What’s the Intent of this Blog, Anyway?
Hi there! Welcome to Pedals, Packs and Pinots, my blog about biking, hiking, wines and some of the other finer things to be found in the Willamette valley. You may be wondering how wine and biking go together, or you may already know that they’re a perfect match, but before you read any further, let me inform you of the intent of this blog. I have read a number of excellent biking blogs and learned a lot about bike-packing through their stories, advice, and resources. But I wanted to start a blog that was a little bit different.
Oregon Bikepacking Routes
The primary goal of this blog is to provide short, 2-3 day bikepacking routes for fellow PNW riders. Hopefully people looking for places to ride in Oregon/Washington can use my blog as a resource for finding enjoyable, extended segments of singletrack without the hassle of piecing together a route on their own (even though that’s one of the most enjoyable parts of the adventure!).
Bikepacking Narrative
Another focus will be to catalog the major bike trips I do in the summers as well as the shorter trips I do throughout the year. As a teacher, I have the luxury of work-free summers, so naturally I begin planning for bike trips around February and they come to fruition some time between June and September.
Backpacking Narrative
This blog will also cover multifarious backpacking trips I have done and am planning to do. Although biking is my newest love, backpacking will always have a place in my heart. I do plan on continuing my backpacking adventures and cataloging them alongside my bike trips.
Bike Friendly Willamette Valley Pubs and Pinots
In addition, I want this blog to focus more specifically on bike riding in the pacific northwest, primarily Oregon and the Willamette valley. Thus, I will share some of my favorite ‘bike progressives’ as I like to call them. Whether it is a biking bar hop or a single brewery that is the final destination, there will be bikes, and there will be beer… or wine; sometimes both. In my humble opinion, the Willamette Valley is bursting at its territorial seams with some of the best wineries, breweries, and eateries around. Also, there are some local companies committed to bikes and apparel that cannot go unnoticed. No, I am not getting paid or sponsored to support local business; but I do know which local bike shops treated me with patience and respect as I slowly navigated my way into the biking world. These finer things will be my focus, and of course, what better way to visit them than by bike?
Other?
It may be that I add other points of interest on this blog, but for now, the previous three focal points are what I hope for it to become. At worst, this blog simply becomes a place for me to catalog my summer adventures (not so bad I guess), and at best, a few people are able to learn from the stories, gear lists, and ‘what I would do differently next time’ sections, and potentially be inspired to start planning a trip of their own. Ride on!
Wow! You’ve done a lot of posts already, and I like the format! Keep it up!