Let It Snow

Yeah, so just like anyone else, we like to brag about how incredible our state is! For those of you who aren't aware, Adventure Cycling Association World Headquarters is located in the northwest of majestic, mountainous, Montana. And last week we got a chance to show off some of our run-of-the-mill late June customs and conditions: you know, like high alpine passes, pristine mountain streams, oh, and bizarre snowstorms followed by glorious 80-degree-days! It goes without saying that a good time was had by all, and you can check out some of the evidence in this Cycle Montana slideshow from our Guided Tours Group on Flickr. You know what they say about weather in Montana "if you don't like it; wait five minutes!

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ON THE ROAD is posted each Tuesday by Sarah Raz, Adventure Cycling’s Tours Specialist and Intrepid Traveler, and shines a spotlight on the daily delight that takes place on Adventure Cycling Tours.

This Guy Is Seriously Hungry

Adventure Cycling tours specialist Sarah Raz hit the lettuce on the head in her ON THE ROAD posting of June 23, when she wrote: “The best part of any cycling trip is, without a doubt, the ever-present food element.”

But Tom Kevill-Davies of London, England, takes the food and cycling thing to a higher level than most. His book Pedalling the Americas in Search of the Pefect Meal documents a bike trip he did from New York City to Rio de Janeiro, “eating guinea pigs one day and armadillos the next, dining with beauty queens and sleeping with dogs.”

At his website, The Hungry Cyclist, Kevill-Davies posts recipes from virtually the world over, most of which he discovered and collected while on tour. It appears that he is presently cycling and eating in Taiwan, and has another gas-free gastro adventure planned for Germany later this summer.

Then there are those who believe that pairing beer and bicycling is the bowser’s bark. Some enterprising folks have even figured out a way to enjoy both simultaneously and in relative safety. (I do declare, is that the late Michael Jackson providing the soundtrack for this ImbibingCycle video?)

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Biking Without Borders is written by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling’s field editor. It appears weekly, highlighting a little bit of this or a little bit of that—just about anything, as long as it’s related to traveling by bicycle.

Connect with Your BikeCentennial Buddies

We have had a few questions from folks about how they can find other riders from their original Bikecentennial '76 groups. We have a few different venues for you to try and reconnect.

First, you can check out our Rider Registry. Here people have added their various trips from the past. We have a whole section for just the Bikecentennial crowd.

We also have our Bikecentennial Flickr group that is consistently growing. Scan and add your photos so people can connect with you!

Finally, we just created a forum thread for the Bikecentennial riders. Here you can post messages, memories, and stories.

So, if you were part of that epic adventure that led to the modern day Adventure Cycling, or if you just want to learn more about how it all began, check out these various resources! Also, check out this short account of our history.

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The Membership Highlights feature, written by Amy Corbin, Membership and Marketing Coordinator, appears weekly and spotlights the various benefits of membership, what we have accomplished thanks to member support, and even interviews with some of our most passionate and dedicated members, both individual and organizational. Check back each Friday for a new post!

Mapping the In-between

I recently came across a blog article that intrigued me, "Interstitials and informal bike routes". Who wouldn't be intrigued by the topic? After perusing the story and verifying that I knew what interstitial meant (which lead me to interstice - adjective vs noun - ack, it's easy to get sidetracked in a quest for knowledge!), I surfed over to a second blog article on the same theme, "Bicycle Wayfinding in the Early 21st Century".

The premise in both of these articles is that from a non-motorized point of view, an interstitial space is any space that transitions one to or from a roadway using overlooked options such as alleys, parking lots, or other public right-of-ways to create practical and often more interesting options for getting from place to place.

I love the idea of all those unmapped yet very useful spaces creating a network of secret passageways. However, as a cartographer, I find myself in a difficult position. If I discover one of these passages and put it on a map, how will the resulting increase in usage be interpreted? Will someone notice and make it formal? Good news. Or will it be decided the space is a hazard and further access denied? Bad news. Both outcomes are possible.

On Adventure Cycling Route Network maps, examples of informal routing are few and far between. They often occur at the end and/or beginning of a paved path and are typically troublesome to explain and even more challenging to represent on a map. I know from using trail systems such as the Burke-Gilman in King County, Washington, these little connections can spare a cyclist miles of riding in traffic. The difficulty is how to show a parking lot or alley or short side path between two buildings in a way that is helpful rather than confusing.

