Text & Photo by Dylan Snodgrass/Edit by Shinya Tanaka
HUNTER CYCLES.
Perhaps this is a manufacturer that stood out exceptionally well at this year's NAHBS as well.
The "machines" created by my close friend Rick Hunter always fulfill two conditions: they are original and usable (they can be properly utilized). Meeting these two conditions is his absolute philosophy in manufacturing, and it is the "proof" of his existence. Such men each obtain their own proof—an extension of themselves—and head out on a journey. I have put together this special feature on the proof they left behind.
This is a Japanese translation of a blog entry by Dylan, who belongs to his longtime friend's Team DFL. I hope you will take the time to read it. And if you can understand, even to some degree, that condors take flight, the Hunters and I will be happy.
Condors take flight! 2012
It started something like this... Condors!
The "Condor Journey" is always grueling. However, this seventh annual "Condor Journey" proved just how truly grueling it can be. By the time we arrived at the Santa Barbara airport, I was nothing but exhausted. The path was tough, but I know that every Condor would say the ride was amazing.
This journey involved racing through the coastal mountains from Rick Hunter's shop in Bonny Doon, California, to Santa Barbara. We headed south, zig-zagging and getting as muddy as possible. Did we really pull it off? Of course we did!
Day 1:
From Bonny Doon, CA to Arroyo Seco Road/Campground
(110 miles/176 km)
Campground information: http://bit.ly/HWarKs
When traveling from Santa Cruz, it is best to pack two days' worth of food. This is because, until you reach Cambria, the only places to buy food are gas stations.
We woke up to light rain and cold temperatures. Everyone packed their gear and headed out from Hunter Cycles into the hellscape. The weather forecast had called for rain, but we defied the storm, and by the time we reached Watsonville, we were bone dry. We headed south using side roads, bike paths, and rural roads.
Everyone was in good spirits, and as we moved forward, we talked about things like: Will the river we cross tomorrow be flooded? Will the Carrizo Plain turn into a muddy nightmare? Can we ride over the snow in the Santa Ynez Mountains? Did we remember to bring the coffee?
Arroyo Seco Campground has clean water and even showers. However, I recommend bringing some 25-cent coins. Fred brought a delicious dinner along with a dozen hard-boiled eggs. This was the reason Fred's bike was so incredibly heavy at the start.
"Beauty" on the side of a barn
An old farmhouse scheduled for restoration
We spent most of the first day riding through farmland. This view was taken somewhere on River Road, heading toward Arroyo Seco Road.
After overcoming many obstacles, it was finally time to use my new stove. It's just too good! In the campsites in California, Oregon, and Washington where I often go hiking in the summer, there are government agencies involved, and they have strict restrictions on the kind of stove I am currently using. Consequently, I rarely get to cook with wood. The Emberlit UL is incredibly light, folds flat, and is so fun to use that I heartedly recommend it. You can check out this stove here.
If I can't start a fire with wood, I'll use a simple cat food can stove in the morning.
Information on the cat food can stove is here.
Day 2:
From Arroyo Seco Campground to South Coast Road.
60 miles (approx. 96km) of muddy roads.
There are no stores, but there is plenty of water. There is a very nice hot spring where the road has collapsed on Indians Road. Near the top of the climb, there was the perfect lunch spot, where we all talked about the patterns of the surrounding rocks. The water level of the river leading to the military base was high, and since the river was deep, it was dangerous, and the concrete road was slippery, so we walked our bikes. We resupplied with water at a Forest Service campground and camped at the highest point in the driest spot we could find.
Immediately after leaving the campground, the 20-mile (no-motor-vehicle) Indians Road, which leads into the Los Padres National Forest, begins. Before climbing Nacimiento-Ferguson Road, you pass through the Fort Hunter Liggett base after Indians Road. The military base is essentially deserted, relatively flat, and covered with oak trees. It is very lovely. If you look closely, you can see wild animals. Two or three years ago, we saw a mountain lion on this same road.
When you reach the top of Nacimiento-Ferguson Road, it continues south, and the mud road continues further. South Coast Ridge Road is a great place to ride, but you will suffer. There are countless steep climbs and long, steep descents over and over again. Fortunately, the scenery is magnificent, and you will surely realize that despite it being such an open road, there are absolutely no cars. We camped somewhere along the road at this remote Forest Service campground.
Nice! Leaving Arroyo Seco Campground and heading onto Indians Road.
Rick Hunter riding on Indians Road
The photo below is Rick Hunter's new Condor setup. (Version 2.0 / See here for Version 1.0.) Rick's bike won many awards at this year's handmade bike show, and certainly, each one is a wonderful handmade work of art.
