learn from Stephanie Fuest, the lead wildlife biologist for the recovery of the endangered Sonoran pronghorn. She walks us through the history of the species in the area, recovery efforts, and best practices should you encounter one while […]
Fish Hatcheries: The Insider View
What is a fish hatchery? Why are they important? What fish do they raise? What impacts the survival of the fish? Our guest is Kyle Bratcher who is a District Fish Biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and he will discuss fish hatcheries with an emphasis on the Wallowa Hatchery in Enterprise, OR.
We promise, the […]
Big Lonely Doug
Ever visited a location from your favorite book? Cool, right? Dirty Freehub’s new READ & RIDE allows you to do just that! READ & RIDE matches 5-star gravel routes with books to create a memorable journey. Read to learn, then ride to bring the pages to life! No worries if books aren’t your jam — you can still learn about the […]
Untangling the Geological History of the Wallowa Mountains
The Wallowa Mountains in NE Oregon have the most complicated and longest geological history of any range in Oregon. In this podcast, we talk with Dr. Kim Ely, a geologist, about this unique and beautiful area. Learn how to “untangle what you see” when riding in the Wallowas!
Wind Turbines
Bike rides always give us a chance to meet interesting people, which is how we met David Anthes who knows a whole lot about wind turbines. Because so many of our bike routes go by wind turbines, we decided to find out more. David is a rope access technician on wind turbines all over the world who is also a cyclist in Bend, Oregon. Listen in […]
