This is a quick photo story of last week’s mini Minnesota Ramble. But the ramble is truly secondary to the deeper meaning of this post. This post is about the power of the bicycle. What you can do with it as well as the power it has bringing people and communities together.

Over the course of the last 10+ years, the bicycle has really been the central focus of my life, career and inspiration for photography, writing and sharing. It has brought so many great people into my life. People from all over the world.  Many of those folks reading this I have the great pleasure to call you friends.

In my perfect bicycle world, we would all get together every year to ride bikes and find inspiration together but that dream is a bit impractical. I do, however, typically get a group of folks together around the common idea of riding and exploring….And hopefully finding inspiration and rejuvination.

I’ll also admit the initial intent of riding and exploring has turned into gear, whisky, coffee, beer, photography, laughter, game nights, late nights, fires, suffering, new friends, new places, joy and so on and so on. But bikes are the connector and the thing that most often brings us all together.

Whenever I get around to posting images from these trips I always have guilt. Guilt that not everyone could come. Guilt that I can’t invite everyone. But I want you all to know reading this, I truly and sincerely hope that I get to ride with you one day.  We’ll find a time and a place.

So with that, I have some images to share. The first set is focused on the people and bikes as the subject and the second set is focused on the places, things and points of inspiration. I hope you enjoy and thank you all for coming here and sticking with me so long.

As always, click any image to go to slideshow mode. Note that all these images are simple phone edits and not from my usual workflow. I just have not had time to process through lightroom and didn’t want to delay.  Enjoy!

And now onto the places, things and points of inspiration.

So with that, I am closing out 2017 with this blog post. I am going to come back to 2018 with a commitment to ride more, shoot more, write more and share more.

Sincerely, I am thankful for all the great people that the bicycle has brought into my life.

Enjoy the holidays.