BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Dirty Freehub, a Bend-based 20+ employee and volunteer based nonprofit organization that creates route guides for gravel cycling, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Celebratory events include an online party and in person ride on one of their original routes, Water and Lava, that will take place on Saturday, Aug 19. Details […]
… 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 […]
Yep, goats can be a super-useful tool in clearing weeds and building defensible spaces for fire safety. And they are versatile, cost effective, environmentally green, less noisy than mechanized methods, and highly effective. Learn a bit in this 1-minute video.
Geologist Nick Zentner digs into the incredible geologic history responsible for the rock formations in the Teanaway Community Forest. Would you believe palm trees once grew here?
To keep up with a growing demand for power, Puget Sound Power and Light, a predecessor of today’s Puget Sound Energy, built a hydroelectric dam in the North Cascades. This 8-minute video discusses how the Baker River was harnessed for power and how the town of Concrete created the dam’s key ingredient.
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 and how you can help save these trees for future generations.
The Aspen Tree. The coolest tree ever? Groves clone themselves! Groves can be hundreds, if not thousands of years old. This 7-minute video explores the uniqueness of the Aspen Tree via the Pando clone in Utah that is approximately 80,000 years old.
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 like to climb into old-growths, and how he came about his Before & After photography series. And he explains his connection to the Big Lonely Doug, the 2nd largest Douglas Fir in Canada that is located in South West Vancouver Island.
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 about the local tribes. Joanne has written numerous articles on the history of the tribes (with their explicit involvement and approval.).
Listen in as she explains the fascinating story of the indigenous coast tribes, why a key component of the story is focused on a woman named Amanda, and how the tribes remember their heritage today. The interview also includes the stories about how grizzly bears also once roamed this area.
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 further than around the block, they persevered unrelenting, punishing rain and wind, altitude sickness, dog attacks, bike accidents, and countless flat tires to cycle between the ends of the earth. Kristen and Ville believe that kindness connects us to our shared humanity. They held babies, attended quinceañeras, drank pulque, played soccer, and visited schools. People in Mexico, Central America, and South America invited them into their hearts and homes, allowed them to camp in their fields and farms, and acted as personal tour guides. Kristen and Ville are love on wheels, and who doesn’t need a little more love in their lives?
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 illuminated image of Annie and a descriptive plaque. Visitors can get a peek into Annie’s life and history through the porthole. Hear Chris’s story on this podcast and how he connects to the story of Annie Londonderry.
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 riding. She also explains what is different about them, compared to pronghorns found further north.
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 next time you ride by a fish hatchery, you are going to have a whole new perspective. The process of how a fish hatchery works is amazing. If you are looking for a perfect bike route that includes a fish hatchery, check out Fish Trophy in Joseph, Oregon.
READ Harley Rustad’s Big Lonely Doug to learn about the old-growth trees on southwest Vancouver Island. Then RIDE Dirty Freehub’s gravel routes to meet the trees in-person.
