DF Connection

Meet TJ Watt, Big Tree Hunter and co-founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance. TJ is an award-winning nature and conservation photographer from British Columbia whose images have helped bolster campaigns to secure the protection of important environmental areas. In this episode, TJ explains how he got interested in big trees, what it's like to climb into old-growths, and how he came about his Be...

In Yachats, Oregon the town pays tribute to indigenous heritage through a story about Amanda.  How did this one story come to represent the history of the local tribe? Joanne Kittel started out wanting to donate 1/2 miles of land in Yachats, Oregon to support the Oregon Coast Trail.  This turned into 30 years of research and advocacy work about the local tribes. Joanne has written numerous article...

This podcast explorers how Kristen and Ville Jokinen met and fell in love while scuba diving in Vietnam. Ville then left his native Finland to join Kristen in Oregon, and together they embarked on a life-changing two-year cycling adventure covering 18,000 miles from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina. Despite never having cycled further than around the block, they persevered unrelenting, p...

In March 2022, Chris Cole, a local Bend artist, installed a new sculpture in the Discovery West neighborhood. This new public art in Bend, Oregon is a tribute to Annie Londonderry, the first women to bicycle around the world in 1894 and 1895. The seven foot tall, inverted pyramid design includes decorative bike cogs, ship window, and illuminated image of Annie and a descriptive plaque. Visitors ca...

In Southern Arizona you might be lucky enough to see Sonoran pronghorns . In this podcast, we learn from Stephanie Fuest, the lead wildlife biologist for the recovery of the endangered Sonoran pronghorn. She walks us through the history of the species in the area, recovery efforts, and best practices should you encounter one while riding. She also explains what is different about them, compared to...

What is a fish hatchery? Why are they important? What fish do they raise? What impacts the survival of the fish? Our guest is Kyle Bratcher who is a District Fish Biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and he will discuss fish hatcheries with an emphasis on the Wallowa Hatchery in Enterprise, OR. We promise, the next time you ride by a fish hatchery, you are going to have a whol...

Ever visited a location from your favorite book? Cool, right? Dirty Freehub's new READ & RIDE allows you to do just that! READ & RIDE matches 5-star gravel routes with books to create a memorable journey. Read to learn, then ride to bring the pages to life! No worries if books aren't your jam — you can still learn about the places you'll ride through podcasts, videos, and more....

The Wallowa Mountains in NE Oregon have the most complicated and longest geological history of any range in Oregon. In this podcast, we talk with Dr. Kim Ely, a geologist, about this unique and beautiful area. You will learn how to "untangle what you see" when riding in the Wallowas! For the full transcript and bonus information, go to the podcast on our webpage. ------------------------...

Thinking about transitioning from road riding to gravel cycling?  Join us in a fun conversation between Linda English (aka Gravel Girl and Executive Director of Dirty Freehub) and Kira Corbett (overall badass in cycling) as we talk about everything around the challenges and joys to making the switch from road to gravel.  From route planning, what to expect in gravel, riding etiquette and...

WebCyclery , a bike shop in Bend, Oregon is celebrating their 25th anniversary. Let's catch up with Owner, Kevin Gorman as he talks about how it all began.  What makes WebCyclery different and the story behind moving the shop into a former church. How has his family been involved in building the business and what is Kevin's favorite Central Oregon gravel route.  Dirty Freehub is a n...

Have you ever driven through Paisley, Oregon and noticed the advertisement for the Paisley Mosquito Festival? Is it really a festival about mosquitos? Today we talk with one of the festival's organizers, Amy Davis, to learn about a festival that may very well involve mosquitoes. Sure would be fun to polish off the Milk and Honey  gravel bike route and then head on over to the Mosquito Fe...

The Milky Way is a stainless steel sculpture that is located at Shevlin Park Road and Mt Washington Drive in Bend, Oregon.  In this podcast, Pete Stein interviews Devin Field who was the artist behind this fun piece.  Listen in as we learn about how the art was commissioned and then how we designed and built this sculpture.  Also, The Milky Way is a lit sculpture; learn about w...

We all know that it is important to spend where we ride .... to support the local economy. But do all dollars spent have the same impact? In this podcast, we explore that premise with Thomas Barr, the Vice President of Business Development for Local First Arizona . Local First Arizona is a nonprofit working to build equitable systems for Arizona’s local businesses, those businesses that create a v...

