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Life on the Oregon Trail
What was life really like on the Oregon Trail? Learn about the risks and dangers of being on the trail, what a day in the life of a pioneer was like, and what equipment and supplies were used. This video is really worth 14 minutes of your time!
Milky Way Sculpture
The Milky Way is a stainless steel sculpture that is located at Shevlin Park Road and Mt Washington Drive in Bend, Oregon. In this podcast, Pete Stein interviews Devin Field who was the artist behind this fun piece. Listen in as we learn about how the art was commissioned and then how we designed and built this sculpture. Also, The Milky Way is a lit sculpture; learn about why this is an important part of the art and the challenges to keeping it lit.
This podcast is sponsored by the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund.
Keep it Local!
One of our guiding principles at Dirty Freehub is “spend where your ride”. We think it is critically important that when you are visiting and riding in the backcountry that you spend some money in the local, supporting towns. That could be for gas, groceries, bike parts, a coffee, or a burger and beer. But […]
Keep it Local!
We all know it is important to spend where we ride and to support the local economy. But do all dollars spent have the same impact? In this podcast, we explore that premise with Thomas Barr, the Vice President of Business Development for Local First Arizona. Local First Arizona is a nonprofit working to build equitable systems for Arizona’s local businesses, those businesses that create a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable Arizona economy. We think this is one of the most important podcasts we have recorded in the last 18 months. Give it a listen!
What is a Wilderness Area? Why should I care?
An exploration of what the wilderness designation means, with a special focus on The Wilderness Act’s protection and preservation of our wild lands.
Rock Art
Riding on obscure Tuscon trails, we ran across amazing art that was created out of rocks carefully arranged in the sand to form very cool figures. A huge rabbit, a heart, a wolf howling in a moonlight, a horse, a hummingbird …. we also ran across the original artist, Karen Garno, who was busy working on her latest masterpiece. Listen in on this podcast as Gravel Girl interviews Karen. What inspires Karen to create her amazing art, how does she find all the rocks, and how did she get started. Creating this art is both an artistic and physical endeavor for this 78 year old.
The art is located in the Voyager trail network. You can find this awesome trail network by heading to the entrance of the Voyager RV Park . You’ll find a gate right across from the entrance with plenty of room to park. There are 16 works of art as we publish this podcast, along with over 30 miles of trails for you to ride. We will be publishing a route call Rock Art, so check back on the Dirty Freehub site to find it. But the trails are well marked so don’t be afraid to head out to the area without a route loaded.
The Sobaipuri O’odham People
A 7-minute video exploring the lives and culture of the Sobaipuri O’odham People (i.e., the River People).
Snakebites!
Rattlesnakes scare the bejeezus out of most of us. But … should they really? In this podcast, learn more about rattlesnakes and what to do if you do get bit out in the wild. Our guest is Dr. Nick Bradehoff of the Asclepius Snakebite Foundation. Today’s moderator is Linda English (aka Gravel Girl) the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Dirty Freehub.
Deschutes Trails Coalition announces nine projects to be supported with TRT funds
The nonprofit Deschutes Trails Coalition has selected nine projects to receive a total of $600,000 to improve trails and trail infrastructure around Deschutes County, according to a release. The funding comes from a portion of the Deschutes County Transient Room Tax and was approved earlier this year by the Deschutes County Commission. The room tax […]
Giant Sacaton Grass
A quick 2-minute video about this important but endangered grass. Well worth the watch!
The Empire Ranch Homestead
A historical look at the ownership and the headquarters building of Empire Ranch. It started as a 4-room adobe structure that transitioned into a 29-room ranch home. All built in the late 1800s.
Phoenix Rising or Red Chicken
We all know about the iconic psuedo “Red Chicken” sculpture within the Phil’s Trail System which is a mountain biking area in Bend, Oregon. But … do you know the story of the actual sculpture, the Phoenix Rising, located at Galveston and 14th street? And what’s the connection to the Red Chicken, the mini version located in our mountain biking trails? In this podcast, we talk with Romy Mortensen of Art in Public Places, a non-profit formed in the 1970s to bring art, culture and education to Bend and Central Oregon.
This podcast is sponsored by the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund.
Brown’s Ranch, AZ – Why it’s a special place to ride!
Sonoran Desert cycling means taking in saguaros and beautiful exposed geology. A great place to see and ride through the desert in Arizona is Brown’s Ranch. Brown’s Ranch is located within the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, an incredible area conserved in Scottsdale, Arizona. On today’s episode, we talk with Stu Alt, a trail steward and local who walks us through the geology, plant-life, history, and riding at Brown’s Ranch.
High on the Desert (Art!)
In this podcast, we talk with John Flemming, who created the High Desert Spiral sculpture located at the intersection of Simpson and Mt Washington just at the entrance to Broken Top in Bend, Oregon. We hear about his inspiration and some of the trials and tribulations of building the tallest sculpture in Bend at 39 feet. “There is something universal about spirals,” says the artist. “In the high desert, we find geological examples of lava cooling into spirals.” He also referenced the way traffic spirals around the roundabout in the Archimedean spiral, which features 60 steel blades that move in the wind. Note the inside of the blades are painted a bright yellow-orange, capturing “the glow you might find inside a volcano or lava flow.”
This podcast is sponsored by the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund.
Navigating a Gravel Bike Route
As straightforward as it may sound, navigating a gravel route is much more than following a line on your bike computer or phone. In this podcast, we chat with Executive Director of Dirty Freehub, Linda English, to share some navigation topics to think about (and practice) along with some comical stories while navigating. What are the common mistakes cyclists make in navigation? Should you use a phone or a bike computer? How do you really practice navigation so you feel confident when it matters?
“Greetings From” Murals … Fun Art Across Central Oregon
The retro “Greetings From” murals across Central Oregon bring back fond memories of the postcards that were a huge hit with tourists in the mid-20th century. These playful murals are part of The Central Oregon Mural Trail and were created by Karen Eland and Katie Daisy for Visit Central Oregon. In this interview with Karen Eland, learn about the backstory of these fascinating murals; how are they created to withstand the test of time, what’s the inspiration for the murals, and how have they been funded. Armed with the inside scoop about these murals, you can tell your friends all about them when you post a selfie of you and your bicycle in front of one of these fantastic backdrops.
This podcast is sponsored by the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund.
Winter Range Closures (Deschutes National Forest)
The problem Wild-ranging local mule deer populations have decreased by 56% from 2004 to 2021. In recent years, there has been a 10% decline in population per year This is 60% below objective What is Winter Range? Winter range is habitat deer and elk migrate to in order to find more favorable living conditions during […]
