www.wildheartcycling.com

Why We Tour

2009-04-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

The following link is from the NY Times Travel Section. They posted a slide show on Why We Travel. The first photo is about a young German bicycle touring through Europe. 20 years old and on an adventure. On these cold windy days it gets me thinking of summer touring.

Thinking of summer vacation? A Wild Heart Cycling tour would make the perfect vacation. Leave your worries behind!

Contact us if you have any questions?

Cheers,
Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com

Burley Photo

2009-03-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

Here's my claim to stardom. Check this link to Burley.com to see me loading groceries in or out (I don't really remember) out of a Burley Nomad trailer. Unfortunately they didn't let me keep the groceries but it was an interesting experience being part of a professional photo shoot. Now I'm wondering if I made it into the print catalog???

Although Bend is a chilly 40+ degrees I've finally started training for the upcoming touring season. It's fun to be out on some longish road rides.

Have a great day!

Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com

Bend Bulletin Newspaper Article

2009-03-19T10:47:00.001-07:00

Though the article doesn't exclusively focus on Wild Heart Cycling I still thought it might be of interest. The article does a nice job covering healthy, active vacations. A little publicity is always nice. Here's the link to the Bend Bulletin article. Click on the article's more photos button to see a photo of a past client riding on the Wallowa Mountain Rambler.

Get your rambler going!

Cheers, Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com
Oregon Bicycle Tours
California Bike Tours
Ride Vermont

Seattle Bike Expo

2009-03-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

It was another fun expo though the weather did its darnedest to dampen our spirits. It was cold, damp, rainy, and snowy for a little while on Sunday morning. Surprisingly (or not) the Seattle folks came out in good numbers. As with past Expos there were a wide variety of exhibitors. In my mind it's this diversity that makes the Expo such a cool experience. Thanks to all of you who attended.

During the Expo we (Celia and I) were interviewed by a writer for www.bikingbis.com. You can find the article here.

Burley Nomad Trailer Sales
Looking for a new or used Burley Nomad trailer or know somebody that is? We have a few new and used 2008 trailers for sale that I'll let go at a great price. My 2009 trailers will be arriving soon. Retail price for the 2009 trailer is $349 while retail for the 2008 trailer is $280 (I'll do better than this price). Pop me an email at info@wildheartcycling.com or call 541.815.0748.

Cheers, Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com
Oregon Bicycle Tours

We're adding new BICYCLING EXPERIENCES!

2009-01-30T09:11:00.000-08:00

We plan to offer a self-guided option for the Wallowa Mountain Rambler beginning this season. With a self-guided tour you will receive all the necessary information to tour around Oregon's Wallowa Mountains. I'm still finalizing the details but the plan will be to offer two options:

Option A
We will provide detailed cue sheets and maps. Cue sheets will include info on campgrounds, grocery stores, cafes, bakeries, daily mileages, important road intersections, things to do when not riding, typical weather, travel options to and from the start of the tour, and lodging and dining recommendations in Baker City.

Maps will show the route including an elevation profile for each day's ride.

Option B
This option includes everything in Option A but we take care of all logistics (campground reservations, lodging and dining reservations, and some travel reservations). For a group we can also preorder your food from local grocers along the route.

I decided to offer the self-guided option for those individuals who prefer to travel without the assistance of guides and like the idea of a lower price.

By the end of February the self-guided tour will be on our website. Depending on the response I may roll out more self-guided tours. If you would like to know when the website has been updated with the self-guided details pop me an email at info@wildheartcycling.com. I'll contact you when the info has been posted.

Cheers,
Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com
Bicycle Tours in Oregon
Bicycle Tours in California
Bicycle Tours in Vermont

Making America a better place to ride

2008-11-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

The following link (http://www.obamaurbanpolicy.org/) came from one of my counterparts on the Deschutes County Bike & Pedistrian Committee. Take a look and cast your votes. With a new President coming in now is the time to make our voices heard. Better bicycling infrastructure will improve all our lives.

If you're in the PNW enjoy the warm weather.

Cheers, Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com

Bicycle Tour Changes

2008-11-05T13:49:00.000-08:00

The Elkhorn Mountain Rambler is on the website. This is a new tour will rank as one of the quietest tours on paved roads. I'm thrilled we've already received some bookings on this tour.

More changes coming:
Cascade Mountains Sampler
The Cascade Mountains Sampler will be revamped. In effort to further reduce our carbon footprint we will be moving the start and finish of this tour to Eugene, OR. A few improvements come with this change:

No car shuttle. More riding, less driving.
We avoid Santiam Pass. We were forced onto Santiam when McKenzie Pass was closed for construction. McKenzie Pass is slated to be closed for all of 2009 for paving. I do not know at this time if they will make allowances for bikes.
Getting to Eugene is easier than getting to Sisters.

An open issue with this change is whether or not we take an extra day at McKenzie Bridge. This extra day would allow us to ride to the top of McKenzie Pass, if open.

Vermont Explorer
We've changed this bicycle tour from a B&B tour to a camping tour. This allows us to significantly lower the price of touring in Vermont while letting us do the meal preparation. Time and time again I find that we consistently prepare better meals than the majority of restaurants. It also allows us to line up a super cool route. I'm hoping to guide it this coming season versus one of our other guides. The route takes us north of Burlington to almost the Canadian border. We also take a rest/down day at Crown Point State Park. This Park offers amazing views of Lake Champlain, Adirondacks, and Vermont Green Mountains. This is a great choice if you prefer to keep your climbing to nothing more than rolling hills. There are no mountain pass climbs through the Green Mountains on this tour.

Other Tours
We've moved our Willamette Wine Tour, Oregon Coast Tour and Strawberry Mountain Sampler to custom bicycle tours. We will run these tours if four or more folks sign up. You get your own tour at the time you want.

It's never to early to plan your bike tour. Here's the 2009 Tour Calendar.

Cheers, Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com
Bicycle Tours in Oregon,
Bicycle Tours in California
Bicycle Tour in Vermont

The Solar Rabbi

2008-10-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

Just a short post this time. A recent article in the Bend Bulletin profiled the Solar Rabbi. I found it a great article on someone who is trying to minimize their footprint on this world. Take a look. Here's the link: Solar Rabbi

Enjoy the cool weather.

Cheers, Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com
Bicycle Tours in Oregon,
Bicycle Tours in California
Bicycle Tour in Vermont

2009 Bicycle Tour Calendar

2008-10-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

Our tours for 2009 are now on the website! We've made some exciting new changes (though somehwhat minor) to the website and our tours. We've changed the display format and expanded the number of photos in each gallery. We've also added a testimonials page.

