The Tinstreamer Podcast

Episode 4 - Anatomy of a Mountain Town - Ruidoso, New Mexico:   We are back in Lubbock after the Texas Tech University Adventure Media bikepacking trip along the Billy the Kid Smokey Bear route. We spent five days and four nights traversing the backcountry of the Lincoln National Forest. Along the way, I interviewed locals living the mountain life in Ruidoso. In this episode, Jerod Foster and I si...

Episode 3 - Anatomy of a Mountain Town - Ruidoso, New Mexico:    Amanda Foster is the owner of Happy Hiker , the premier outdoor store in Ruidoso. Amanda is a passionate advocate for the outdoors. She loves running, hiking, and getting outside with her three daughters Eva, Lola, and Emmy. She is also married to my co-host and producer of this series Jerod Foster. They moved to Ruidoso in 2021 and...

Episode 2 - Anatomy of a Mountain Town - Ruidoso, New Mexico: Stephen Carter is the founder and Executive Director of EcoS ervants , a non-profit trail building organization in Lincoln and Otero Counties.  Stephen has lived in Ruidoso since the 1980s. Like most mountain folk, he’s had many jobs, waiter, restaurant manager, computer repair, and he’s done some time in the oilfield. A part of living...

It’s time for another Tinstreamer Anatomy of Mountain Town Series, where we meet folks living the dream at elevation. Ruidoso, New Mexico is the village, and my first guest is  Larry Cordova, the lead wildlife biologist for the Smokey Bear Ranger District in the Lincoln National Forest. (After 42 years of service, Larry is now retired from the Forest Service.)   This is the first of four episodes...

Shaylin Romero is a young, intrepid creator that will change the world, and she is the first guest of the 2026 Tinstreamer season. I restarted my freelance writing career in 2018 with photographer and Texas Tech professor of practice, Jerod Foster. That led to my relationship with Texas Tech University where I’ve had the opportunity to work with the next generation of media professionals like Shay...

Eat The Invader - A Nutria Hunt in West Texas   Brandon and part-time co-host Justin Rex are on assignment in the remote Trans-Pecos Region of West Texas on a quest for a large, semi-aquatic rodent thriving in the arid desert.   “Eat The Invader,” is a companion piece to a story Justin (photographer) and Brandon (writer) have in the December issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine . They are on...

Forth Worth Magazine named Simon Flory - Best Musician - in their annual Best of Fort Worth (2025) issue. Simon is a charismatic performer and master storyteller. Watching him live and on stage is like riding a folk music roller coaster. Exhilarating! His shows are  a romping, whooping good time. Simon Flory is coming to a venue near you! Check out his tour schedule below.   The Simon Flory Trio w...

Austin and Shannon Odom are the culinary masters behind Oma-Leen’s and BarbaCelli’s in downtown Hico, Texas . They are self taught chefs and restaurateurs that curate exceptional cuisine and hospitality. I’m a self-certified pizza expert, and Barbacelli’s pizza is among the best I’ve had. Oma-Leen’s is a fresh spin on Southern Cuisine. It’s locally sourced and made from scratch. Both restaurants,...

Ben Tadlock makes the world’s finest hunting stool. What is a hunting stool? It is how a gentleman hunts. Silla del Rey (The Kings Chair) is a functional work of art designed for chasing game: hogs - deer - fowl - you name it. This handcrafted, foldable leather stool is so versatile, it begs to be used in your everyday life. Ben eats breakfast on his.   In this episode, we sit down in the Tinstrea...

Hico, Texas is a small town located in the North Texas Hill County along the Bosque River. The Hico Cast is an ongoing Tinstreamer series that highlights the synergy emanating from this special community. Casey and Robin Averitt have an amazing sense of aesthetic. Their attention to detail is evident in all their endeavors. In 2018 Casey and Robin Averitt opened the Hico Mercantile in an 1890’s op...

We are introducing a new ongoing series, the Hico Cast. Folks, The Tinstreamer Podcast has a home. We have set up shop in the North Texas Hill Country town of Hico, Texas. Our little studio overlooks Hico Hall , an 1899 Cotton Seed Oil Mill turned live events venue, so it felt appropriate to chat with its caretakers  and curators of cool, Jennifer Jones and Wes Lunsford Hico Hall hosts community e...

Madison Walker Martin is an adventure filmmaker. Jerod Foster is a photographer, professor and co-owner  of Happy Hiker in Ruidoso, New Mexico. They are also good friends and elite members of the Tinstreamer Expedition Team. This episode finds us on the Brazos River in North Texas as we paddle 20 miles for an overnighter on the John Graves Riverway . Madi is making a documentary about the trip, an...

