Gooood morning!

Morning on a bikepacking trip in the Mojave Desert outside Joshua Tree National Park

My most ambitious bikepacking trip with the Orox to date— out in the Mojave Desert along a portion of the Golden Jackrabbit route. Touring with pedal assist + huge cargo capacity on the Tern meant I could carry more than I normally do— more comfortably. @ternbicycles.com

All all the Ways You Are Paying for the AI Buildout The proliferation of both AI software (i.e., seemingly immaterial computational tools) and hardware (i.e., the resource-intensive and highly polluting infrastructure underpinning those tools) is driving up the costs of necessities now and in the future.

A tiny class of digital overlords and their political allies are seeking to end democracy so they can extract rents with no constraints, writes @kennystancil.bsky.social of @revolvingdoordc.bsky.social.

Moving with Time: The Evolution of the Stagecoach 400 In this piece, Stagecoach 400 co-founder Brendan Collier reflects on the event's ongoing history and evolution...

“With a changing climate, a route that’s often in flux, and a rotation of new riders, the Stagecoach 400 sometimes feels like a snapshot in time.”
Read my story about evolution on the Stagecoach 400

bikepacking.com/plog/moving-...

Life’s been busy here and I only just recently got to dig into my photos from the ride. I have also written an article that’ll hopefully publish soon, and you can see my full set of photos from the ride on my Google photos album.

Some highlight photos from the 2025 Stagecoach 400. This year’s event was marked by great weather, strong riding, and Meg’s new Figure 8 course, which brought some new challenges & rewards, and stretched out the mileage to 400 miles again.

“ The trees won’t be harmed, if the Lorax is armed” 🤗

Yucca Valley, and Idyllwild in the distance

The Stagecoach400 Sideshow took off from Idyllwild this morning with about 11 riders on the “Classic” clockwise loop of the route. The weather forecast looks great for riding in every corner of the route. #bikepacking #stagecoach400 @bikepackingcom.bsky.social @eskercycles.bsky.social

A couple shots from the Codex Cookout this past weekend- super fun skateboarding event hosted at a DIY spot in a ditch. Hemet, CA #skateboarding

We had so much fun! It’s perfect for the shoulder seasons when the nights are warm

Some skate shots from the other night. All it takes is some work lights, a generator, and a pleasant disposition.

AOC and Bernie in front of the rally crowd in Denver

Zoomed out crowd shot of 34,000 people in downtown Denver with Colorado mountains in the background

Tonight an unbelievable **34,000 people** gathered for our Denver rally to take on billionaires and win our country back.

This was the largest political gathering in Denver since Obama in 2008.

Also bigger than the 2024 DNC.

And the largest ever rally in Bernie’s career (and obviously, mine too).

It was an open secret that Dolly Parton had a home in Idyllwild for decades. She spent time in town & often toured SoCal but kept a low profile. I worked on her campervan a few years back but was told not to mention it publicly or take photos of it at the time.

www.realtor.com/news/celebri...

Sharing a little happiness— longer days mean after work bike rides and melting snow!

Some more from the Desert Collective. Wonder Valley.

Bikepacking. Bike touring. Whatever you want to call it here’s some quick selections from the route I created in Wonder Valley (outside 29 Palms) called the Golden Jackrabbit.

Jackrabbit Homesteads – Brendan Collier As an introduction to an upcoming series of bikepacking routes, Brendan Collier tells the story of his experience in Wonder Valley, a small community in the Mojave Desert east of Joshua Tree and Twent...

The Desert Collective is a series of new bikepacking routes I’m working on.
These routes tell stories from the land— this is one of them.

theradavist.com/jackrabbit-h...

I’m sorry for your loss. We are familiar with that feeling here in Idyllwild.

1. Moments my sons like each other make my heart happy.
2. Family desert hikes also make my heart happy.
3. Somehow I ended up inside TWO of these weird flood control tubes in the same day.

Found this spillover channel whilst searching for bandit singletrack in La Quinta #mtb #laquinta

We bring a particular type of energy to the skate park. #skateboarding #beginnerskate #familyskateboarding #palmsprings

Having a frame bag means extra room for grapefruits #laquinta #mtb #nobodylikesgrapefruitsbutme

Got a hankering for some civil engagement?
Check out 5calls.org if you are not already familiar. The site lays out a number of issues you might care to contact your voice your concerns about (42 when I checked today) and then provides a helpful portal to quickly connect with your representatives.

When should I use bsky vs Flashes?
Anyway here’s some fresh handlebars for the @ternbicycles.com Orox. The Tumbleweed Persuader bars are super comfy.

It’s 9” high, 39” wide (to fit in our small car) and on a 5’ radius. So far so good! It is a lot of fun and hopefully a good way for me to learn new coping skills.

Built this portable micro ramp to bring #dadskating wherever we go.

Love seeing this here and love seeing your blog alive & kicking