My good friend adventure filmmaker Dominic Gill is in a tight spot and he needs your help. Just when he was about to embark upon another epic transcontinental bicycle trip his partner Ernie Greenwald has taken ill. The 76-year-old cancer patient suffered a bout of pneumonia after a round of chemotherapy  and simply can not peddle along the 4,000-mile journey as planned from California to New York. But Dom still hopes to make the ride. And in the classic fashion of his award-winning film of the same title he hopes to find a few people across America to “Take A Seat” and cycle their way across the country in Ernie’s place. There’s only one catch. You have to be disabled. Read the rest of this entry »

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If your friend jumps off a bridge does that mean you should too? Moms’ old admonition doesn’t mean what it used to as BASE jumpers, friends of my mine, are leaping from high dangerous spots all over the world. Sorry mom. I can’t wait to try it.
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I just got a  new set of tires from my Volkswagen Jetta. Got an oil change and I’m packing my gear for the next Joy Trip. I’ll be heading east for the first time to report from The New River Rendezvous in Fayetteville, West Virginia. The three-day event is another one of those terrific gatherings of our tribe, we who find adventure in play at climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, trail running. Maybe one day I’ll try BASE Jumping. In the heart of the New River Gorge there’ll be parties, clinics, a climbing comp, slide shows there’s even going to be a contest to see who can wear the most obnoxious, sexy or outrageous lycra tights. Should be a great time.

But you know the thing I love most about a trip like this is having the opportunity connect with old friends, folks I haven’t seen a while. Festivals like the New River Rendezvous bring together some amazing people, climbers mainly, men and women who’ve traveled all over the world and do daring things most of us only dream about.

Someone who I look forward to seeing over the weekend is Lynn Hill. In a career that spans more than 30 years, her contributions to the sport of climbing have been both groundbreaking and inspirational. One of the first female climbers to reach a position of prominence Lynn made a name for herself in 1979. She was the first woman to establish a 5.13 route called Ophir Broke in Ophir, Colorado. She’s perhaps best known for being the first person, man or woman, to free climb the Nose route on El Capitan in 1993 with legendary climber John Long. In 1994 she did it again with her partner Brooke Sandahl. Then she was the first to make the climb in a 24-hour period.

I had the opportunity speak with Lynn back in Bend, Oregon during the annual meeting of the American Alpine Club. This interview was originally recorded and produced in 2007 for the outdoor industry online trade magazine specialty news also know as SNEWS. In anticipation of the New River Rendezvous we’re bringing you this Joy Trip Flashback, a conversation with climber Lynn Hill. Read the rest of this entry »

I have excellent hearing. It’s a skill honed from good genetics and a lifetime of listening. Professionally first as a salesman and now as a journalist, I’m practiced at paying attention. The Joy Trip project is my view of the world I observe, an online chronicle of what I hear.

Later this week I’ll cast my attention to the New River Rendezvous in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Over three days this annual rock climbing festival celebrates the culture of the active lifestyle. With slideshows, adventure films and clinics on outdoor expertise this event promises to inspire excitement and enthusiasm. I promise to share with you what I discover, what I see and hear. Read the rest of this entry »

Volkswagen stakes claim to be the world’s leading sustainable automobile manufacturer by devising alternative transportation. The new VW Bik.e was unveiled last week at Auto China, the Beijing car show. This all electric “peddle-less” bicycle folds up to the size of a spare tire and packs in the trunk. Read the rest of this entry »

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I got up this morning already with a full plate. I was at my computer typing away at 6AM trying to get a head start on several projects in hopes that I could enjoy a gorgeous weekend outside. With three looming deadlines, including the latest edition of this podcast, the last thing I planned to do today was to watch streaming video online. But I got an email from my friend Audrey Peterman. She and her husband Frank are environmental activists based in Atlanta and the co-authors of the new book “Legacy on the Land.” Frank and Audrey are working to raise awareness for the importance of outdoor recreation especially as it pertains to people of color and the urban poor. The two of them along with a few other friends and colleagues are gathered today in Washington DC to attend the White House Conference on the Great Outdoors. A few hundred dignitaries from around the country were meeting to discuss new initiatives to get more people off the coach and outside. Audrey wrote in her email that the conference would be televised live and included an address from president Barack Obama.

So naturally I dropped everything, set up the computer and plugged in my digital recorder. If you missed it, I’m pleased to bring you the president’s comments. I’m not sure what the White House or the FCC will have to say about broadcast his speech, but until I get busted I hope enjoy what he had to say.

Immediately after the president’s address he signed a memorandum acknowledging his adminstration’s support for a national movement to get more people outdoors and directly involved in environmental conservation. If you’re interested learning more about how you might get involved check first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative. The president and his family are working to help all Americans live a more active, healthy lifestyle. You can too. Visit www.letsmove.gov.

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You might have heard that not everyone agrees when it comes to climate change. While living in New York City, after graduating from college photographer Alan Winslow and journalist Morrigan McCarthy came to realize that across the America people have a difference of opinion.

photo by Meghan Peterson

“Because living in New York City you can kind of feel like you’re in a bubble. Maybe any city is like that,” Morrigan said. “But that everyone around you has the same opinion and is in the same boat, especially when it comes to the environment. You know we should be recycling, we should be taking care of the planet.”

In a community full of liberals Morrigan and Alan believed that everyone would be eager to embrace sustainable practices and a lifestyle to mitigate the damaging effects of climate changes.

“But then we would see these poles and watch the news and it didn’t seem to be that way elsewhere, Morrigan said. “Otherwise every body would just be in the same boat and something would be happening. But we decided to take off and figure out what Americans were actually thinking. And Americans have all sorts of opinions.”

So the two started making plans to travel around the county taking pictures and asking questions. Through their journey, called Project Tandem Alan and Morrigan wanted to connect with everyday Americans across all walks of life to discover what they thought about the planet’s changing climate. Read the rest of this entry »

Fans of the documentary “Take a Seat” by adventure filmmaker Dominic Gill will be happy to hear that the biking Britain has a new project in the works. On the heels of his trans-continental trek from Alaska to Argentina, Dom is now planning to take a 74-year-old California man on a tandem bike ride across the United States.

In 2006 Ernie Greenwald was retired and living quietly in the town of Lompoc. Six months to the day that his wife passed away, Ernie met Dom. And inspired by the spirit of adventure the two peddled 60 miles together on Dom’s tandem bike to Santa Barbara.

Now despite suffering from Lymphocytic Leukemia Ernie is heading out on a grand journey to explore his country. Riding a custom tandem/upright/recumbent hybrid bike Dom and Ernie plan to peddle coast to coast in search of the American Dream. Read the rest of this entry »

The street may have thawed but your bike chain is frozen solid! On that last cold ride of the fall maybe you put your ride away wet. Or maybe you’ve got an old bike you’re restoring. But turn the crank and you’ll find that your chain is a rusty, crusty mass of immobile iron links.

Find a solution at Examiner.com: Madison Recreation Examiner

Eight-year-old Savanna Lee is discovering wonderful things about the world around her. “I learned that there’s a whole bunch of stuff under the water,” she said, “things like bugs and beetles, not just fish. It’s exciting!”

A student at Glendale Elementary School in Madison, Savanna is among many local children that benefit from an environmental education program offered by the Aldo Leopold Nature Center. Every Monday afternoon for ten weeks of the year Savanna and her classmates explore nearby forests, streams and marshlands. Called Nature Nuts, the course creates safe and enjoyable outdoor experiences for area youth whose families cannot afford traditional after-school activities. Read the rest of this entry »