What you think about interstitial spaces, wayfinding, and informal bike routes?

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GeoPoints Bulletin is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures and persons from Adventure Cycling's route network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure.

Living Vicariously, Following the Tour Divide

I'm really into the Tour Divide. The race is in full swing (with Matthew Lee still in the lead) and we get to follow the story - not through TV news clips or talking head analysis - but mostly from the racers themselves through their call in reports that appear on the Tour Divide's excellent race updates blog.

I'm also completely obsessed with checking the leaderboard which displays each rider's GPS position. I refresh the page every few hours - which is a little ridiculous because their positions (on a big map) don't change that quickly.

There is a bit of video available. One features Jay and Tracey Petervary - the audio isn't great, but you definitely get a feeling for the absolute beauty of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route - and check out this short video that captured the start of the race. Our own Aaron Teasdale (deputy editor of Adventure Cyclist) also shot the race's start, producing an impressive gallery of images with compelling captions to match.

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News, Networking, and New Media is written by Winona Sorensen, Adventure Cycling's media director, and appears weekly, highlighting cool media (articles, videos, photos, etc.) related to Adventure Cycling and bicycle travel.

Yum!

What’s the most important part of any bicycle trip? If you said majestic vistas, quality time with like-minded folks, or fresh air, you know you’re lying. The best part of any cycling trip is, without a doubt the ever-present food element. And there’s a reason! When you’re cycling all day, riding over some of the most rugged landscapes our country has to offer, those calories are important fuel. Here in Tours, we do our very best to partner with caterers who understand the needs of the hungry rider. Kathy Jordon, of KJ Productions, provides amazing food for many of our events, and works as often as she can to team up with local food providers to give riders the freshest, tastiest experience possible. Because really, what could make a great day of riding better…than a great meal?!

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ON THE ROAD is posted each Tuesday by Sarah Raz, Adventure Cycling’s Tours Specialist and Intrepid Traveler, and shines a spotlight on the daily delight that takes place on Adventure Cycling Tours.

A Destinational Dilemma

A friend of mine from Wyoming is trying to persuade me to travel to Nova Scotia for a bike trip this fall. I’ve heard great things about that Maritime Province and its cycling opportunities—but that’s about the extent of it. (Actually, I did visit there when I was very young, on vacation with my family, but I remember zippo about it.)

The ride that comes up over and over in cyclo-conversations regarding Nova Scotia is the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island. Plenty of riders have told me the trail is super-duper, yet I’ve also heard from a couple of people that they had bad experiences on the 200-mile ride; that it is indeed beautiful, but the wind, hills, and weather combined to create a very tough and not-so-pleasant endeavor.

Meanwhile, I’m trying to convince my buddy that Michigan's Upper Peninsula would be a much easier place for us to get to (I live in eastern Idaho), and would make for just as good of an autumn adventure as eastern Canada. Fall colors, sandy beaches, small towns, big water, quiet roads—everything Nova Scotia has to offer, in my mind.

Except … adding fuel to the fire in favor Nova Scotia is the Celtic Colours International Festival, a mid-October celebration of Irish and Scottish music held in communities all around Cape Breton Island. And I do love the Celtic music.

What’s a guy to do? Has anyone out there ridden in both Nova Scotia and Michigan, who can offer some insights or advice?

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Biking Without Borders is written by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling’s field editor. It appears weekly, highlighting a little bit of this or a little bit of that—just about anything, as long as it’s related to traveling by bicycle.

More Flickr Inspiration!

We have been floating around on flickr for a few months now and we have met some amazing folks, seen some inspiring photos, and joined some really interesting groups. If you are looking for a place to connect with other cycling enthusiasts and see some images to jumpstart your cycling daydreams, here are a few we would recommend:

• Bicycle Touring - over 700 members and 10,000 photos - show off your cross-country cycling adventures


• S240 - over 70 members and 120 photos - share your overnight adventures close to home


• Recumbent Cycles - over 200 members and 1700 photos - meet up with other recumbent riders and share your laid-back adventures


• Fully Loaded Touring Bicycles - over 100 members and 200 photos - these shots are all just bikes and gear

photo from Dainis Matisons flickr photostream

So head on over to flickr, get yourself and account if you don't already have one and start sharing your adventures!

Don't forget to connect with us!

