Backdoor Adventures; Finding Fun right around the Bend.

The City of Oaks and its folks have fun in their blood and with summer just around the corner everyone is itching to have some backdoor adventures. Me and my boys saw this as a perfect opportunity for us to lend a helping hand to all the local backdoor adventurers which is why we established a haven for all things fun, The Raleigh Boys Club.













RBC minus Robert.

As an ambassador for the RBC it is my responsibility to spread the gospel of fun, and I've been hard at work. Jordan Lake camping expedition was one of the first backdoor adventures of the summer. Myself and two of RBC's biggest fans decided to explore our own backyard by camping and kayaking out at Jordan Lake.















Cour-bear, Dance party initiator and RBC staple.















Rah-Rah doing what she does best, sleeping.















RBC ambassador Jeffron















RBC on the left





























Jordan Lake base camp.

The next ambassador mission was to spread the word about The Raleigh Boys Club Alley Cat on Sunday July 12th, check the RBC blog for updates. Myself and ambassador Duggan infiltrated Bike First Friday to spread the word and the fun.




















Chicks with tricks















No Rules Tandem Ride




















Micah, comfort cruising



The RBC then decided that we needed to add some edge to our crew. I said I had an in with some really rad dudes who love to shred the gnar. When the opportunity came to go with these bros down to Wilmington for the day I hopped on it. We spent the day playing in the clear waters of the Atlantic and on the way home stopped by the Skate Barn so they could get a slice of gnar pie before the ride home.















Rich recouping after a shred session















Layne killin it




















Layne adding some shredded gnar to his party taco.


This is just the tip of the summer funberg and I'm pumped about reaching around the bend and grabbing hold of some solid backdoor adventures. Don't worry I'll take plenty of pictures and give you all the juicy details as things come up.

Live Free, Ride hard

Ridin the Grizz and other Yellowstone happenings

Yellowstone don't play by the rules. Snow in May, Buffalo roaming the streets, Grizzly rodeo, outdoor natural spas and Coca-Cola sponsored geysers.



Hot Spring's lizard leaking to the river

















Underwater hot springs caverns look awesome















Mom and Pops peepin the Yellowstone steez

















Always the scientists, we each have to check and make sure that the water is actually hot, you never know.

















I met Buffy when we almost ran over him thanks to a "moron on my tail" (See video below)











I could tell that Buffy was upset about almost getting run over so I tried to console him by taking my shirt off. It worked.



Me and Buff Buff on our first date.















My Parents were so happy for us!





















Mom thinks she sees something in the distance


















Pops checks it out with his trusty 'nocks.



































Can you believe we spotted the elusive winged buff buff

















Discovery Channel's next documentary title: Epic Earth


















Ol' Faithful















Mammoth Hot Springs
















Within minutes Mammoth was overrun with winged Buff Buff











Checkin out the Yellowstone souvenir/apparel/film store hoping to find a Yellowstone Apparel Deep V made from 100% Freerange Shadegrown Organic Seasonally Shed Bison Fur.











I thought something was fishy when they had a schedule for when the "natural Geyser" Old Faithful erupted. Turns out it isn't hot water that its shooting 50 feet in the air, its COKE! Even mother nature outsources occasionally.















Grizzly Country



















This Grizzly tried to hide out in the tall grass but he knew what he had comin












Always Always Maintain eye contact with the Grizz, if you don't he won't run towards you allowing you to take part in one of the most sacried and rarely photographed Yellowstone Traditions...









Grizzly Rodeo!!!!!!! I wrangled this bear up something good.

One night in the desert, almost.

Here are some of the highlights of my journey in the desert.

Being solicited for sex by a married man in an Oldsmobile.

Getting horrifically lost in an ATV park

Dragging El Dorado up and down countless trails only to retrace my steps once they became dead ends

Narrowly escaping being trampled to death by El Dorado as it careened down the hillside, repeatedly.

My epic mood swings, joy to rage in one second flat

Abandoning El Dorado at midnight in the middle of the Mohave

Jogging in the dark along the dirt roads deathgripping my multi tool knife in my hand and more then once stopping dead in my tracks ready to attack a wooden fence post thinking it to be a person.

