Elysian Park: A Gravel Adventure Ride
We love riding bikes! So much that we take what little, precious free time we have and fill it with exploration and adventures where the destination is never the priority. We tend to exclude the destination out of most rides because some times, planning that far ahead makes living in the present a tiff difficult. If the emphasis of the ride is based on the Whole Foods run after, then what do you think will be on my mind during the ride? Those vegan double choco cookies- that's what! If not the cookies then for sure the Vegan Donuts. . . You get my point.
Sometimes the destination is so far out of the picture that we end up riding right back to the Casa. That's fine, I'm a better cook when I'm hungry anyway.
Last week's HumpDay Ride was like no other. Our friends from up North are visiting and prepping for their travels South to Baja, MX; where I will be joining them on the 2018 Baja Divide. A 1700-mile bike packing trip traveling south down the Baja Peninsula. Since they've been in town my internal fire for bikes, travel, and bags, have been sparked like none other. To satiate this desire, we take to the local trails.
Here is a rad recap from our recent ride though the local trails on the East Side of LA.
Chelsea leading the group along side a single track stretch beneath I 110 Freeway.
Andrew Sending the Steps - in the drops 
Ester likes to call this my Jack Rabbit Wheelie, I guess I see where she is coming from..
**Totally staged to show full scale and size of the Jumbo Jammer** TY Quinn <3 Quinn came into the shop Tuesday evening looking for a bag and a place to ride bikes. Lucky for him, our shop is full of bike bags for all types of riding, riders and bikes. . . Not to mention our Wednesday ride was some hours away!
We tendered the info over to Quinn: 8am/my house/come early for coffee. The last bit did the trick, because he showed up good n' early; ready with his own camp mug dangling off the side of his new Jumbo Jammer. 
Chelsea left, Ester Right. Ester is the brains behind all of these lovely photographs you see here. She's my other half and because of her I can supply you all with this rad Ride Report.
Showing Andrew how I roll up my bags. Now take note, my rolling style has been revised after Ester showed us all up and changed the way I now think when it comes to Roll Top Bags. More on that later.
Now is the best time of the year to be riding out in LA. The temps are near perfect for all day riding, even when you're fully exposed to the sun. Something about that So-Cal Winter sun that just brings me back to my childhood.
Left to Right:
BagDad aka Brad / I love Bicycles MAN aka Andrew / Tall Boy aka Matthew V.
"It's not about the destination but how much you can carry there"
