The goal of Warm Current is to help connect communities with their water resources by increasing access to surfing—both for their pure enjoyment and to inspire the need for environmental protection. To this end, Warm Current diverts usable wetsuits from the waste stream and donates them to individuals or groups in underprivileged communities. Warm Current also provides under-served youth in the Pacific Northwest with surf camps that show them the exhilaration and joy of connecting with nature through surfing.
June 27th marks the beginning of a movement for Warm Current that you can participate in. The Faces of Warm Current is a fundraising campaign that will bring money into the organization so that they can purchase new surfboards, wetsuits and a surf camp trailer (which you can be a part of, literally). By making a $5 donation, you can create a square with a message or photo that will then become a part of the mosaic to cover the kids surf camp trailer.
June 6th marked the day Wend editor-at-large Rick Olson departed from Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado to embark on a four-month, 5,000-mile bicycle tour of the National Park-to-Park highway. While on the tour, Rick is interviewing people Livin’ the Hybridlife. He’s on a bike ride that began in Seattle and will end in New London, Connecticut.
Notes from the road…
Ron Kauk is a world-class rock climber whose spent the past 30 years climbing many of Yosemite’s hardest routes. Around a campfire in Tuolomn Meadows, a young group of climbers we befriended excitedly told us about their encounter with Ron earlier that day at the small cafe near the campground. As he drove by them later, he slowed down and asked how their day of climbing was. Needless to say, he left a lasting impression on them.
The following morning, Staj and I met Ron over a stack of pancakes. He invited us over to his campsite along the Tuolomne River, where he spends the entire summer. As we sat eating grapes, we philosophized about innate relationships with nature and the dehumanizing factor of our technological world. Then we headed over to the swimming hole where Ron spends most of his days and let the cold water revitalize us.
Ron Kauk is a rock climber, but unlike a lot of stone monkeys, Yosemite is much more than an arena for climbing to him. In the majority of his life that he’s spent in Yosemite, Ron has gained a wealth of wisdom from the wild surrounding.
About the Playground Tour
The Playground Tour, which was named after the “Playground Trail,” a 5,000-mile tour of twelve National Parks west of the Rockies that was taken by a group of Americans in 1920. Their mission was to generate awareness and support for better roads to facilitate easier access to recreational areas.
The Playground Tour is an attempt to recreate this tour by bicycle. The mission is to raise money and awareness for the United States Bike Route System. Rick is teaming up with the Adventure Cycling Association and will be observing and documenting the difficulty of travel and roads conditions for cycling throughout the ride.
Interactive Playground Tour map - click here
Daily update from Rick - click here
Super fun event last night with The Element Tour, ClifBar and Kavu! We blocked off the street in front of the KEEN Garage. Got to hang out with lots of great people along with our friends at Wend, Surfrider and the Forest Park Conservancy.
Enjoy this short video montage of the festivities…
June 6th marked the day Wend editor-at-large Rick Olson departed from Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado to embark on a four-month, 5,000-mile bicycle tour of the National Park-to-Park highway. While on the tour, Rick is interviewing people Livin’ the Hybridlife. He’s on a bike ride that began in Seattle and will end in New London, Connecticut.
Notes from the road…
This is Guenter. We met him at the Mazama Campground in Crater Lake NP. Guenter is on sabbatical from Stuttgart, Germany and is visiting North America for the first time, where he’s pedaling from Vancouver B.C. to Mexico. Guenter has a great travel philosophy, one that does not involve a set schedule, allowing him opportunities that he’d otherwise never happen upon. When he wakes up in the morning, he goes, not knowing how far he’ll get. His route is sometimes influenced by weather. At a fork in the road, he follows the path towards the sun, if one should exist…
About the Playground Tour
The Playground Tour, which was named after the “Playground Trail,” a 5,000-mile tour of twelve National Parks west of the Rockies that was taken by a group of Americans in 1920. Their mission was to generate awareness and support for better roads to facilitate easier access to recreational areas.
The Playground Tour is an attempt to recreate this tour by bicycle. The mission is to raise money and awareness for the United States Bike Route System. Rick is teaming up with the Adventure Cycling Association and will be observing and documenting the difficulty of travel and roads conditions for cycling throughout the ride.
Interactive Playground Tour map - click here
Daily update from Rick - click here
The KEEN Garage is open! So if you live in or around the Portland, Oregon be sure to stop for Grand Opening Week August 20th – 26th.
During this week, KEEN will match each pair of shoes purchased at the KEEN Garage with a KEEN backpack full of school supplies that will be donated to Schoolhouse Supplies to help Portland area children in need. The week will also feature the Wheel of KEEN. Spin the wheel to get free shoes, socks, bags, or donations for local non-profits). The grand finale is set for Thursday, August 26th with a street party celebration.
The KEEN Garage is located just below our headquarters on 926 NW 13th Avenue in Portland, Oregon.
The KEEN Garage blends our obsession with innovation, passion for play, and commitment to community. It extends the energy of our headquarters to consumers and is a place where KEEN fans can experience HybridLife.