In the realm of tours we've moved our focus to camping tours. This plays to our strength of riding quiet roads and preparing delicious meals. This strategy also minimizes our carbon footprint. For this season we've added the 7 day Elkhorn Mountain Rambler. This camping tour traverses some of the most remote paved roads in Oregon. Much of the tour is on paved forest service roads. We've changed the California Explorer to an 8 day tour and added a shoter 5 day option. The Vermont Explorer is now a 7 day camping tour. By dropping the B&B option we gain a better route that allows us to explore the early American history in the Fort Ticonderoga area and allows us to venture a little further into Northern Vermont. We've also added a large section of the Missisquoi Rail Trail to the new route.

We've also moved some of a our less popular tour s to custom format. If you have three friends you can pick your own custom tour.

As always I welcome any feedback on the website and its content. Thanks for reading.

Cheers,
Ben

Bicycle tours in Oregon, California, and Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com

Vermont Bicycle Tour Changes

2008-09-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

We're working on changing over the VT tour from a B&B tour to a camping tour this next week. I'll be riding the route, checking mileages, testing campgrounds, etc. The new route will include the Missosquoi Rail Trail (www.mvrailtrail.com) along with a number of historical covered bridges. I may also take this opportunity to add a little detour through the Adirondack Mountain foothills. This area has some amazing roads for riding.

Enjoy the fall foliage.

Cheers, Ben
www.wildheartcycling.com

California Tour - New Tour Musings

2008-09-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

Celia and I just returned from guiding our first California Explorer tour. We had a couple of Bike Friday folks from the East Coast join us. One individual was from Ithaca, NY and the other person was from Boston. As California has done with us over and over the scenery and riding is stunning. As Dorothy kinda said "you're not in the East anymore". Here are a feew photos from the tour. For 2009 we intend to offer an 8 day tour and a 5 day tour. The first five days of both tours will explore the California Coast and Santa Cruz Mountains south of San Francisco while the last 3 days of the 8 day tour will be around Pt. Reyes Station. With the 8 day tour we also ride across the Golden Gate Bridge and take a ferry across San Francisco Bay.

Next Season Tours
We will be moving our focus to camping tours in 2009. Some of our lodge based tours will be converted to camping though we will have one or two lodge based tours. Camping tours are a lot more fun for us. Sitting around a picnic table in the evening with a group of friends is a highlight of any tour for us. We also can offer meals far superior to most restaurants at a far lower cost. We take tremendous pride in our tours and we can do a much better job controlling quality when we do the preparation.

We will be adding a couple of new tours for next season. Details on these big changes will follow within a couple of weeks. Sign up for our email newsletter if you want to be notified when the new tour calendar is on the website. Go HERE to sign up. Our 2009 tour calendar will be on our website by the end of the month.

Cheers, Ben

Bicycle tours in Oregon, California, and Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com

Why we run Bicycle Tours without a Van?

2008-08-22T16:43:00.001-07:00

We get this question every once in awhile so I thought I'd offer an explanation via this blog. When we started Wild Heart Cycling we had a couple of themes we wanted to be part of every bicycle tour we run:

Introduce people to the type of cycling experience we enjoy. Let’s call them real bicycle tours. Celia and I have always toured without a SAG vehicle. 1,000's of other people have done the same. People have traveled to the far ends of the earth by bike. We wanted to breakdown those barriers people may have to touring without a SAG van. Here are our barrier breakers:

Lead small groups. Maintain a high guide/client ratio.
Prepare delicious meals. A lot of planning goes into setting up tasty food for every meal.
Include the safety net of an emergency medical kit and bike repair kit. We have a well thought out risk management plan for every tour.
Guides with a strong skill set, including bike repair, cooking and first skills.

Be true to our environmental ethic. Our goal was to offer an experience that is has a small carbon footprint. With your typical van-supported tours you have a van that burns gas and is made using petroleum based energy sources. All those parts in that van were likely made using coal or some other petroleum based energy source. These same vans also need to be maintained. Their parts wear out after being driven many miles over a given season. Even vans that run on biodiesel have a significant carbon footprint though biodiesel is a better fuel choice than unleaded gas. Even our bikes have a carbon footprint but a 25 lb bike has a much smaller footprint than a 2 ton van. Things we do to reduce our footprint:

On our camping tours we purchase our food from local grocers and we ask them to provide us with local produce when possible. We pick the food up as we pass the stores by bike, so that no vehicle is required to cache or shuttle our food. DONE
Run our tours as loops. For 2009 all our tours will be loops. No shuttling folks back to the tour start.
Purchase the electrical power we use in our offices from renewable hydro and solar sources. DONE
Guides carpool and utilize public transportation when possible. DONE Our lead guide has no car.
Hire local guides. Avoid/minimize travel excessive travel of our guides. This is a season to season effort. As we expand our tours this will be a significant challenge for us. We've been fairly successful with this so far.
Support nonprofit organizations promoting a healthier planet DONE
Encourage office staff to telecommute. Wild Heart Cycling is essentially a virtual office. DONE
Install energy saving devices and operate the office in an energy efficient manner. This includes fluorescent bulbs, printing wisely, setting the thermostat conservatively, and turning the electronics off when done working. DONE
With all this being said we still have room for improvement though our carbon footprint starting point is much smaller. Each season we look for opportunities to raise the sustainability bar on our business.

I hope this answers a few questions of who we are and why we offer the experiences we do. Our goal is to offer a wonderful vacation with no carbon footprint. There's an independence, sense of accomplishment, and real joy of bicycle touring without a SAG van. Power to the bike!

Pop me an email at info@wildheartcycling.com if you have any questions about who we are.

Enjoy your weekend,
Cheers, Ben

p.s. Keep an eye on our blog. We've got some exciting new camping tours coming for 2009.

Bicycle tours in Oregon, California, and Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com

Wild Heart Cycling Tour Reviews

2008-08-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

We strive to be the best at what we do and we hope it comes through with every tour we do. A few of our past customers have done reviews on us at sustanelane.com. This organization is essentially clearinghouse of info on green living. You can find reviews on a wide variety of green products and services.

You can also you read about us in a recent Bend Bulletin article. Click here.

We still have a couple spaces on our upcoming California Explorer camping tour in early September. Let us know if you want to join in.

