When I started commuting to work on my bike, I focused on finding a route that avoided busy arterials and provided a reasonably enjoyable and safe ride. I don’t recall how long it took, but after settling into a routine my commute grew boring. It wasn’t enough to get some exercise, save money, and be […]
Adventure Commuting: Turn Your Boring Ride to Work into a Cycling Adventure Read More »
Millwood is a sleepy pocket of houses wedged between Trent Avenue and the Spokane River and spread about eight blocks in each direction east and west from Argonne Road. It’s here I’ve decided to meet my friend Anna on a cool Saturday morning for the third and last in the series of neighborhood runs. She
A Run in the Hoods Part 3: Millwood Read More »
Planning an epic summer road trip to Big Sky Country will be a snap with National Geographic’s Trails Illustrated topographic maps for Montana. With waterproof and tear-resistant maps covering areas like Yellowstone National Park; Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks; the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex; Missoula and the Mission Mountains; Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness; and Bozeman, Big
National Geographic Montana Trail Illustrated Maps Read More »
May has long been nationally recognized as “Bike Month” thanks to the League of American Bicyclists. This includes Bike to Work Week, Bike to School Day, and a whole host of bike-centric activities. Cyclists who hang up their spokes for the winter months, the bike-curious and seasoned, all-weather riders get a chance to bump helmets
Bike Everywhere in May with Friends Read More »
For many people in the Inland Northwest, finishing Bloomsday is a rite of passage. As a former road runner with several Bloomsday finishes, I understand the allure of the race and the festival atmosphere on that first Sunday in May. As a person who much prefers trails and never much liked crowds, I often aim
Deep Creek Loop in Riverside State Park Read More »
After two seasons of work, including help from volunteer crews from Washington Trails Association, Backcountry Horseman of Washington, the Washington Conservation Corps, and Northwest Youth Corps, approximately 4 miles of the new Fishtrap Lake Loop west of Cheney, Wash., in the channeled scablands, is now built and open to the public. The entire segment connecting
Fishtrap Lake Loop Trail Closer to Completion Read More »
Two projects in the works along the Spokane River downstream from the lower falls and downtown Spokane would dramatically improve the way rafters, anglers, paddlers and other river users start and end their trips. Right now, the popular put-in along Water Avenue in Peaceful Valley is often overcrowded on hot summer days, raising concerns from
Projects Would Enhance Recreational Access along the Spokane River Read More »
A century of commercial trapping, habitat loss, and unregulated hunting eradicated grizzlies from 98% of their original range in the contiguous U.S. Here in the Northwest, records from the Hudson Bay Company show that nearly 4,000 grizzly bear hides were shipped from trading posts in the North Cascades in a 35-year span. Despite these grim
North Cascade Grizzly Bears Could Get a Boost Read More »
On April 10 and 11, a contractor removed trees and built a dirt road on Spokane’s South Hill “Bluff” below High Drive along the bank of Latah Creek, sparking outrage from the many hikers, runners, mountain bikers and neighbors who regularly use the Bluff trails. The road sits on private and park land and crosses
Restoration Planned for Unauthorized South Hill Bluff Road Read More »
In June 2015, I wrote an article for Out There Monthly called “Why I Run” about training for my first 50k trail run. The run never happened. I was supposed to be shaking my legs out in nervous excitement alongside a couple hundred other runners at the starting line of the Rattlesnake Ridge Run. Instead,
