It took me a while to find St. Louis as there is, unfortunately, little left of this once-thriving town to lead one to it. To get here (on the road leading to Howland Flat which one picks up a little outside of La Porte) travel for about a mile past the St. Louis Bridge up … Continue reading
John Muir, Clarence King, Royal Robbins. The history of Sierra Nevada mountaineering and rock climbing is filled with legendary names and legendary feats. But when stories get passed around a campfire on cold nights at high elevations, one name towers above them all: Norman Clyde. Simply put, anyone who stands atop a Sierra peak is … Continue reading
If one accesses the road to Howland Flat from Church Street – the route that passes by the La Porte cemetery – one will pass over the following steel bridge (crossing over Slate Creek) after dropping down into the canyon: I will discuss this bridge and its surroundings in a future article. I use it … Continue reading
Located in Sierra County near the town of La Porte (which is not a ghost town), Port Wine had its beginnings in early 1850. Stories about the naming of the town include miners finding a barrel of Port hidden in the bushes and another story tells of finding a keg of cognac. No one knows … Continue reading
The sugar cane fields of Brazil are an interesting place. They can stretch out, unbroken for tens of miles and it is extremely easy to get lost in them. Naturally, when Team Boers and Team Ames were based in Lagoa Azeda, we opted to check them out: The only real gaps in the sugar cane … Continue reading
While in Brazil, we spent the majority of our time based in the fishing village of Lagoa Azeda. Lagoa Azeda is very, very far off the tourist track which is just what we wanted. It is first and foremost a fishing village: I walked around the village when we first arrived to give you a … Continue reading
It has been a while – too long – since Team Ames and Team Boers pursued an adventure together. So, it was with great pleasure that I, accompanied by my Italian, met up with Brandon and Amanda in Brazil. I’m a big fan of bees… and honey. Turns out my close family has the same … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 