Cheers, Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com
Oregon Bicycle Tours, California Bicycle Tours, Vermont Bicycle Tours

2009 Tours - New Tours Coming

2008-08-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

Exciting times at our world HQ. For 2009 we're looking at some new camping tours. The first new tour will be the Elkhorn Rambler. This tour will start and finish in Baker City. Those of you who have taken will be very familiar with Baker City and the Elkhorn Mountains that dominate the western horizon. This new tour will wind its way through some of the most remote regions of the Blue and Elkhorn Mountains. Much of this tour will be on paved forest service roads well away from any town. If you enjoy camping and the beauty of riding quiet roads than this tour is for you. I hope to have the details on the website by mid September. Pop us an email at info@wildheartcycling.com if you would like to be notified when the details are posted. Details on other new tours to follow in the next two months.

Remember it's all about traveling by bike. Smell the flowers, soak up the views, and enjoy the downhills.

Cheers, Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com
Bicycle tours in Oregon, California and Vermont

Doggin It

2008-07-28T18:12:00.000-07:00

Well, as promised, here's an update on the Rover dog trailer. The trailer arrived last Wednesday, only two days after I placed my order. I was so excited that I put the trailer together right away (minimal assembly required) and started introducing Rhea to the idea. Since then, each day I've had her spend a little more time in the trailer. At first I just had her sit in it for a couple of minutes at a time. Then I started taking her on the road -- around the block, then two blocks the next day, 12 minutes yesterday, and.... today we went all the way to the trailhead, 3 miles away!! She doesn't seem to mind at all. Today I pulled the trailer with my mountain bike, locked the trailer at the trailhead, went for a mountain bike ride with the dog running alongside, then put her back in the trailer and headed for home. Pulling a 65 pound dog with all the rolling resistance of knobby tires was a little bit of a challenge, but certainly doable and it will only get easier with time. By the end of the Summer I hope to be taking her to more distant trailheads to go hiking. Sweet!!

What's in YOUR trailer?

2008-07-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

OK, so what mischief have I been getting into while Ben is off guiding the Wallowa Mountain Rambler? Well, today I ordered a dog bike trailer! It's the Rover, by our friends at Burley. I can't wait 'til it arrives! I'm tired of driving to the trailhead any time I want to bike, hike or run with my beautiful German Shepard Rhea. The folks at Burley say the trailer is rated for up to 75 pounds, so she should fit in there fine. The big question is, will she be willing to? Hopefully next week we'll be posting photos of Rhea peeking out of the trailer... Stay tuned!

Thinking outside the (metal) box...

2008-07-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hi all! This is Celia - co-founder and food guru of Wild Heart Cycling, and one of our guides when I can break free of the shackles that bind me to my desk. When I'm home in Bend I try to do all of my errands by bike. Until recently, I was doing a mix of bike and car -- using the car when I felt exhausted or had unwieldy items to carry home. But lately I've been able to ride almost exclusively, which is very satisfying. I've been discovering that my trusty Burley trailer, so efficient on a bike tour, can carry just about anything I need to lug around town. Beyond the positive environmental impact and effect on my fitness level, I've been noticing something else. I'm starting to realize how isolating, impersonal and anonymous car travel is. I've begun to wonder if, in the sixty or so years since cars became ubiquitous in our society, there hasn't been a subtle, ongoing shift in how people observe the world and interact with each other. For instance, when you drive downtown, you might possibly wave at someone in another car, but you're hardly likely to shout hello, much less exchange greetings or stop for a conversation. On the other hand, if you're cruising by on a bike, you're much more likely to at least say hello (or possibly "LOOK OUT!" if someone skateboards into your path!). I get a kick out of checking out other people's bikes and incongruous biking garb, too, and chatting with other cyclists as I'm parking my bike. I find myself noticing more, too -- from the smell of backyard barbeques, to what the neighbors have planted in their garden, to the funny dog someone's walking. Things I would miss driving around. And I catch myself feeling...happy. The same curiously happy feeling came over me on the last Wallowa tour, as I was stopping and taking pictures. George Orwell captured it: "the sort of feeling of wonder, the peculiar flame inside you," and wondered "why don't people, instead of the idiocies they do spend their time on, just walk around looking at things?" It's a big, fun world out there -- don't miss it by locking yourself up in a metal and glass box! Get out and travel by bike, whether it's on a great bike tour with us or a trip down to the store!

Wallowa Mountain Rambler - New Tour Dates

2008-07-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

We've added two new Wallowa Mountain Rambler bicycle tour dates to our 2008 season.

August 3 - August 9
September 14 - September 20

Click on tour calendar to see the rest of our schedule. Click here to see the detailed itinerary for the Wallowa Mountain Rambler.

Remember, it's alway about traveling by bicycle. I guess bicycle touring releases the Frodo Baggins in each of us. The true joy of touring is letting yourself be absorbed by your surroundings and experience the fun of just rolling down a quiet road.

Cheers, Ben
Bicycle Tour in Oregon, California, & Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com

Bike Tour - Wallowa Mountain Rambler

2008-07-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

We ran our first Wallowa Mountain Rambler Bicycle Tour of the season. The wild flowers were out in force, the weather was toasty (for the first two days), food delicious, and the atmosphere fun. One client particularly kept everyone laughing with her stories. We're thrilled she will be joining us on our September California Explorer - Camping Tour. Guiding our tours is just plain fun because of the wonderful people that join us.

The first day was the hottest of the tour. We left Baker City, OR around 8:30 am. Everyone knew it would be warm as soon as you stepped out of the Geiser Grand Hotel into a warm wind at 6:30 am. We rode from shady tree to shady tree and drank plenty of fluids. On our way out of town we spotted a herd of antelope and later a few mule deer hiding under shady bushes. The day ended with a long down hill run to Catherine Creek State Park. Everyone took a cooling soak in the creek. Super refreshing. The days mileage was 37 miles.

On the second day we continued our down hill run to the small village of Union. We got up early to beat the heat today. From here we traversed the world's largest circular valley. (I have no idea what this really means, how's it measured, etc. I guess it falls in the classification of useless trivia). As you might expect a few different jokes and comments came out this piece of trivia. We stopped for coffee and ice cream in Cove and Imbler. Lunch was in a park in Elgin. The big climb (or only climb) of the day was the Minam Grade. It was a warm climb but not as hot as the day before. The downhill run to the campground in the Wallowa Valley offered spectacular views (see photo on right). Once at Minam State Park one of our guest found a super nice soaking hole in the Minam River. Usually you can swim in the river but for this tour the river was running very high and fast.