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The Membership Highlights feature, written by Amy Corbin, Membership and Marketing Coordinator, appears weekly and spotlights the various benefits of membership, what we have accomplished thanks to member support, and even interviews with some of our most passionate and dedicated members, both individual and organizational. Check back each Friday for a new post!

Why Buy Paper Maps?

In an age where high tech seems to rule the day, I advocate for the use of the low tech, namely paper maps. I know GPS is all the rage among a certain circle of cyclists. There is also a world of online mapping options, some aimed at cyclists like bikeroutetoaster.com as well as a growing body of bicycling routes contributed to sites like mapmyride.com and bikely.com. These are all very useful, especially when making your plans in the comfort of your home.

I am aware there is a generation out there that doesn't think in paper. They'll jump online (or better yet, grab their phone) and surf to the answer without considering a book or paper map as a resource. Paper maps can be quirky and inspirational, handy and specific to a purpose. You can write on them, show them to the shopkeeper who will help you find your way to that night's community bbq, or as a trigger for reminiscence after you get home. I tend to think of our maps as vital to bike travel, and technology, such as a GPS unit, as supplemental; others think the opposite. I believe Adventure Cycling's paper maps have the edge in this instance due to the narrow focus they provide in regards to services desired by traveling cyclists.

In addition to the utility of a paper map, they can also be inviting. When we were in New Zealand, one of our favorite exchanges occurred in a coffee shop. We were poring over our map trying to figure out how to get out of town. A fellow caffeine devoteé saw what we were doing and offered to draw us her own map of escape. We talked about our plans in general and she gave us hints and tips for seeing her county that we wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

Who attracts attention these days when staring at their phone or laptop in a public place? Unless you're George Clooney or Angelina Jolie, it's not so likely. Pull out a map, look a little confused and voilá, others are drawn in. I say, viva le map! Long live the paper map! What do you say?

photo by Dennis Coello

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GeoPoints Bulletin is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures and persons from Adventure Cycling's route network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure.

We Love BRAIN, Tour Divide, and Twits

Bicycle Retailer and Industry News (BRAIN) just ran a great story focused on the growth of bike touring in the U.S., "Travel Trends Toward Simple Trips," drawing in part from Adventure Cycling's recent member survey data and robust tours sign-ups. Thanks BRAIN, great coverage of our favorite way to travel!

The Tour Divide racers are way beyond mere bicycle travel - they're self-contained (some might say crazy) gods! Racing from Banff, Alberta, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico at the Mexican American border, Tour Divide riders "travel" down the spine of the Rocky Mountains for over 2700 miles and 200,000 feet of elevation gain, completely self-supported - as fast as they can - it's race after all! Last we checked, Matthew Lee was in the lead and almost to Idaho. Check out the Tour Divide's nifty Leaderboard and watch the race unfold.

And... while some people may call Twitter users twits, we see a lot of cyclists using it, so we rolled right in: @advcyclingassoc.

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News, Networking, and New Media is written by Winona Sorensen, Adventure Cycling's media director, and appears weekly, highlighting cool media (articles, videos, photos, etc) related to Adventure Cycling and bicycle travel.

Spotlight on Tour Leader Tammy Schurr

Every year people ask, “what kind of person leads your tours, anyway?” The answer—all kinds! Anyone who loves cycling and human interaction is pretty well set to make a great impact (a sense of direction, a knack for remembering names, and uncanny way with details doesn’t hurt either) and Tammy Schurr, illustrious leader of this year’s California Winter Warmer, Southern Arizona Road, and Texas Hill Country events, as well as the upcoming High Country Relaxed trip is all of the above. Here are a few things you might not know about Tammy.

Favorite flavor of ice cream? Vanilla! Because you can put anything on it that you want!
How did you find out about Adventure Cycling? I had been a backpacker, and I was originally interested in mountain biking and mountain bike touring. In 2001 a teacher-friend told me about Adventure Cycling Association, and I got intrigued with the idea of leading tours.
Pets? I have one dogs and two cats. Elmo is a fifteen year old black cat, and Quincy is a two-year-old Siamese. My terrier helps me do route research.
First bicycle owned? My older brother bought me my first bike when I was 4 and a half. It was a bright red department store bicycle, with silver fenders.

When Tammy isn’t leading tours she lives in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where she frequently drinks V8, and explores by bicycle.