Christy Hughes is the founder of The Rooted Soul Yoga + Wellness in Hico, Texas . Situated in historic downtown Hico, her boutique is thoughtfully stocked with all the essential yoga accoutrements. The adjoining studio with its rustic stone wall, wood floors, and expansive windows attracts yogis and wellness seekers from near and far. Allison and I live near Hico, and I stumbled across The Rooted...

At the end of 2022, I was a guest on The Relative Truth Podcast , hosted by brothers Trey and Mike McWilliams. Being on their show fired up a passion that had been been smoldering (unbeknownst to me) for years. Suddenly, it was crystal clear. I wanted… No, I needed to start a podcast. I thought we’d kick off the 2025 Tinstreamer season with an introduction to the man that was the impetus for this...

The Great Plains Project - Part Four - The Wrap Up Show   In this episode, I sit down with Simon Parmley and Jerod Foster as we recap our Great Plains journey. Simon led our production team from a heavily modified Jeep Wrangler while Jerod and I rode motorcycles. We talk about the origins of the project and the forthcoming docu-series about the trip. This conversation is a great side dish for your...

Jerod Foster and I rode adventure motorcycles 3,500 miles from Presidio, Texas on the Mexico border to the North Dakota/Canada line. We lived off our Honda Africa Twins and slept in tents for 15 days. We rode gravel, dirt, and the occasional asphalt backroad up the middle of America. We were followed by a crew of Texas Tech students led by directors Simon Parmley, and Madison Walker, filming a doc...

Jerod Foster and I rode adventure motorcycles 3,500 miles from Presidio, Texas on the Mexico border to the North Dakota/Canada line. We lived off our Honda Africa Twins and slept in tents for 15 days. We rode gravel, dirt, and the occasional asphalt backroad up the middle of America. We were followed by a crew of Texas Tech students led by directors Simon Parmley, and Madison Walker, filming a doc...

The Great Plains Project - Before The Journey    Jerod Foster and I rode adventure motorcycles 3,500 miles from Presidio, Texas on the Mexico border to the North Dakota/Canada line. We lived off our Honda Africa Twins and slept in tents for 15 days. We rode gravel, dirt, and the occasional asphalt backroad up the middle of America. We were followed by a crew of Texas Tech students led by directors...

Lane Willson is our final guest for - Anatomy of A Mountain Town - Salida, Colorado Lane and Monty Willson started Oveja Negra Adventure Cycling Gear and Bike Bags in 2012, and the world has never been the same. Founded in Leadville, Colorado and later moved to Salida, Oveja Negra is the most dynamic company in the outdoor industry. Nobody runs a brand like Lane Willson because there is no one in...

I am honored, inspired, and stoked to have Brinkley Messick on Part Five - Anatomy of A Mountain Town - the folks that make Salida, Colorado ebb and flow. Brinkley is an artist (painter), trail builder, and one of the most thoughtful humans I’ve had the opportunity to interview. When I ask Brinkley a question, I can see the brushes working in his head. He thinks, ruminates, and then answers. My br...

P.T. Wood is a mountain man to his core. He moved to Salida, Colorado in the late 80s to be a raft guide on the Arkansas River. In the previous installment of, "Anatomy of A Mountain Town," pastry chef Sarah Gartzman was our guest and Tenderfoot Mountain with its prominent S was our backdrop. In this episode, P.T. Wood jokes, it's not an S but a five for the five jobs you have to live in Salida, a...

Sarah Gartzman is a pastry chef and Salida restaurateur. Situated just below her knuckles the letters S-A-N-D-W-I-C-H  are tattooed across her fingers. Her passion for her craft demands this bold statement, because Sarah makes the best damn sandwiches on this third rock from the sun. Everything Sarah touches is delicious: confectionary treats, fresh bread, cheese, arugula, caramelized onions, sals...

Steph Perko is the nicest, most genuine person on the planet. I feel blessed to call her a friend. Steph is a co-owner at Salida, Colorado's very own Oveja Negra , the greatest bikepacking /outdoor brand in the galaxy. She is also an intrepid motorbike adventurer, ice fisher, dog mom, gardener and the most industrious mechanic/shade tree engineer I’ve ever met. Every bag she sews at Oveja Negra is...

These are the folks that make Salida ebb and flow. Mike Harvey is a white water kayaker, river surfer, white water park designer and the co-founder of Badfish SUP and River Surfboards in Salida. In the 90s, the Arkansas River was already known for its world class white water - up river and down river from Salida, but as the Arkansas flowed through downtown Salida it was featureless and riddled wit...

Brandon and Allison sit down in a grove of aspens outside of Salida, Colorado to reveal the guests and episodes for this Tinstreamer Podcast series, "Anatomy of A Mountain Town," - six episodes with a few of the folks that have shaped Salida into the best - adventure, beach, mountian bike, bikepacking, paddle, sandwich, spirits, delectable, place-to-live and visit - mountain town in the universe....