We've adopted getting up early to beat the heat. Breakfast is usually 6~6:30 am with the goal of getting out of camp by 7:30 or earlier. Today we headed for Wallowa Lake. This was a day of riding, eating, riding, eating, riding, eating, riding, and eating. We stopped at the little town of Wallowa for coffee drinks and a pastries. The first group snatched up the remaining tasty pastries. Our next food stop was in the small village of Lostine. Here we stopped at the Blue Banana for more pastries and cool coffee drinks. I loaded up on one of the Banana's big cinnamon rolls and grabbed a bag of roasted almonds to go in one of our dinner salads. Next stop was Enterprise. We bought some delicious sandwiches from a local bakery and ate them under a gazebo next to the county courthouse. As we're eating we watched an impressive afternoon thunderstorm unveil in front us. Very cool place to watch a storm from a distance. From Enterprise we headed to Joseph along a back road. In Joseph we picked up some fresh baked bread, and a three berry cobbler. The cobbler felt like it weighed 5 lbs. Suprisingly, we ate the whole thing that evening.

The next day we explored the area around Wallowa Lake. Some folks took the tram up Mount Howard, some walked along Wallowa Lake, and one person went for a hike in to the Eagle Cap Wilderness. The guides spent the time getting our food supplies organized. Everyone did some laundry.

On the fifth day we left Wallowa Lake fairly early. Our destination was a picturesque campground along the Imnaha River. Most of this ride is along quiet paved forest service roads. The first major climb was to Salt Creek Summit. From here we dropped down to Lick Creek. On the way down we passed a guy working on his broken down car. Nice guy. We offered to help but he declined. I then asked if he needed a tow. I figured we could hook the car to the back end of the Burley Nomad Trailer. From Lick Creek their is a climb much shorter than the ride up Salt Creek Summit though the length is deceptively long. This climb ends at a ridge overlooking the Imanaha River. From here it's a long down hill run to the campground. Once again one of our guests found a super nice soaker hole in a small creek that feeds the Imnaha River. The Imanahe was running fast and high. The local mule deer were getting more bold as the evening went along. One of our guests took on the active role of chasing the deer away.

On the sixth day we rose early to hazy skies and relatively high humidity. We set off up the first climb of the day. The first group to the junction for the Hell's Canyon Overlook dropped their trailers and rode the three miles to the overlook. Although hazy it was still a very impressive view. The Seven Devil Mountains are usually clearly visible. This morning you could only make out their silhouette. This group rejoined their trailers and the other group a short time later. From here we pushed to the summit. A quick check of the bike then we begin the 4,500+ decent. Yesterday and today clearly had the most wild flowers. It's a very cool sight to see the change in ecosystem as you lose elevation. Once down to the main road we headed west to Halfway. In Halfway the guides restocked with groceries. We ate lunch in the town park. Every day has its unique aspects. Today's was the women's bathroom in Halfway. The bathroom has two side by side toilets with no divider in between. As one of the guides on the tour I requested that the women on the tour use the bathroom in twos to speed up the time we get on the road. Once again we got a few good jokes out of this rest stop. Our last climb of the day is over a good size hump between Halfway and Richland. I took on the role as the tanker. I carried two six packs of beer, milk, and ice in my trailer. Even with the extra weight the climb was still very doable. Once at the top we stopped a couple of times to take pictures. This is when the troubles began. Everyone made it safely down to the turn off for the campground then the tire flats began. Between the turn off and the next morning we had seven flats. When we pulled off the road to take the photos some of us ran over goat heads. Each one of these little buggers is covered with thorns (prickers) that can easily pierce your tires. They are hard to see because of their brownish color and small size. The campground host stated he had three bikes with flats and had given up mountain biking in the area because of all the goat heads. This campground has more character than any of our other stops. Being July4 the locals were out shooting a few fireworks along with some tribal drum music. Fortunately none of this went to late. The fireworks and music actually came from a few camps outside of the park. We also ran into a few young guys from the campground while walking along a nearby road earlier in the evening. One of the guys asked if we've seen any rattlers. We said no. He replied "I'm going to eat me a rattler." He and his buddies continued on their way, kicking the road side grass as they went. I never heard the ambulance that evening so I'm assuming the rattlers avoided the dinner plate. Personally I like this campground for it's showers and it's colorful character. Every time we stay there we come away with a funny story.

For much of the last day we ride through a canyon with the Powder River. It's a pretty ride that is very different from any of the other days. This road is on the same route as an Adventure Cycling's cross country route. During one of our rest stops a lone rider heading east stopped and asked if we had a multitool. She was doing a cross country credit card tour (i.e. eating in restaurants and staying in hotels). Her front brakes weren't working. We found two loose screws on her front brakes. As she departed those of us from the West wondered if she understood how remote some sections of these roads. She was from Europe. She's made this far I suspect she'll make it the rest of the way. People can be pretty resourceful. Traveling without a sag vehicle can bring out the best in people. After our last climb of the day we stopped to see the ruts left from the Oregon Trail. There's an interpretive center up a steep hill that I have yet to ride up. The Trail is down near the main road. Back at Baker City it was time for a milk shake. Near the end of the ride I start fixating on food but I kept it to myself. No sense punishing others with my thoughts of food. Most businesses in Baker City were closed for the 4th but the ice cream shop was open. Nothing like a large chocolate - espresso milkshake.

Bike touring is an amazing way to travel. On this route we circumnavigated the Wallowa Mountains. Each day was different. This is my favorite route. When traveling by bike you see, hear, and smell things that you would just miss in a car or on a motorcycle.

To see more photos from this tour go to www.snapfish.com. To access the email address is info@wildheartcycling.com and the password is wildheart.

If you haven't made your plans for the summer we still have room in some of our remaining tours. Email anne.marie@wildheartcycling.com to find out about availability. Click here for our the tour calendar. The detailed itinerary for this tour is here.

Cheers, Ben

Bicycle Tours - Oregon, Bike Tours - California, Bike Tours - Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com

Lodge Based Bicycle Tour Packing List

2008-06-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

For this post we'll take a look at what to bring on one of our lodge based bicycle tours as opposed to a camping tour. Our packing list along with some editorial comments should help folks better understand what should be taken and what can be left home. My editorial comments are highlighted.