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ON THE ROAD is posted each Tuesday by Sarah Raz, Adventure Cycling’s Tours Specialist and Intrepid Traveler, and shines a spotlight on the daily delight that takes place on Adventure Cycling Tours.

Racing the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route

As reported in a press release dated June 12, the 2009 Tour Divide is underway, with 42 racers attempting to time trial the broad expanses of wild country separating Banff, Alberta, and Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Who are these 42 intrepid, energetic (and crazy?) people? There’s not room here to tell about them all, but here are some bits about a handful of them.

Veteran mountain-bike endurance racer Jay Petervary of Wilson, Wyoming, won the 2007 Great Divide Race in a record time that stood for just one year. This year Jay and his wife, Tracy, are going for a different kind of record: the first tandem team to complete the Tour Divide.

Deanna Adams is a 20-year-old student from Prescott, Arizona. Deanna, who has epilepsy, has been racing bicycles for the past four years. To make matters even tougher than they need to be, she’s attempting the ride on a road bike converted to a single speed, outfitted with relatively modest cyclocross tires. Kurt Refsnider is a seasoned road and cyclocross racer from Boulder, Colorado, who documented his training leading up to the race at the blog Kurt's Going Nuts, while Jill Homer, of Juneau, Alaska, is a keen north-country cyclist perhaps best known the Lower 48 for her Up in Alaska blog. And check out this story about Yakima, Washington’s Eric Bruntjen, who while competing is raising funds to help purchase an all-terrain wheelchair for a wounded Army veteran.

I see several well-known endurance riders among the domestic crowd who are potential victors in this year’s race, including three past winners. But I’m wondering if there might be a ringer among the foreign riders coming in from Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, and Austria. It’s really fun, and slightly addictive, watching the little SPOT GPS symbols moving from north to south on the Tour Divide leader board (it's also fun reading about the mental and physical anguish and exultation these people go through). The winner will probably reach the finish line--that would be the New Mexico/Chihuahua border--around June 25 or 26, so tap in soon to have a look.

Also be aware that writer Jon Billman is blogging about this year’s race at Outside Online. Jon’s article “The World’s Toughest Bike Race Is Not in France,” about his experiences riding the 2007 Great Divide Race, appeared in the August 2008 print version of Outside magazine. You can read it here.

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Biking Without Borders is written by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling’s field editor. It appears weekly, highlighting a little bit of this or a little bit of that--just about anything, as long as it’s related to traveling by bicycle.

Share and Win!

photo by Greg Siple

You have the chance to win some really cool prizes when you share Adventure Cycling and your love of bicycle travel with your friends. In our Share the Cycling Joy Campaign, for every person that you refer to Adventure Cycling, who then joins, you will be entered to win a Bike Friday folding bicycle valued at $2,500, along with a handful of smaller prizes.

Plus, if you are the ambitious, popular member who brings in the most new members, you will win a $500 Adventure Cycling shopping spree.

To find out more about how to get entered visit the Share the Cycling Joy Campaign.

If you are not a current member of Adventure Cycling and want to participate, join now.

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The Membership Highlights feature, written by Amy Corbin, Membership and Marketing Coordinator, will appear weekly and spotlight the various benefits of membership, what we have accomplished thanks to member support and even interviews with some of our most passionate and dedicated members, both individual and organizational. Check back each Friday for a new post!

June Curry aka "Cookie Lady"

in this photo: Jim Sayer and June Curry
photo courtesy of Jim Sayer

Many words have been said and written about June Curry, the Cookie Lady of Afton, Virginia, and the namesake of our Trail Angel Award. Since Bikecentennial in 1976, she has been greeting and feeding TransAmerica Trail cyclists at what has become known as the "Bike House". It is chock full of memorabilia including endless Polaroid shots of cyclists and the post cards that they have sent her from the road. She also tries to keep it stocked with some basic food stuffs for current travelers.

If you do a Google search for "Cookie Lady Afton", you'll find over 5000 links relevant to her. Everything from the self-published book written by a relative, to blogs both current and not-so-current. In my search, I even saw a link to a map up the hill to her house! And if you've wondered what this legend sounds like, check out the story public radio station WVTF-FM did about her in 2008.