Jumping army man style into the tumble weeds, desert thorns and yucca plants that lined the dirt roads as a 4Runner with a spotlight drove by scanning the roadsides.

Laying face first in the sand hiding in the shrubs from what I though was the 4Runner coming after me again, it turned out to be a train. I stayed there until it was gone anyways, just in case it was an elaborate trick.


All of this was wonderfully miserable at the time but it has given plenty of hilarious story fodder for days to come.

Well that didn't work.

The line between adventure and misadventure is a fine one. Maybe as fine as delusion and reality. As it turns out riding an old road bike and towing 75lbs of crap through the sandy dirt roads of the mountains of the Mohave Desert might not have been the best plan. Who knew?

Initially, I felt cowering in a dark room, not talking to anyone, and eventually just pretending the whole thing never. Then I said to myself "What are you going to do go and hide under the covers and piss and moan about how much of a loser you are and ignore the fact that you quite and failed because of a few minor setbacks, like getting lost and being solicited for sex by married men?"

I answered myself with a resounding "Yes."

And so I did. And it was a pathetic a scene as you have ever scene.

Anyways, after very careful rationalization I have come to understand that in fact I didn't fail at all! That in fact, I may have exceeded my initial goals by one hundred or maybe even a thousand fold!

Sure the nay sayers will say "Jeffrey, my ignorant friend, you not only failed, you failed in such a way and with such immensity that your failure constitutes the use of the term, epic fail."

to which I would respond

"No, my poor misguided friend, your thought processes and understandings of the world are to be pitied and indeed I do pity them. You see friend, you live in a world of boundaries and limitations, of rules and regulations, of goals and expectations, where as I, I am not thwarted by such things in my quest for life. I can not be bound and shackled by such things. I can not be imprisoned by expectations, my own or others. What you fail to see is that you are an inmate to the prison of accountability. I, through a dark, stinking, rotting, mud filled tunnel called rationalization, have escaped and now roam free outside those stifling walls. I am man, I am free, I have escaped!"

Self Delusion is a wonderful thing.

I'll be posting about my wonderfully funny mis-adventure in the future, giving all the juicy and embarrassing details that are never funny at the time but become deliciously hilarious in retrospect.

Get it gurl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Home Run!

It was 7 weeks ago that I boarded the first of several flights that have taken me to friends new and old all over the country. I've had an insiders view of so many different lives and lifestyle in the past few weeks its unbelievable. Everyone has been exceedingly generous and I'm grateful to all those who have let me crash on their couch, sleep in a cat hair lined bed, be eaten by a love seat cushion in the middle of the night, or let me pretend to hit on your really sweet friend in an attempt to make her feel uncomfortable, which promptly backfired when I became uncomfortable instantaneously.

I am grateful to have the kind of friends that will let me stay on their couch for 12days and feed me pizza every other night and the kind that choose to live in the dirtiest city in the country but are surrounded by some of the most fun loving people I've ever met, albeit the smelliest.

I've also been exposed to other cultures. In Canada, for example, they like to act and look just like Americans but feel the need to have a separate currency and they have enough good humour to actually have a Customs office. They are so silly!




So Thanks to everyone who has helped me to reach this point and don't hesitate to call in the favor that I owe all of you.

I'm going old school for the ride and not bringing the comp so this will be the last post for a while. I have extra memory cards for my camera and I will be recording the days events in my Thoughts and Feelings Journal so there will be plenty of stories and photos and laughter and Internet friendship once I reach MT.

Kick the tires! Lite the Fires! Lets do this thingggggggg!!!!!!!!11111oneoneone

No Rules Bike Ride

View 2009 Western Explorations Map in a larger map


A departure date is set. Friday April 17th I begin my No Rules Ride from California to Montana. The route is by no means direct and the there is no estimated end date. With the help of Google Maps I've estimated the length of the ride will be in the neighborhood of 1500 to 2000 miles.


UPDATE: The bicycle has been dubbed: El Dorado.