□ Road Bike (Please have your bike tuned and inspected before your tour begins) This is your vacation and the vacation of the other participants. Having a bike that has been inspected and tuned is cheap insurance for having a fun tour.

□ Bike Shoes I suggest a proper bike shoe whether you use cycling cleats, toe clips, or flat pedals. A rider loses a fair amount of energy by having the feet unnecessarily flex with each pedal stroke. There are plenty of good shoes to chose from. Visit your local bike shop and try a few on. This season we're going to try the Keen cycling sandal. It's a stiffed soled cycling shoe that looks to be cool and comfortable.

□ Bike Helmet Be sure it's in good condition. A damaged helmet should be replaced.

□ Bike Trailer (Provided by Wild Heart Cycling) We set you up with a Burley Nomad trailer. Your guides will review how to attach and ride with a trailer. These trailers are easy to pull.

□ Water Bottles (2) or CamelBak (You will receive one 24 oz bottle) On hot days I sometimes go through 3~4 water bottles though I would probably be classified as a heavy drinker. I like to drink Cytomax when I ride though there are plenty of other good energy drinks on the market. An energy drink helps me maintain the proper electrolytes and keeps me feeling good all day long.

□ Tire Irons (Your guides will have a full repair kit) This is a basic tool for changing a flat.

□ Spare Tube I always install a new tube and plan to fix the tube with a hole. A properly applied patch should last the life of the tube.

□ Tube Patch Kit See Spare Tube comments.

□ Bike Pump I carry a small, reliable, easy to use, cycling pump. Know your pump would be my mantra. There are very good pumps and there are crappy pumps.

□ 2~3 Cycling Shorts I typically hand wash the dirty shorts in the hotel bathroom each night. Take care not to spread any cycling grease or oil on the hotel linens. In the past I've wiped a greasy hand on my shorts during the day.

□ 2~3 Cycling Jerseys As with my shorts I typically hand wash the dirty jersey.

□ Cycling Gloves A must have in case you fall. They protect your palms from cuts and scrapes. A good pair of gloves can also help absorb some of the road vibration.

□ 2~3 Cycling Socks For summer time riding I like socks that breath well.

□ Wind Breaker/Rain Jacket I have one jacket that serves both purposes.

□ Rain Pants A lightweight pair of nylon pants will suffice for summer time riding. Make sure the legs won't get caught in your chain. You can use an ankle strap to keeps the leg fabric out of the chain. Be sure to try riding with these pants if you never have before. You want to make the legs don't bind in the pants. During the summer I will frequently forgo rain pants and ride in the rain with my legs exposed. The air temperature is usually warm enough that I would just sweat if I wore rain pants.

□ Warm Shirt or Pile Jacket Nice to have on those cool mornings or evenings.

□ Sunglasses A must for eye protection. I like polaroid lenses.

□ Sunscreen I carry a small bottle and try to apply it a couple of times during the day. My German - Irish heritage makes me a good candidate for a sunburn.

□ Camera A picture is worth a 1,000 words. Don't forget your battery charger.

□ Street Clothes (Evening temperatures in the Cascade Mountains typically range from the upper 50’s to the low 70’s. Morning temperatures will be cool but increase fairly quickly.) Women may prefer a skirt or shorts and men may prefer shorts for the evenings. Dress comfortably. Since I only wear these clothes for a few hours each day I can easily wear these clothes multiple times. For summer tours I typically bring a 1~2 nice shirts, pair of shorts, and sandals. If I need a warm shirt or rain jacket I wear my cycling clothes listed above.

□ Toilet Kit – Toothbrush, shampoo, etc. Bring what you need. I leave the big bottle of shampoo home and bring a little travel bottle instead. Don't hesitate to repackage your items into a smaller package.

□ Personal Medications Don't forget these important items.

□ Personal Items – Book, etc. Your on vacation bring that favorite book you've been waiting to start.

As you can see you don't need to bring a lot to have a great time. The goal is to travel lightly and comfortably.

Cheers, Ben

Bicycle Tours - Oregon, Bike Tours - California, Bike Tours - Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com

A World Saved by the Bike

2008-06-02T13:26:00.000-07:00

As cyclists know the bike is one of the most efficient, beneficial and downright fun inventions created. According to the WorldWatch Institute a bicycle needs 35 calories per passenger mile, while a car uses 1,860. Buses and trains are somewhere in between. Americans use bikes for fewer than one in a hundred trips though their are areas where bike usage is higher. In the European Union usage is 20 to 35 percent. If we could all bike more errands (along with getting more people addicted to the fun of cycling) maybe we could meet the standards set by our counter parts across the Atlantic. With more people traveling by bike I wonder if our "gross national happiness" would increase. This is a measure used in Bhutan. There would be cleaner air, reduced congestion, lower noise levels, healthier people, and more disposal income that could be spent on a local economy rather than enriching oil companies and faraway countries. It's alot more fun supporting a local farmer, restaurant, brewpub, etc. than some country or company making billions. I would like to thank the David Suzuki Foundation for much of the background info in this post.

Enjoy the day and get out for a ride.

Cheers, Ben

Bicycle tours in Oregon, California, and Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com

Trailer Travels

2008-05-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a notable tale of a local Burley Nomad owner.

One of my fellow Mt. Bachelor National Ski patroller's is also a Burley Nomad owner. He first borrowed a trailer from me to ride to Mount Bachelor Ski Resort to patrol this Spring. He loaded his skis, boots, poles, patrol vest, beer, ski clothes and some other odds and ends and rode from Bend to Mount Bachelor. The distance from Bend to Mt. Bachelor is 23+/- miles with an elevation gain over 2,300 ft. Keep in mind an alpine patroller must be dressed and ready to go at 6:45 am. Tim left way before dark to get to the mountain on time. After patrolling he shared his beer and rode back home. Since then he bought his own trailer. Recently he rode to Mount Bachelor for a true human powered adventure. Instead of patrolling this time he skied to the base of Broken Top Mountain in the Three Sisters Wilderness, set up camp, climbed and skied Broken Top for two days, skied back to his bike and trailer and rode home. Here's a picture of his loaded trailer with Rhea keeping guard (sort of). For this summer he is planning a 50 day bike tour from Washington through British Columbia to the nether lands of Alaska. He's still figuring out the details for this next adventure. This is a true testament to living life filled with human powered adventure.

