It was one of those rare windows of opportunity when schedules and weather align just right. My cousin Brian asked if I wanted to bikepack the Appalachian Gravel Growler route over a 4-day window he had open. I knew it would probably hurt, but what the heck. I had been wanting to do a...
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Looking for Liquor Spring
Most hikers I know love interesting natural locations and interesting stories. Combine the two and you definitely have their attention. Liquor Spring on Dark Mountain in the Uwharrie National Forest is such a place. Liquor Spring I first read about Liquor Spring years ago in Joe Moffitt’s book An Afternoon Hike Into the Past from...
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How To Plan a Road Trip
Road Trip!!! A road trip is a great way to get out and enjoy seeing the world. Destination trips can be fun too but for sheer volume of scenery, it's hard to beat a road trip. You can travel by bicycle, motorcycle, car, or RV. All it takes to get a road trip started...
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In Search of Wendell Falls
The Wendell Falls bike and hike trails are one of the ten trail systems in Oak City Cycling Project‘s Tetractus MTB Challenge. Finding these trails was a challenge for me. Maybe that’s appropriate for trails that are part of an ‘MTB challenge’. The guidebook author in me wants to change that. If you prefer...
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2018 Bike Travel Weekend
Bike Travel Weekend is an annual celebration of travel by bicycle. Thousands of people worldwide do an overnight bicycle trip on the first weekend in June. I convinced a couple of friends to join me this year for a multi-modal cycling adventure. We planned to take our bikes on the train to Durham, NC and...
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Leaky Tent – To Pitch Or Not To Pitch
Most sensible people need shelter on an overnight adventure. Adventure racers who simply race through the night might be an exception. If you’re backpacking, doing a bike overnight, motorcycle touring, or kayak camping, you’re probably taking along some form of functional shelter, even if it is a reservation for a hotel room. A Dysfunctional...
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More Tetractus Trails
On the Tetractus Quest The next trails I rode in my quest to earn Oak City Cycling Project‘s Tetractus Bike Challenge patch were Lake Crabtree County Park’s multi-use trails and Harris Lake County Park’s Hog Run Trails. Both of these trail systems are fairly well known. On the Tetractus list, one could argue they...
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Take on the Tetractus MTB Challenge
Need a little motivation to help you ride more often and on more trails? If you’re like me, you probably end up riding the same trails over and over. Riding just for the sake of biking is all fine and well, but sometimes a little motivation can make riding a lot more fun. Enter...
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Riding the Blue Clay Bike Park
How much fun can the Blue Clay Bike Park trails really offer a mountain biker? You might be pleasantly surprised - I was! Located just north of Wilmington, NC and barely 8 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, these trails are obviously nowhere near a mountain. Even coming from the Raleigh area where it's hard...
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6 Favorite Day Hikes in the Uwharries
Need a few suggestions for day hikes? Explore the Uwharrie Lakes Region in central NC with these day hikes recommended by the Haphazard Hikers. Despite their name, this group of young-at-heart ladies from the Charlotte area knows a bit about day hikes. They hike in the Carolinas on a regular basis and have been...
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