Riding on obscure Tuscon trails, we ran across amazing art that was created out of rocks carefully arranged in the sand to form very cool figures.  A huge rabbit, a heart, a wolf howling in a moonlight, a horse, a hummingbird .... we also ran across the original artist, Karen Garno, who was busy working on her latest masterpiece.  Listen in on this podcast as Gravel Girl interviews Karen...

Rattlesnakes scare the bejeezus out of most of us. But ... should they really? In this podcast, learn more about rattlesnakes and what to do if you do get bit out in the wild. Our guest is Dr. Nick Brandehoff of the Asclepius Snakebite Foundation .  Nick is board-certified in emergency medicine, medical toxicology, and addiction medicine with a passion for herpetology and a specialization in...

This is a thought provoking interview about bikepacking racing etiquette and preparation with Kait Boyle, the co-founder and Education Director for Bikepacking Routes.  She returns to answer more Leave No Trace (LNT) questions from listener-generated questions.  We dive into the summer's events surrounding the large number of SAR rescues on the Tour Divide 2022, how to apply Leave No Tra...

As straightforward as it may sound, navigating a gravel route is much more than following a line on your bike computer or phone. We chat with Executive Director of Dirty Freehub, Linda English, to share some navigation topics to think about (and practice) along with some comical stories while navigating. What are the common mistakes cyclists make in navigation? Should you use a phone or a bik...

The playful, retro "Greetings From" murals across Central Oregon bring back fond memories of the postcards that were a huge hit with tourists in the mid 20th century. These murals are part of the The Central Oregon Mural Trail and are created by Karen Eland and Katie Daisy for Visit Central Oregon . In an interview with Karen Eland, learn about the back story of these fascinating murals; how are t...

Bikepacking in bear country, what should you do with your gear that will attract bears? Wet trails, what are the best practices for Leave No Trace? Kait Boyle returns to answer more of your questions. Kait is the co-founder of Bikepacking Roots and serves as its Education Director.  Bikepacking Roots has worked with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics to create the Ride Where You Lov...

Lael Wilcox is American ultra-endurance bike racer who holds women's records in the Tour Divide and Trans Am. Lael is motivated to encourage more people, especially women, to ride and in this podcast she joins us to talk about her experiences as an advocate in the cycling community, riding in Arizona, and sustainable tourism as a cyclist. Lael's Website: https://www.laelwilcox.net/ Follow along La...

Kait Boyle is back to discuss the Love Where you Ride campaign and Leave No Trace actions for backcountry cyclists!  We discuss how cyclists can minimize the spread of invasive species, where we should and shouldn't camp, and dive into the the nuances of campfire use.  Kait Boyle is the co-founder of Bikepacking Roots and serves as its Education Director.  Bikepacking Roots has work...

Ever wondered what makes up a 5-Star Route? Is it road quality, visual payback, texture and terrain, or connection to culture, history, and heritage? Hint: It is some of these, but not all. In this podcast, we talk with Kevin English, the Director of Routes & Technologies for Dirty Freehub. ---------------------------------- Dirty Freehub is a nonprofit organization that publishes hand-curated...

"What happened here?" That is a common reaction many have after seeing the immediate impact of the tree thinning and forest mowing work in the Phi'ls Network of trails. In this podcast, we talk with Melanie Fisher from the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project to discuss the ongoing work to restore the forest back to a healthy ecosystem that supports wildlife and recreational use and is wildfire...

Linda English (aka Gravel Girl) shares how to find (or as we call it "shop for") a gravel bike route. Linda explains how to analyze the risk of a route and select a route for your abilities and what’s important to you.  Linda is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Dirty Freehub. She logs over 5,000 miles a year of gravel riding across the Western United States. ---------------------...

Sarah Swallow is a world-renowned bikepacker, route developer, and storyteller who has spent a significant amount of time riding and exploring Southern Arizona. In this podcast, she shares her perspectives of the beauty and uniqueness of the Sky Islands, but also the "uncomfortable" issues arising.   https://bikepacking.com/plan/sky-islands-odyssey/ https://www.rutadeljefe.com/ https://sarahj...