Cheers, Ben

Bicycle tours in Oregon, California, and Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com

Bicycle Touring Pack List

2008-05-16T16:44:00.000-07:00

On this post we'll cover a little of what to bring on one of our camping tours. A fundamental theme with backing is to go light. Lightness equates to comfort. Keep in mind you need to pack only your personal belongings on our tours. Your guides carry a medical kit, bike repair kit, and the food. As with any of our tours you can always contact us if you have any questions. Below I've listed our packing list for the Wallowa Mountain Rambler Tour. This is a seven day camping tour. With each item listed below I've tried to give some packing thoughts around the particular item.

Wallowa Tour – Packing List

"Items listed below should be packed for this tour. Feel free to add or delete items. Just keep in mind that some of the items listed below are absolute necessities. Additionally, adding numerous heavy items means a heavier trailer. Please contact us if you have any questions on what to bring at info@wildheartcycling.com." The preceding text is included with the packing list.

□ Bike (Please have your bike tuned by a qualified mechanic before the start of the tour.) A reliable, well tuned bike is fundamental for a great trip for yourself and other folks on the tour. Bike problems do occur but most can be avoided by having your local shop give your bike a good once over.

□ Bike Trailer (Wild Heart will provide) We show you how to attach and ride with the trailer. Never hesitate to ask questions.

□ Water Bottles (2-4) or CamelBak (We will provide you with a 24 oz water bottle to keep at the beginning of the tour.) I can easily drink 2 to 4 water bottles in a day. I carry two and plan on refilling the first bottle once I begin drinking out of the second water bottle. Know thy self. If your a heavy drinker then bring extra bottles. You can easily store the extra bottles in your trailer.

□ Tire Irons We use these to change a flat. We recommend you carry a pair in case you want to change the flat before your guide arrives.

□ Spare Bicycle Tube This goes with the tire irons. By the way who came up with the term tire irons. Sounds heavy.

□ Tube Patch Kit Carry one of those little patch kits you can get at your local bike shop. You can use it to patch your tube with the hole in it.

□ Bike Pump Have a lightweight frame pump that works. If new try it out at home before you bring it on your tour. All pumps are not equal, by a long shot. I've experienced a few crappy pumps over the years.

□ Bike Helmet Mandatory. Have a helmet that is comfortable and cool.

□ Bike Shoes Bike shoes should be comfortable but have a stiff sole. You can lose a lot of energy with a street shoe that has a flexible sole. A pair of cycling shoes coupled with mountain bike pedals makes for a nice touring setup. Mountain bike pedals use a recessed cleat. This makes for easier walking in your bike shoes.

□ Cycling Shorts (2 ~3 pairs) – There are laundry facilities at Wallowa Lake Campground (Days 3 & 4). Multiple pairs are essential. Plan on rinsing/washing your shorts nightly. Following this practice will help prevent "diaper rash". I also apply Assos Creme to the chamois of my shorts each morning. I hang the just washed shorts off my trailer as ride along. I usually bring three pairs when I guide.

□ Cycling Jerseys (2 ~3 pairs) I may bring a sleeveless and a short sleeve jersey. My sleeveless jersey is super cool and also looks sharp.

□ Cycling Gloves I bring one pair. Gloves protect the palms if you fall and put your arm out. They also help dampen some of the road vibration.

□ Cycling Socks (2 ~3 pairs) I bring two pairs. Avoid cotton socks. I like socks that breathe really well.

□ Rain Jacket/Wind Breaker On the Wallowa Tour we cross a pass that can be quite cool and possibly wet. Here again I would look for a lightweight rain jacket. A jacket combined with a helmet cover makes for comfortable ride in the rain. Louis Garneau makes a sweet helmet cover.

□ Rain Pants Don't worry about being fashion conscious here. You can use your hiking rain pants just make sure to use a pant strap to keep the fabric out of the chain. Rain pants cause a conundrum for me. If a I wear them I usually sweat profusely. If I don't wear them then I my lower half gets soaked. I always bring them but I only wear them if it's cool and rainy.

□ Warm Cycling Shirt or Pile Jacket I wear this same shirt around camp in the evening. I have a wool Ibex long sleeve wool jersey that I love. It's ~4 years old and it still works great.

□ Sunglasses A must have. The Wallowa's are typical dry and bright.

□ Sunscreen I apply it in the morning and then again around lunch.

□ Tent Here's where you can save some weight. I use a Black Diamond 1st Light Tent. At 2 pounds 11 ounces it has to be one of the lightest tents on the market. The tent also has generous amount of space inside. We rent these tents. If your tent is around 4~5 pounds I would think seriously about renting one or purchasing your own.

□ Sleeping Bag Here's another area where you can save weight. For this season I'm using REI Travel Down Bag +45 deg. At 1 pound 11 ounces it comes in as a lightweight bag. For our summer tours I expect it will perform admirably. I'll let you know.

□ Sleeping Pad Go with a thin lightweight pad. I like the Thermarest type since you can add air to them. Pick a lightweight pad and you can save a few ounces. We rent lightweight pads.

□ Swim Suit Shouldn't be much weight here. A cool dip in a deep pool is always fun.

□ Towel I bring a lightweight pack towel. They dry quickly and take up very little space. Bringing a full length beach towel is an extravagance I would leave home.

□ Camera I bring a high resolution point and shoot. Most of the photos on our website were shot with this camera.

□ Evening Camp Clothes Plan on wearing the same clothes every night. I also use my warm cycling shirt and rain jacket as an evening camp wear. I bring a pear of Chaco sandals to walk around camp in. Keep it simple and comfortable.

□ Winter Hat I like to wear a winter hat when I first get up. It's an easy lightweight way to add warmth.

□ Camp Shoes or Sandals Leave the penny loafers home. I go with a pair of Chaco sandals. Sandals combined with socks can keep the feet toasty and comfortable.

□ Head Lamp Necessary for the late night trip to the bathroom.

□ Toilet Kit – Toothbrush, shampoo, etc. Bring only what you need. Leave the full size shampoo bottle in your shower home.

□ Personal Items – Book, medications, etc. I usually bring a book. I avoid bring War and Peace or other hefty books. Bike touring is definitely a time to catch up on your reading.

□ Appetite You will be well fed!

Recommended though not required:

o Triple chain ring on the front The lower the gearing the better. When I'm climbing I try to keep myself comfortable by spinning.

o Mountain bike cassette and derailleur on the rear A mountain bike cassette combined with a triple ring is the ideal combo for bicycle touring. Our goal is not to go fast but to go comfortably.