The bags attached to the bike were reportedly made by a female friend of Rick's who lives in Oregon. You can see her work and her words here.
And please watch this video. There is a clip of Dirt Rag Magazine interviewing Rick about his new Condor.
Jason Bedford of De La Paz Coffee is riding a Hunter 29'er and has Porcelain Rocket bags attached.
Porcelain Rocket bags have a texture that is far superior to any other handmade bags.
The view from Nacimiento Road. You can look down on Highway 1 and from the ocean to Kirk Creek Forest Campground. Well, the most fun part is South Coast Road; you get really, really muddy!
Day 3:
From South Coast Ridge Road to Paso Robles
About 100 miles (around 160km)? Rick and Cam, is this correct?
There was a pond at the campground for water, but it looked like it hadn't been used for about a year. We had our first meal and water at Ragged Point on Highway 1. Cambria has all services, including food markets, bike shops, and restaurants.
Heading south from the campground on South Coast Ridge Road, it eventually becomes a crazy descent from Los Burros Road to Highway 1. You need brakes that work really well, and I think you have to be mentally prepared for the elevator-like descent. It's fun, but the slope is really intense. Partway through the descent, I was chilled to the bone remembering that I had taken the same road on an early Condor two or three years ago. What were we thinking! By the time the descent finished, the road became concrete like Highway 1, and cars started driving by on the way to Cambria.
We were basking in the sun and feeling a pleasant breeze, so the ride was wonderful. Two or three miles before San Simeon, there are elephant seals on the beach. You definitely won't regret stopping to check them out. When we arrived in Cambria, we headed east and crossed the coastal hills on Santa Rosa Creek Road. Santa Rosa Creek Road, which local riders love, is impressive, but you won't encounter eye-opening scenery until you reach the very end. The final climb was like a wall. Absolutely crazy.
Cam got sick, so we spent a night at a motel in Paso Robles to think about whether he could continue. Unfortunately, we had to leave him in Paso. Motel 6 is cheap and easy to stay at. There was a tasty diner in Paso Robles called Maggie's. For hungry riders, the large portions and freshly made coffee were irresistible.
South Coast Ridge Road
A short break on Los Burros Road. The dirt downhill was no joke.
Santa Rosa Creek Road
Day 4:
From Paso Robles to Big Pine Road
About 120 miles.
We prioritized entering the Carrizo Plain and refilled our water at a school down from the 58 on Soda Lake Road. You must resupply with food in Paso Robles; once you enter the Carrizo Plain, there are no service areas until Santa Barbara. If you absolutely have to, I recommend taking Route 166 and then taking a detour to New Cuyama, where there is a gas station, then passing through the Carrizo Plain and heading into the Santa Ynez Mountains.
The Carrizo Plain is very beautiful and a wonderful place. A single dirt road takes you south through this vast landscape. If you look closely up at the sky, California condors can sometimes be seen soaring high above the plain. The short road goes from Route 166 to Route 33, becomes the Carrizo Plain, and then returns to the Los Padres National Forest. And once the cars move onto Big Pine Road, they vanish.
In that area, there are plenty of campsites and water to prepare before you definitely start climbing the mountains.
The vast Carrizo Plain
Lunch while looking at Soda Lake
Unpaved roads continuing for miles across the Carrizo Plain
Let's take a brief break here for a quick explanation about the Condor tour. A condor is a large bird of prey that lives mostly in South America, but there is also a species called the California condor that lives mainly in California. We equate ourselves to their free-flying figures, naming our annual touring trip the "CONDOR TRIP," and we have been continuing this dirt-ride-centered adventure ride for 7 years now. And this year's tour is an extremely grueling one, heading south from Bonny Doon, where his factory is located, to the Santa Barbara airport.
The bikes used by members Rick and Jason were exhibited at this year's NAHBS, and I think you can tell early on that they are being used for this trip. Every year, Rick incorporates new ideas into the bike he uses for this Condor journey, and he enjoys the fact that he actually uses it every year to carve the "proof" of HUNTER CYCLES into it.
PS: Next year—no, this fall—Rick might bring his new creation to Japan and go on an off-road tour in Hokkaido with us.
Now, let's return our attention to their crew and the subsequent flight.
And here I introduce this year's Condor crew. (I'm sorry... I was blinded, the exposure is off, and I ended up taking them with my iPhone.)
The team DFL guys. Dead Fucking Last!!! (Translator's note: Slang. Refers to people who always manage to come in last in a race.)
