Julie, Carter and I are once again in Palm Springs for a quick 3 day trip. Carter’s nick name today was sleeping beauty since he took a 4 hour afternoon nap. The 110 degree heat wipes him out. It might also have to do with the fact that we make him sit outside the hotel room after he has a poopy diaper so that the smell won’t come in (just kidding). With that 4 hour chunk of time I took an hour nap, returned 2 hours or email and played on the internet for an hour. Another great summer sale coming your way from Backcountry.com. It ends September 3.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Next week I will upload the photos with complete details of the river and the Mammoth Review.

I am off to the river!

-DSheek
On the road again…

I have been traveling around riding and hiking in Mammoth and Tahoe since last Thursday. I have used the trails.com website twice on this trip to pick out Mountain Bike trails that are specific to my needs (length of travel, difficulty, elevation gain, etc.). If you’re taking a trip try it out to find that perfect hike or ride in an area you are not the most familiar with, or instead of listening to some shop employee explain directions to a hidden trail head that is, “two clicks past the old dog and left at the street light.” That was a past mistake.

Click the banner to visit their site and sign up for a free account:

I found the Castle Rock Trail in Lake Tahoe, Flume Trail, and the Tyrolean Trail (my favorite for the downhill). Check them out on the site under North Lake Tahoe, CA- Mountain Biking.

-DSheek
Thanks trails.com!

Visit the site for the sale and remember you get free shipping on orders over $45.
Click the banner:

-DSheek
Going Outside

I have been in Mammoth for three days and I am loving it… The sky is blue, temperatures are not over 80F, and the trails seem endless. I have gotten more trail than I know what to do with. In the next couple of days I will post a full report on Mammoth’s new trails (CRAZY), the town, and shops to visit.

Now I am off to get in one last ride!

-DSheek
Get some trail!

If you are looking to build a new bike or take an old frame and build it up with new parts, check out Jenson’s build kit program!
Jenson Says,
“Design the build kit of your dream and save! Our build kit prices are extremely competitive and highly customizable. Start off with our suggested build kits then customize it to match your riding style. Be sure to measure your frame accurately so you order the correct sized parts.”

-DSheek
Build Your Bike!

Save twice? School is almost back in session so be prepared to carry your books if you’re not ready to study them. Check out the Moosejaw bag sale because one can never have enough bags. I love this store and the cute girl on the sale banner.

Moosejaw:

-DSheek
If you’re not good at studying at least you can look cool!

In prepartaion for my second morning of Master Swim, I picked up a set of training paddles.

Now I can fit in with my other Master Swim peeps!

Andy B
outsideallday.com

August 14 – 21, 30% to 60%

You could say I dropped $300.00 in gift cards last night!

Click here for more information.

If you choose to read the post below you can get the gist of the situtation. I think that the Patagonia customer service reps response back to me was perfect. Skye did an incredible job at turning a difficult situtation into a good one. I forwarded her response to my customer service team at SimplyYouthMinistry.com.

My note to Patagonia.com customer service:
I had a disappointing experience tonight. For my birthday I received the grand daddy of gifts. $300.00 in gift cards to Patagonia from my mom! 1 day after receiving the certificates my wife and I received the direct mail piece on the summer sale and our nearest store is the Patagonia/Adventure 16 in Costa Mesa (45 minute drive each way for us) according to the direct mail piece. We planned our night around shopping at the store the first night of the sale, August 14. We even dragged our 1 year old son along, molars coming in and all.

After arriving at Patagonia/Adventure 16 and beginning to shop, all of the sizes and colors of everything I wanted were available. Until the sales clerk said we could not use our gift certificates at this store and the manager rudely confirmed it by saying that we needed to follow-up directly with Patagonia because he had made the request several times to have this clarified in direct mail pieces. He claimed they are a Patagonia concept store. What the heck is that? I have been shopping there for years with them giving me the impression that it was a full fledged Patagonia store inside an Adventure 16.

I am so bummed that Cardiff by the Sea is not participating in the sale as my wife offered to drive the 1.5 hour each way trip to shop for me. Now online everything is already sold out in my size and the variety online is not nearly as good

The Costa Mesa store had like 4, Nine Trails Jacket in size L and Patagonia.com doesn’t even carry the product any more for men. I had been eyeing that thing for months waiting for my birthday.

I needed to let you know that I was pretty bummed on the brand tonight.

Thanks,

Andy

Patagonia’s response to me:
Hi Andy,

Thanks for taking the time to send us your email. I apologize for your experience and I definitely understand your frustration. Adventure 16 is a concept store and is independently owned and operated as a Patagonia dealer, therefore they don’t accept the gift cards. I can certainly understand why you would think they accepted our gift cards after receiving a card specifying a Patagonia sale. Unfortunately, we didn’t communicate the information regarding gift cards well on the postcard. I would be more than happy to try and locate whatever items you are in search of in our stores or other channels. If you can remember the names or descriptions and colors as well as sizes of what you are looking for I can certainly try and locate them for you.

I really apologize for your experience, I have passed your email on and it is duly noted that a clarification is needed regarding our Adventure 16 store.

Please let me know if you have questions, and I’m standing by if you’d like me to search out the items you are looking for.

Have a good day!

Skye
Patagonia Customer Service

A buddy of mine called me BrazelCrocs today at lunch. I love my Crocs.

I thought that was funny,

Andy B
outsideallday.com

I just received this from Riders at SDG USA and Yeti RPM Developmental Racing:

“Colorado mountain bikers may find several of the state’s best trails off-limits if the Forest Service pushes through with a new directive. The agency wants to limit or prohibit bike access on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), which includes the Monarch Crest, Rabbit Ears Pass, Peaks Trail and many sections of the Colorado Trail. In all, hundreds of miles of Colorado singletrack could be lost if mountain bikers don’t make their voices heard.”

Click Here: http://go.imba.com/site/R?i=_w58X30Wgb_vkRhpS5nyaA
Take Action:

“Your strong voice is essential to saving the Monarch Crest and other epic rides along the CDT. The Forest Service’s proposal to restrict and prohibit mountain biking has been warmly embraced by some anti-bike groups, who are giving it their full support. All Colorado residents are urged to take action:

* File Comments
* Formally file your comments with the Forest Service. IMBA’s simple form takes seconds and will submit your official comments. The deadline is October 12.
* Spread the Word
* Rally your friends and ask them to echo your support for bike access on this outstanding trail. We need thousands of comments to hold out hope for continued access, so forward this to your riding friends across the country.
* Help Maintain the CDNST
* If you live or play near the CDT, consider organizing or attending trailwork days to help build and maintain this magnificent trail. Learn about volunteer opportunities near you.
* Donate
* Can you imagine Colorado without the Monarch Crest, Rabbit Ears Pass or portions of the Colorado Trail?

I know what it is like to have a favorite trail taken away…

-DSheek
Keep it Legal!

-DSheek