Cheers,
Ben

Bicycle tours in Oregon, California, and Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com

Lookin' Good - Wild Heart Cycling Cycling Jersey

2008-05-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

For 2008 we will be offering some fine looking jerseys to be seen in. Take a look. If you would like to reserve your jersey pop us an email through info@wildheartcycling.com.

Cheers,
Ben

Bicycle tours in Oregon, California, and Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com

Bicycle Commuting - Real World Data

2008-05-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

Here at Wild Heart Cycling we thought it might be interesting to document our own results from running errands by bike rather than car. Over roughly a two~three week period Celia completed 11 errands by bike for a total mileage of ~30 miles. Round trip distance for each errand was 2~4 miles. We've both found that the more errands you complete by bike the easier it becomes. Depending on vehicle traffic I would guess that running errands by bike only takes ~10 minutes longer though it biking might be quicker if a parking space is hard to come by. On a more personal note I find errand running by bike a great way to break up the day and put some energy into a day that may be a little dull and boring. Now this study is not scientific but I do think it gives some idea on the real world performance of running errands by bike.

Cheers,
Ben

Bicycle tours in Oregon, California, and Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com

A Pillar of Sustainability: THE BICYCLE

2008-04-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

In celebration of earth day I'm offering up some interesting facts and figures:

In the Negative Column

Nearly half of all car trips in the US are three miles or less.
More than a quarter of all trips are less than a mile.
Most trips involve home, store, job or school.
A car produces one pound of CO2 per mile.
Mile for mile, short trips are the most polluting. Engines running cold produce four times the CO and twice the VOC of engines running hot.
Smog forming VOCs continue to evaporate from an engine until it cools off.

In the Positive Column

Bicycles outnumber automobiles two to one in the world.
50 million people bike at least once per year in the US but only 2 million are regular bike commuters.
A bicyclist can cover a mile in 4 minutes while a pedestrian takes 20 minutes.
A bike produces zero pounds of CO2 emissions. No fossil fuels required to operate
A bike is a blessing for your wallet, health, and legs

The above are an excerpts from Seven Wonders for a Cool Planet by Eric Sorensen and the Sightline Institute.

Now for our own real world experience. Celia has kept track of her bike mileage while running errands around town over the last two weeks. She rode a little over 30 miles while completing 8~10 errands. Some simple division gives us ~3 miles per trip. Feel free to add your own experiences.

Keep it Real,
Ben

Bicycle tours in Oregon, California, and Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com

Caring for Nature

2008-04-15T13:06:00.000-07:00

The David Suzuki Foundation offers simple actions we can all take at home or work to slow the impact of global warming. Here are a few of his (and others) suggestions:

Reduce your home heating and electricity use by 10%. Install flourescent lights, let your clothes dry naturally, turn your electronics off when not in use, unplug your charger, turn your heat down, turn your ac up, etc.
Choose energy efficient appliances.
Buy your food local.
Bike to the store or work at least one day a week. If you're already doing it increase the number of days you ride.
If your moving choose a home within 30 minutes of work.
Get involved. Share your ideas with friends and family.
Learn about the impacts of air travel. Consider taking a vacation closer to home.

Check out the David Suzuki Foundation for more ideas and discussion on environmental issues. Their website contains a wealth of information and has an interesting Canadian flavor. Since 1990 they have been working to bring our human impacts into balance with nature.

Although our focus is running sustainable bike tours we believe it's a positive step to offer a few tips on how to live more sustainable. The Green Jersey tip shown above is one way how we do this.

Cheers,
Ben

Bicycle tours in Oregon, California, and Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com

What's it like to pull a Burley Nomad Bicycle Trailer?

2008-03-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

Can I pull a bicycle trailer? On our website we try to give you an idea how easy it is to pull a Burley Nomad Trailer but I thought it might also be helpful to read some reviews from folks who use the Burley Nomad Trailer but have not taken a tour with us. Go to this link at www.bicycletrailers.com to read reviews from folks who use the Nomad Trailer. Go to this link to read our description of bicycle touring with a Nomad Trailer. Let me know if you found this info helpful.

Although we're a retailer for the Burley Nomad it's more important to get the word out on how easy it is to use the Burley Nomad Trailer.

Cheers,
Ben
Bicycle Tours in Oregon, California, and Vermont
www.wildheartcycling.com

California Bicycle Touring

2008-03-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

We just returned from bicycling our Golden Gate Explorer route. Rather than do a lot of talking about the ride I thought I would just post a few pictures from the route. This bicycle tour has all the components for a great ride - smooth roads, spectacular scenery, delicious bakeries, and more spectacular scenery. We hope you can join us on either the camping version or the b&B/lodge based version of this amazing tour.

Cheers, Ben

Seattle Bike Expo - California Bike Touring

2008-03-04T20:54:00.000-08:00

We're off to the Seattle Bike Expo this weekend. If you plan to attend be sure to stop by our booth for a visit. Celia and I will be manning the booth this year. It's always a great event. We enjoy meeting so many folks excited about bicycle touring. Seattle definitely has an enthusiastic cycling population.

After the Expo a few of Wild Heart Cycling's finest will be heading to California for some warm weather touring. It's time to warm up our cold bones. Our plan at this point is to ride our California Explorer - Camping route. This tour has amazing views of the California Coast along with some spectacular views from ridge lines we ride along. For the first couple of nights we sleep among the redwoods then head to San Francisco for some great ethnic food. Check out our slide show of this route on our website. Our trip will follow the itinerary on California Explorer (Camping) itinerary page.

Looking forward to meeting you at the Expo.

Cheers, Ben
www.wildheartcycling.com
Bike Tours in California, Oregon, and Vermont

Sustainability Ideas

2008-02-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

As follow up to our last post here's five key areas where we can focus on reducing our household impacts:

Energy

Electricity - Household consumption
Fuels - Consumption and delivery, where does your fuel come from? Can you ride your bike instead of take a car?
Life Cycle of Products - Energy to create, use, and dispose of an item

Waste

Disposable versus Recyclable versus Compostable

Purchasing Behavior - Excess packaging, excess bags,

Water

Total Consumption
Heating of water

Toxins

Cleaning Supplies
Personal Hygiene Products
Hazardous Chemicals - Paint, glues, office supplies, batteries

Land Use

Landscaping - Water consumption, energy consumption
Chemical Application - Pesticides, synthetic fertilizers

These key areas were from the lecture presented at Oregon State University - Cascade Campus discussed in the previous post. If your looking for examples in these areas try our Green Jersey Tips at our website, www.wildheartcycling.com.