El Dorado and I went for a great test ride the other day to Rancho Cucamonga. The weather was fair and the ride was smooth so the next night I decided to test out some more of my gear.



The MSR Fling Tent stood up to the unforgiving terrain of my Grandparents backyard.


The tent is designed as a two person tent and its pretty spacious so I'll have plenty of room to throw all my junk in if my keen outdoorsman skills sense an oncoming gail.


As an added bonus with this stainless steel pot, the lid can double as a mirror allowing facial hair alterations as needed.


This bright orange dome is going to be home sweet home for the next few months and I'd like both of you who read this to know that you are all more then welcome to crash with me any time but remember the words of Gob Bluth "Theres only one sleeping bag so we're gonna have to double up. Pigs in a blanket!"

California Preparations

First things first, this song has been stuck in my head ever since i arrived here a week ago yesterday. Avid readers will remember this very song from a post back in September entitled "Dropped Zone" and my 8 day survey of Southern California has confirmed this songs hypothesis.

Moving on, preparations for the bicyle expedition are moving along nicely. Thus far I have acquired all major gear and equipment needs.

My budget is as tight as my lycra jumper so I am retrofitting an older road bike and using kids trailer to haul all my equipment.


The bike was a rusted heap of junk when I bought it a few days ago and after what seems like hundreds upon hundreds of man hours and dollars the bike is now a well oiled heap of junk.




The excitement and anticipation are building and things are shaping up for this to be my greatest adventure yet!!!!

Canada Dry, Drink it In.

Vancouver BC, home to Squad Hercules Team Self Respect's Co-Founder Graham Flanagan Bennett, is the first International Base Camp of the journey thus far.

My dear friend and overwhelmingly generous host, mentioned above, opened his house and his heart as wide as he opens his mouth for a 3rd serving of nacho cheese covered french fries from the State Fair and I, much like the Nachos, will be returning, in some form or another, in the near future.

A total of 12 days were spent at Base Camp Vancouver during such times no posts were made public about the current happenings due to the overwhelming amount of adventuring, bonding, eating, laughing, and practical joking.

I was very fascinated with the Graduate School system I observed during my stay in British Colombia. According to my notes, it would appear that in fact only 1 out of every 22 Graduate Students residing in Vancouver are actually from the area. Many of the students are from as far away as Scotland and Israel and I can only conclude that they reside in Canada out of ingnorance and confusion thinking Vancouver is in fact part of the United States. For a brief moment I questioned if it i should inform them of this error but much like when a young child reaches up to touch a vibrantly red stove top, it is best not to interfer and allow them to learn at thier own pace.

With a very regimented itenirary intended to maximize recreation, minimize relaxation, and abolish productivity I, along with Graham's Gang of Rogue Graduate Students, often worked well into the night doing anything from

Anthropological Studies on Canadian Mini Bowling Research

or

Forestry Field Research in Stanley Park

or

Outdoor Exploration of Mt. Cypress,

all done to meet the high expectations of the itenerary.

The Vancouver days yielded to very succesful expeditions. The first, exploring and recording the fascinating and beautiful Stanley Park. The second, ascending Mt. Cypress via snowshoe.

Stanley Park- From almost any where in Downtown Vancouver you can hop on the #19 bus and escape all the sites and sounds that come along with a big city and have a taste of what Vancouver must have been like a 100 years ago. The constant precipitation allows growth to flourish, so much so that trees literally grow out of other trees.

Tree on Tree growth

My own little hobbit hole

Mushroom Shelf

Everything is green

Giant Red Ciders

Mean Creek

Mt. Cypress- We summited Mt. Cypress on top of 10-20ft of snow and some of the freshest powder that I have ever seen. We arrived early and had the trail to ourselves for most of the morning. The size of the trees and the amount of snow was really mind blowing. All morning was very gray and foggy adding to the peaceful mystery that surrounded us.

Graham and Luke leading into the great forest

Im pretty sure its this way

Tree cluster

Early morning fog

Luke and me at the summit












I was introduced to many a fine lad and lass and land while I toured around Vancouver and everyones generousity is much appreciated.

For a different perspective of my time in Canada check this guy out.