Camping

Bikepacking

Camping Alone: My First Solo Bikepacking Trip

November 24, 2016May 26, 2017By daniellegoold 5 Comments

“The more time I spend alone the more I feel comfortable being alone.” – Lael Wilcox

That quote really resonated with me as I watched Fast Forward, the short film about Lael Wilcox’s AZT attempt, for a second or third time at the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Not only did it resonate with me but it shocked me. You see, I have a tendency of putting other endurance athletes up on pedestal and projecting super human qualities onto them, in the process I often ignore the fact that they are regular people just like me. While their accomplishments are impressive they do not achieve such accomplishments without facing the challenges that I face myself. When I actually listened to Lael say those words instead of just hearing them I knew it was time to stop making excuses. If I really wanted to get into ultra-endurance racing I needed to start making myself uncomfortable. (more…)

Bikepacking

Our First Bikepacking Trip: Desert, Donkeys and Dehydration.

October 4, 2015June 5, 2016By daniellegoold 6 Comments

Last weekend Ryan and I set out on our first bikepacking trip. Our plan was to leave Thursday evening and ride 118 miles (with around 13,000 feet of climbing) to Prescott, arriving on Saturday afternoon. For the past two months we planned our route, read about bikepacking and bought our gear. The week before our trip the forecast did not look great; Thursday was forecasted to be over 100°F, just like Ironman Coeur D’Alene! In hindsight we should have changed our plans when we saw the forecast, but we were too excited and forged ahead. (more…)

National Parks

Joshua Tree National Park: The Story of Benjamin

September 19, 2015June 6, 2016By daniellegoold 2 Comments

Joshua Tree National Park is a curious place. Ryan and I pass signs for it all the time driving to Southern California from our house in Arizona. From the highway the landscape isn’t very exciting, arid desert as far as the eye can see and hazy mountain ranges looming in the distance. But just a short drive from the I-10 is a majestic land of towering boulders, extraordinary trees and interesting people. (more…)

Blog

Evolution of the Camp Stove

September 2, 2015May 26, 2017By ryangoold 3 Comments

A few posts back Danielle shared some of the top gear for your car camping kitchen. One of those pieces of gear was our faithful Coleman stove. We’ve had this thing since college and it works great every time. We love this stove and it’s probably one of the most used pieces of gear in our arsenal. We have cooked plenty of meals on that thing. Its high output can boil water quickly or it can be turned down to provide a nice simmer. It really is a great piece of equipment, but the only problem is that you can’t take it backpacking. Well I suppose you could if you are the anti-ultralight backpacker, but as the saying goes an ounce in the morning is a pound at night so this would feel like 55 pounds at night (and that doesn’t include the propane canister)!

Enter in the backpacking Primus stove. (more…)

National Parks

Yosemite National Park Part 3: Tioga Road & Tuolumne Meadows

August 31, 2015June 5, 2016By daniellegoold No Comments

After spending three days In Yosemite, we knew we weren’t ready to leave when we woke up on our last day. So instead of slowly cooking our breakfast, we quickly packed up our car and drove towards some of the first come first serve campgrounds off of Tioga Road. We were fortunate enough to snag a spot at Porcupine Flat and thrilled that we would to get to spend another two days exploring the quieter areas of the park.
(more…)

Blog

Car Camping Kitchen Essentials

August 28, 2015May 26, 2017By daniellegoold 4 Comments

I am a firm believer in eating well when car camping, and with a few essential items there is no reason not to eat like a king on your next camping trip. Here are some of our favorite items that have transformed mealtime around the campfire! (more…)