MEET THE
BEAR ADVENTURE TEAM.
Our names are Nathan and Ashley...
We met at a bike race called 'The Mother Lode Epic' in El Dorado Hills, CA. I was volunteering at one of the aid stations for the race and she was racing. With that race right in the middle of the summer, it was over 100 degrees that day and Ashley was having signs of a heat stroke half way through her race. When she came into the aid station where I was working, she decided to relax and cool down a little in the shade. She immediately caught my eye and I went over and started talking to her.
Unfortunately, she was unable to finish her race that day, but fortunately for me, I was able to talk to her long enough and ask her out on a hike for the following weekend.
AND SO IT BEGAN...
We started traveling all around the state together exploring some of the best wilderness that California has to offer, and documenting our travels through photos. It became an addiction for us. We counted down the minutes of every work week until the weekend came and we could go out and explore again. We loved coupling the creative aspect with the physical challenge it takes to travel to these wild places.
We counted down the minutes of every work week until the weekend came and we could go out and explore again. We loved coupling the creative aspect with the physical challenge it takes to travel to these wild places.
WE HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THE CALIFORNIA OUTDOORS ALMOST AS MUCH AS WE HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER.
At another bike race called 'The Downieville Classic' I asked Ashley if she would marry me.
And she said yes!
We got married on top of the Sierra Buttes, a mountain that looks over the town of Downieville.
She spent most summers from her childhood adventuring around the creeks and trails of Downieville. I have fallen in love with the town through exploring the surrounding trails on my mountain bike. It was the perfect place for us to get married, and there was no better way for us to do it.
We continue to explore. It's what we love to do most together. Our favorite type of riding was to do all day adventures through the mountains, sometimes riding from sun up till sun down. And with the Sierra Nevada mountains right in our backyard, it was the perfect place for rides like that!
We mostly travel around in our 1989 Toyota Van that we have turned into our camper/bike van. It is our kitchen to cook in, our bed to sleep in, and it has taken us everywhere we wanted to go.
Week in and week out. Go to work, pack the van, explore. Go to work, pack the van, explore.
And there is so much more for us to see!
We created a website where you can see all the places we have been and follow along with us on our adventures. We call it “Bear Adventure”. With over 250 pages worth of places to explore, and over 3000 photos, our website provides all the information for you to head out to these places and create your own adventure!
NEW FOR 2021, WE ARE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE ARE PARTNERING UP WITH NASHBAR!
From all the great gear they have, to all the great people behind the gear, we are looking forward to taking Nashbar along with us everywhere we go! We also invite you to explore alongside us as we head out on the best adventures that mountain biking has to offer!
We will be posting our adventures throughout the month, showing you how we get around to all of these places, and reviewing some of the hottest bike gear on the market. You can find all that, plus all the gear you need to take on your own adventures right here on the Nashbar website!
We love to explore the unexplored, and we believe there is no better way to do so than pushing your limits on a bicycle.
Nathan & Ashley
Patreon website: patreon.com/bearadventure
Facebook page: facebook.com/CaliforniaBearAdventure
Instagram: instagram.com/california_bear_adventure