GRAND OPENING WEEK EVENTS – AUGUST 20TH – 26TH
August 20th to 26th Buy KEEN shoes and KEEN will donate a backpack with school supplies to Portland kids in need.
Spin the Wheel of KEEN and win prizes!
Thursday, August 26, 2010, 5pm-9pm The Elements Tour Comes to Portland: We’re shutting down the street for a block party with the Elements crew, WEND Magazine and the Surfrider Foundation. There will be live music, parkour demos, Gravity Free Living Paint and tours of Baby, the bio-fueled wonder.
June 6th marked the day Wend editor-at-large Rick Olson departed from Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado to embark on a four-month, 5,000-mile bicycle tour of the National Park-to-Park highway. While on the tour, Rick is interviewing people Livin’ the Hybridlife. He’s on a bike ride that began in Seattle and will end in New London, Connecticut.
Notes from the road…
Leading up to the biggest trip of my life, I was slated to go it alone. I was a bit nervous to say the least. In the midst of planning, I met up with Cali for a beer, since I hadn’t seen her in over a year because she was embedded in Iraq. Catching up, I mentioned my bike tour. When she asked who else was going, I told her no one.
A few days later, I received a phone call from Cali, telling me she wants to join the trip.
The rest was history.
Leaving Boulder, CO the first day of our tour, neither of us had ever rode fully loaded, or wearing clipless pedals. Nor had we ever pedaled more than 60 miles in one day. But we both enjoy misadventure, and we got plenty of it.
Cali, or White Truck, I cannot begin to explain how appreciative I am of your willingness to dive in headfirst with me and see where the road takes us. I know for a fact this trip, or the first half at least, would not have been nearly as much fun or odd without you.
Come home safe from Afghanistan, and when you conjure up a trip that’s a bit over your head, remember that I owe you one.
- Rick Olson, Wend Magazine Editor-at-Large
About the Playground Tour
The Playground Tour, which was named after the “Playground Trail,” a 5,000-mile tour of twelve National Parks west of the Rockies that was taken by a group of Americans in 1920. Their mission was to generate awareness and support for better roads to facilitate easier access to recreational areas.
The Playground Tour is an attempt to recreate this tour by bicycle. The mission is to raise money and awareness for the United States Bike Route System. Rick is teaming up with the Adventure Cycling Association and will be observing and documenting the difficulty of travel and roads conditions for cycling throughout the ride.
Interactive Playground Tour map - click here
Daily update from Rick - click here
While on the tour, Rick is interviewing people Livin’ the Hybridlife, such as Meaghan and Ken. They’re on a transamerica bike ride that began in Seattle and will end in New London, Connecticut. Along the way, they’re raising money for three charities: Playing for Change, The Surfrider Foundation, and Trees for the Future.
Here’s a new HybridLife interview. It was shot at Spirit Lake, ID with Cali’s father, Bill Bagby.
About the Playground Tour
The Playground Tour, which was named after the “Playground Trail,” a 5,000-mile tour of twelve National Parks west of the Rockies that was taken by a group of Americans in 1920. Their mission was to generate awareness and support for better roads to facilitate easier access to recreational areas.
The Playground Tour is an attempt to recreate this tour by bicycle. The mission is to raise money and awareness for the United States Bike Route System. Rick is teaming up with the Adventure Cycling Association and will be observing and documenting the difficulty of travel and roads conditions for cycling throughout the ride.
Interactive Playground Tour map - click here
Daily update from Rick - click here
While on the tour, Rick is interviewing people Livin’ the Hybridlife, such as Meaghan and Ken. They’re on a transamerica bike ride that began in Seattle and will end in New London, Connecticut. Along the way, they’re raising money for three charities: Playing for Change, The Surfrider Foundation, and Trees for the Future.
Ken and Meaghan are yoga instructors with little bicycle experience. Before the trip, Ken hadn’t even known how to change a flat. They also did little to train for the trip, instead relying on their yoga practice to keep them on the road and in good shape. Follow their journey at www.ridethewaveofchange.org.
About the Playground Tour
The Playground Tour, which was named after the “Playground Trail,” a 5,000-mile tour of twelve National Parks west of the Rockies that was taken by a group of Americans in 1920. Their mission was to generate awareness and support for better roads to facilitate easier access to recreational areas.
The Playground Tour is an attempt to recreate this tour by bicycle. The mission is to raise money and awareness for the United States Bike Route System. Rick is teaming up with the Adventure Cycling Association and will be observing and documenting the difficulty of travel and roads conditions for cycling throughout the ride.
Interactive Playground Tour map – click here
Daily update from Rick – click here
Here’s a photo of the KEEN crew aboard the Sea Dragon with some garbage from the North Atlantic Gyre. Folks can follow the journey on the 5 Gyres blog. Listen to this podcast to learn just what exactly is a gyre, the 5 main gyres in our oceans and the discoveries the 5 Gyres team is documenting. Translated = the plastic soup that is becoming more common in our oceans.
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