hikes, bikes, and beyond
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 serious...
"Biking the Appalachian Gravel Growler"Continue reading
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 1975....
"Looking for Liquor Spring"Continue reading
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 is...
"How To Plan a Road Trip"Continue reading
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 to...
"In Search of Wendell Falls"Continue reading
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 then...
"2018 Bike Travel Weekend"Continue reading
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 Shelter...
"Leaky Tent – To Pitch Or Not To Pitch"Continue reading
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 are...
"More Tetractus Trails"Continue reading
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 the...
"Take on the Tetractus MTB Challenge"Continue reading
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 to...
"Riding the Blue Clay Bike Park"Continue reading
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 for...
"6 Favorite Day Hikes in the Uwharries"Continue reading