Jim Sayer, Adventure Cycling's executive director, recently rode to June's house at the top of the hill while out in Virginia. He says, "It was a gorgeous day and June's spirit was bright." This is great to hear as June will be celebrating her 89th birthday later this year. In support of her, there have been several fundraising efforts to help keep the Bike House open. If you're interested in assisting her in covering these costs, contact either the Richmond Area Bicyclists Association or the Milepost Zero Bicycle Club, both based nearby and longstanding supporters of this grand lady and her mission.

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GeoPoints Bulletin is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures and persons from Adventure Cycling's route network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure.

Documentary Project Seeks Bicycle Travel Footage and Photos

Project Pedal is producing a feature length documentary, "For Thousands of Miles," which focuses on the idea of being connected by the places we've traveled by bicycle and is rooted in the maze of back-roads stretching from small-town to small-town across the country.

They are looking for bicycle travel photos and video footage for use in the film, calling this initiative "Stockpile." Says Mike Ambs, co-director of the film, "Stockpile is a element of our feature film, an out-reach campaign to collect a pool of raw media from other travelers and with it, help visually express that our experiences on the road are intertwined in ways we often over-look."

Check out this short video from Mike about what they're looking for and where to submit it:




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News, Networking, and New Media is written by Winona Sorensen, Adventure Cycling's media director, and appears weekly, highlighting cool media (articles, videos, photos, etc) related to Adventure Cycling and bicycle travel.

The Ride of a Lifetime

Perhaps nothing conjures up the spirit of Adventure Cycling tours quite so much as the self-contained Trans America ride; a group of hardy, interested, independent folks from around the globe united in a common goal—to ride across the United States in 93 days. Along the way: big hills (both up and down!), self discovery, friendship, and the journey of a lifetime. Back in the home office, we love hearing reports from the Trans Am crew (they recently crossed into Missouri), and we enjoy following the daily experiences of these tough-as-nails cyclists by following their blogs. One of our favorites belongs to Bill Maxwell, a British bloke with a newly acquired love of Dairy Queen and a great sense of humor. Check out his cross-country adventures!

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ON THE ROAD is posted each Tuesday by Sarah Raz, Adventure Cycling’s Tours Specialist and Intrepid Traveler, and shines a spotlight on the daily delight that takes place on Adventure Cycling Tours.

Places to Stay

In her June 4 GEOPOINTS BULLETIN posting, Jenn Milyko wrote about "couchsurfing," which she described as "a chance to stay with a local and get the real flavor of a place." Since I had coincidentally drafted the following information before reading Jenn's piece, I'll go ahead and post it. You might consider it a continuation of/addition to her story.

A few weeks ago we heard from Sun Knaup, the former executive director of the Thunderhead Alliance (now known as the Alliance for Biking & Walking). Sue, who currently serves as the executive director of the Prescott, Arizona-based bicycle advocacy group One Street, wrote to tell us about Bed and Bike America. This new program launched by One Street, Sue said, is designed to “bring more sustainability into the tourism sector by creating an international network that helps bike tourists find welcoming places to stay. The program appeals to all kinds of accommodation vendors, primarily in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, whether they are hotels, hostels, or campsites--fancy or budget.” The small but growing network of cyclist-friendly accommodations currently features listings in several states, including Michigan, California, Arizona, and Vermont.

Older, and therefore claiming a substantially larger member base, is the Warm Showers hospitality list for touring cyclists (which Jenn also cited in her piece). People who are willing to host cyclists sign up and provide their contact information, and occasionally have riders stay with them. The courtesy extended might be as simple as a spot to pitch a tent, or it may include a shower, hot meal, and soft bed. Webmaster Randy Fay recently told us that the list has been translated into Spanish (with French on the way), and that the site now has almost 8,000 members--up from only a little more than 1,000 just four years ago.

Other places to search for places to stay while on tour include ResponsibleTravel.com (these are all outside of the U.S.), Routes2Ride Scotland, RideThisBike.com, and that old standby for budget travelers, Hostelling International.


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Biking Without Borders is written by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling’s field editor. It appears weekly, highlighting a little bit of this or a little bit of that--just about anything, as long as it’s related to traveling by bicycle.

Give Adventure Cyclist to Your Favorite Library

Adventure Cycling Association will cut the subscription cost of Adventure Cyclist magazine in half when you donate it to a public library or school. That means that for $20.00, you can put Adventure Cyclist in the school or library in your neighborhood and help inspire a new generation of touring cyclists.
Your adopted library will receive:
Nine issues of Adventure Cyclist magazine
A copy of The Cyclists' Yellow Pages resource directory
Read the inspiring words of Willie Weir, NPR commentator, on how a library adoption can help.