Fred
Ginger
Benny
The strong Rick Hunter
When I tried to take a photo of Cameron with my camera, something was covering the lens, and for some reason, it didn't come out. Here is a memorable photo of Cameron riding on Indians Road two or three years ago.
Day 5:
From Big Pine Road to Santa Barbara
60 miles (approx. 96km)
There were water resupply points in various places. Because it's spring, we had a comfortable ride, but in summer, I think it would be a miserable frying pan. Big Pine Road is mostly impassable to cars, and it's very fun with high-quality dirt courses leading into long descents. We continued onto Arroyo Burro Road, the final climb of this journey. We went down El Camino Road, reached Painted Cave Road, rode the final descent, entered North San Marcos Road, and arrived in Santa Barbara.
It's burrito time!
Looking down from somewhere on the first climb of the morning at our campsite in the deep valley.
Aaaah! Because of the terribly sticky mud, my bike is buried so deep I can't ride it. We didn't ride for hours.
Does anyone have any extra chain lube?
Maybe the snow isn't that deep and we can ride through it? Hahahaha!
I was just joking, the snow was 2 feet (about 60cm) deep all the way to the top, and we spent 4 hours pushing our bikes like this...
When we reached the top, the snow had melted, and the mud had turned into well-drained soil. The descent begins.
Most of the Santa Ynez Mountains routes are impassable to cars. Nice!
The descent, which seemed like it would last forever, made us forget that we had been pushing our bikes. Santa Barbara! We made it!
We rode about 450 miles (approx. 720km). The route itself was hard, but it was truly a wonderful journey, passing through amazing terrain, unpaved roads, and abandoned concrete roads. There were camping spots everywhere, we were able to hydrate regularly, and the scenery was just the best. If you're lucky, you might even be able to pick some wildflowers in the Carrizo Plain!
In Santa Barbara, we rented a van, loaded everything up, and headed home. You can also return to the Bay Area by train. I brought a GPS, so I have a file of what roads we took. If you are interested, send me an email.
I rode a geared 29'er MTB and used WTB Nano Raptor tires. I also used traditional touring gear, bikepacking bags, and frame bags. Using the bikepacking style on this route was so useful that I didn't even need to resupply various things for two days. My close friend Cameron Falconer built this frame for this trip. You don't see his work on the web very often, but he digests the concept of advertising through talking to people. He isn't a poser from Portland; he races seriously, he lives almost entirely for cycling, and he works in iron fabrication. His frames are crafted with meticulous attention to detail and quality. My equipment is still in pristine condition despite being used so much, and I'm very excited to go on many more adventures with this frame in the future.
I look forward to even more amazing things coming out of Falconer Cycles. Various information about him is posted here.
The early Condor crew from 2006. Thanks to Rick Hunter! And thanks to the past and future Condor members who value tradition!
From left to right: Rob "Ginger" Seybolt, Rick Hunter, Woody, Cameron Falconer, Dylan Snodgrass. 2006 was the year it began.
And this was the end of that... Hunter's old shop with the treasure trove of bikes in the back.
Talons! (Translator's note: It simply means claws, but I believe it carries the meaning of strong, accomplished people.)
To make the route, which might be hard to imagine from place names, easier to understand, I had Rick make a route map.
Total riding distance: 720km!
View Condor tour 2012 in a larger map
Nowadays, more people are becoming accustomed to using bicycles, and while it's becoming easier to propose various ways to enjoy them, it is also a fact that many bicycle owners—sadly—are like golfers (having the course decided for them, the order of play decided, too many rules to memorize, and on top of that, insisting it's a gentleman's sport... Sorry, that was a bad joke). They only use what they are given in the way they are given it, or they refuse to look at anything outside their own interests.
I wish that the essence of a bicycle (or a cyclist) would be to build your own bike, fix it yourself if there are defects, choose the minimum amount of equipment yourself, and freely go wherever you want to go—whether you are fast or slow, on-road or off-road, just keep moving forward. And the various encounters that happen there (including troubles) will surely help you grow in a way you could never achieve from your everyday life. (I can say this "absolutely" from my own experience.)
I feel daily that our country needs more such "strong" cyclists.
To be continued.
HUNTER CYCLES
HUNTER CYCLES, created by Rick Hunter, are designed and manufactured based on the experience of a man who has ridden the lands of California to the fullest. Without being bound by the framework of genres or categories, he explores his own sensations and those of the rider to create the best. From the moment you hop on a Hunter, your cycling life will surely change into something true.