Here are a few changes we've made, both personally and as a company, toward being more sustainable:

Replaced incandescent bulbs with compact flourescent bulbs
Purchase power generated by the wind.
Be wise on what we print.
Turn lights off when not in the room.
Encourage guides and customers to car pool. Last year we had one guide who didn't a car. This year we have three.
For 2008 we're committed to using soy based inks and recycled paper in our marketing materials. We are also working towards minimizing paper oriented marketing materials.
Let the air dry our washed cycling clothes instead of a clothes dryer.
Use low VOC paint.
Purchase locally. This includes goods and services

These are a few of the actions we've taken. As Dr. Shinderman discussed being sustainable is a continuum. As we get smarter and see more opportunities we will continue along that continuum.

Cheers, Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com
Bicycle Tours in Oregon, California and Vermont

Cycling Tours focused on Sustainability

2008-02-20T08:55:00.001-08:00

What does it mean to be sustainable as an individual or for us as a company that leads bicycle tours?

I recently attended a lecture at Oregon State University Cascades Campus on sustainability. The title of the lecture was Sustainability: What it was, What it is, What it shall be. Matt Shinderman, Phd was the lecturer. Mr. Shinderman offered a few definitions of sustainability that various individuals or businesses had defined:

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without comprising the ability of future generations to meet their needs." Brundtland Report 1987

"Obligation to the future" 7th Generation Toilet Paper

"Triple bottom line, focusing on economic prosperitiy, environmental quality, and.....social justice" John Elkington

For Wild Heart Cycling we believe sustainability means treating our environment as if we intend to stay. We try to consider the impact our decisions have on our environment for today and for the future. With this premise we try to support local businesses and farmers. As Mr. Shinderman discussed to be sustainable means traveling along a continuum. With each day and each decision we try to move our personal lives and business to be more sustainable. We also believe the path to sustainability is easier for many of us when we take many incremental steps. With this idea we created the Green Jersey tips that are listed through out our website.

For our next blog we'll discuss some actions each of us can take to move our personal households to be more sustainable.

Cheers, Ben

www.wildheartcycling.com
Oregon Bicycle Tours, California Bicycle Tours, & Vermont Bike Tours

New Vermont Bicycle Tour

2008-02-06T16:00:00.001-08:00

It's exciting times at Wild Heart Cycling. As we've done with developing our new California bicycle tours we've now developed a new Vermont bicycle tour. This new tour was a natural for us. Living in New England for a number of years gave us the intimate knowledge to develop this new route. This tour will be guided by myself along with a couple of locals who love to cycle. On the Vermont Explorer B&B Bicycle Tour we travel along the western slopes of the Green Mountains south to where we cross Lake Champlain via ferry. This small ferry is located at the base of Fort Ticonderoga. From here we travel north along the shore of Lake Champlain to the quaint hamlet of Essex. We spend an extra day here exploring this beautiful area. Down day options includes a day ride in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, kayaking on Lake Champlain, of just relaxing in the village. From here we ride north to Port Kent to catch a ferry back to Burlington. As a new tour we are only planning to offer this tour only August 18 - 24, 2008. Considering the route and the guides this new tour promises to be a lot of fun and very memorable.

Click on the following link for the tour itinerary: Vermont Explorer - Itinerary. Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Cheers, Ben
www.wildheartcycling.com
Bicycle Tours in Oregon, California, and Vermont

New California Bicycle Tours

2008-01-10T16:41:00.000-08:00

Our quest to find outstanding areas to bicycle tour has taken us to Northern California. We've added two new tours that deliver outstanding cycling. Both tours start south of San Francisco in the coastal community of Pacifica. Each tour is called the Golden Gate Explorer. One is camping based while the other is lodge based. Each tour takes you along the California Coast, through old growth Redwoods, across the Golden Gate Bridge, and to Point Reyes National Seashore. With each tour we take one or two down days in Point Reyes. From here we can explore the back roads of Marin County for some amazing riding. With our explorations we should be able to include stops at one or two of the delicious bakeries in the area. As we all know, there's nothing like a homemade pastry or sandwich to boost your blood sugar. As with all our tours good food is a must. For 2008 we plan to offer these tours in May and September.

If you would like more info or have some questions you can reach us at info@wildheartcycling.com.

Cheers, Ben

Change for the Positive

2007-12-17T16:03:00.000-08:00

We’re excited about our new website, www.wildheartcycling.com, that went live on December 14, 2007. In addition to adding more tour dates we’ve added a couple of sections that are important to us – Food and Sustainability.

Food
One of life’s great joys is delicious food. We practice this philosophy at home and in the tours we offer. During the off season we spend our time coming up with delicious recipes that we can make in a campground under a canopy of redwoods or next to the Imnaha River in the Wallowa Mountains. In our mind good food is one of the keystones to a fun and happy life.

Sustainability
We started Wild Heart Cycling with the idea of having a small footprint on this world and making a positive difference. One way we try to keep our footprint small is we run our tours without the greenhouse gas producing SAG vans. This is an amazingly fun way to travel that frees you from one of our society’s biggest footprints. In the making a difference category we support environmental organizations in areas where we tour. On our new California tours we travel through the big redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Los Altos, CA based Sempervirens Fund works to protect these ancient giants. During the time we’ve been following this organization we’ve watched them acquire some incredible redwood groves. Most recently they purchased 535 acre Little Basin grove. This grove is adjacent to Big Basin Redwoods State Park which we visit as part of the Golden Gate Explorer Tour.

That’s all for now.

Happy Holidays

Experience Oregon's Bounty

2007-10-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

Sample artisan wines, bicycle along quiet country roads and enjoy gourmet french food. Join us, Wild Heart Cycling, as we enjoy fine local wines from Oregon's Willamette Valley while staying in a comfy B&B and hotels. This four day sampler tour departs from Salem, Oregon; only a short distance from Portland, Oregon. Click here if you would like more info on this upcoming Willamette Valley Wine Sampler Bicycle Tour. Check this tour and all our tours out at http://www.wildheartcycling.com/.

Stay tuned for new tours in 2008! In additiona to our Oregon cycling tours we'll be cycling through Vermont, around Lake Champlain, and along the Napa Valley & Northern California Coast.

Have some questions? You can reach us at info@wildheartcycling.com.