Adopt your library today.

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The Membership Highlights feature, written by Amy Corbin, Membership and Marketing Coordinator, will appear weekly and spotlight the various benefits of membership, what we have accomplished thanks to member support and even interviews with some of our most passionate and dedicated members, both individual and organizational. Check back each Friday for a new post!

Where to Stay Along the Way

As you're probably already aware, Adventure Cycling route maps contain service information such as restaurants, service stations, grocery stores and lodging options. For the latter, we include the usual suspects of hotels, motels, hostels, and campgrounds chosen for their proximity to the route whenever possible.

All of the above are great choices for an overnight stay. And yet, there is another way known as couchsurfing. It's a chance to stay with a local and get the real flavor of a place. Sometimes an offer is made quite unexpectedly and informally through a simple conversation at the diner or grocery store. However, it can also be planned for in advance.

There are several networks available to facilitate the process, a few of which are WarmShowers.org, CouchSurfing.org, and GlobalFreeloaders.com. I'm sure if you did a search online you could come up with others.

Generally speaking, there are few requirements of a host, really only one: a free place to sleep for the traveling cyclist. This could be a yard to pitch a tent in or a guest room in the house, or anything in between. Though there is no monetary cost to the guest, s/he is expected 'pay the favor forward' once the traveler has returned home. It's really the only way a proposition such as this can sustain itself. Of course, few hosts would turn down an offer of help around the house, a meal at a local establishment or bag of groceries. Oh, and the evening would not be complete without storytelling. I have a hunch this is why many people sign up to be hosts. The stories they hear over the course of a summer feeds their own travel bug and aspirations.

Have you participated in couchsurfing? What was the best part for you?

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GeoPoints Bulletin is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures, and persons from Adventure Cycling's route network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure.

New York Times Explores UGRR

photo by Dennis Coello

In the May 29, 2009 "Escapes" section of the New York Times, writer Jennifer Bleyer explored the history and beauty of a section of the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route (UGRR) in and around Ripley, Ohio, in "A Bike Trail that Traces the Way to Freedom."

You can explore the UGRR on your own using Adventure Cycling's route maps and our UGRR resource page. You can also join our Heart of the Underground Railroad guided tour which will visit some of the many historical and cultural sites along the UGRR in Ohio, plus spin through charmed Midwestern landscapes.

Check out our Flickr set featuring photos from the 2007 inaugural tour on the Underground Railroad Bicycle Route!

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News, Networking, and New Media is written by Winona Sorensen, Adventure Cycling's media director, and appears weekly, highlighting cool media (articles, videos, photos, etc) related to Adventure Cycling and bicycle travel.

Bikepacking Goes Mainstream

We’re not sure about the genesis of the term "bikepacking," but we at Adventure Cycling have been using it off and on since the beginning days of Bikecentennial--and that includes utilizing it extensively to describe the type of riding you’ll find on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. We know the word dates back to at least May 1973, when Bikecentennial co-founder Dan Burden's article “Bikepacking Across Alaska and Canada” appeared in National Geographic magazine. Then, a few years later, a book titled Backcountry Bikepacking was published by author William Sanders.

Still, it seems that only recently the term is coming into more general use in the lexicon of cycling. A Google search last October turned up approximately 7,200 results for the word, while one conducted last weekend turned up almost 20,000. It is, of course, a portmanteau (ooh la la!) of the words “biking” and “backpacking,” and it describes perfectly the act of cycling long distances on dirt roads and trails through relatively untamed country.

Perhaps what’s largely responsible for the fast growth in Google results is bikepacking.net, a website dedicated to the pursuit of the activity. The site includes, among other treasures, a listing of suitable trails for bikepacking in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. (If you know of additional trails that should be listed but aren’t, they ask that you send the information to them at info@bikepacking.net.) The website also includes forums, trip reports, and gear reviews. There’s lots of great dreaming to be had there, so be sure to tap in and take a gander.

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Biking Without Borders is written by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling’s field editor. It appears weekly, highlighting a little bit of this or a little bit of that--just about anything, as long as it’s related to traveling by bicycle.