ConquerMountains.com

Fire damage on Highway 242 from a 2017 fire. Copyright photo by John Rezell

By John Rezell

     Three years had passed since I last drove up the Aufderheide Byway. On my way to score a Labor Day campsite, it was my first look at the area since a fire swept through in 2017, halting my annual jour...

Waterfall on the Breitenbush Trail that most likely doesn't look anything like this anymore. Copyright photo by John Rezell

By John Rezell

      In this most distressing year of our time, Mother Nature’s Oregon havens offered solace — our saving grace.

By John Rezell

    Whenever someone points out that cyclists come in all shapes, sizes and forms, I take a moment to reflect on it.

    Sure enough.

    There are cyclists who ride for fitness.

    Cyclists who ride for pure joy.

    Cyclists who commute.

    And, of course, cyclis...

By John Rezell

     It's time for a break.

     We have more important issues to attend to and think about these days.

     I'll spend my Saturday mornings with an open mind, hoping to understand what others in this world face and finding ways to bring us together.

By John Rezell

     As we wrapped around the final switchbacks on the western edge of Castle Rock, the fog lifted from the valley into a bright blue sky like a flock of sparkling stars returning to the Milky Way. Ridgely charged ahead, as she's apt to do, as curious as I was — wondering if we would be graced by the view or fogged in.

     Once we c...

By John Rezell

      I love surprises.

      And challenges.

      That's my motivation as I turn off the main road and head toward Paulina Peak. All I know is the sign says 4 miles to the peak.

      An hour later the cold, crisp wind howling at 7,984 feet above sea level ices my sweat-soak...

By John Rezell

     As these bizarre times march on and on, refreshing my mind and body with a heavy dose of Mother Nature has saved my soul. Again.

     The challenge of finding a job in the best of times chips away at your psyche like a water torture, so remaining on the hunt since March tests my obsessive optimism to its limits.

 &...

By John Rezell

     It just flashed in my peripheral vision.

     Only for a moment.

     Just an instant.

     But I knew.

     Oh, ...

The first Chanterelle find of the season. Photo by John Rezell

By John Rezell

    There’s a magic to the universe. I’m can feel it.

      Problem is, in my humble opinion, we often overlook, if not downright ignore it. We simply think too muc...

        By John Rezell

      My daughter Sierra stepped into my office and deadpanned that she had something to tell me and something to ask me. Which would I like to hear first?

     Since we’ve been ...

     "It's morning, I wake up, The taste of summer sweetness on my mind ..."

      — Rob Thomas, Streetcorner Symphony

      By John Rezell

      On one of my first gra...

EDITOR'S NOTE: I spent Memorial Day weekend camping in the wild, cut off from news and the Internet. I returned to learn that my childhood hero, Bart Starr, passed away. Here is a rewrite of the blog I wrote almost four years ago when he was about to make one of his last appearances at Lambeau Field.

By John Rezell

      I'm shedding more tha...

       By John Rezell

     Beneath the sea of colorful jerseys hearts beat in a cacophony of rhythms, some chirping at the rate of a hummingbird, others the leisurely pace of a sloth.

      Behind dark sunglasses eyes sparkle with anticipatio...

       By John Rezell

     There's an aura that buzzes around extraordinary people, an electric field you can actually feel in their presence. You need not say a word nor shake a hand, but you feel it deep inside your soul there is something very, very special a...

     By John Rezell

      If you haven't watched it already, listen to Notre Dame women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw talk about women coaching in women's sports. After hearing her take, I couldn't help but think back to my daughters' experiences in sports. Without question, the women wh...

     By John Rezell

     From the moment my first byline story appeared in our high school newspaper, my Grandma Rezell beamed with pride, and each time I saw her after that she'd find the chance to pull me to the side and say, "I've got a great story to tell you one day ..."

     EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first of a series of Thank You essays to people who have helped make me who I am today.

     By John Rezell

     If you’re really lucky in life, you’ll cross paths with someone who really understands who you are, deep down to your soul. If you’...

By John Rezell

     Cats have been on my mind a lot lately.

     No, I haven't been watching videos online. I've been out riding and hiking. And it appears it's just a matter of time before we cross paths.

     Again.

By John Rezell

     I just heard of the passing of Paul Sherwen. So sad. He was a class act.

     My primary interactions with him were back when he was the Media guy for Motorola as Lance Armstrong rose to prominence. He always managed to get me time with Lance, and was surprised when Lance would give me access other writers weren't privy to.

     My favorite Paul Sherwen story comes from the 1995 CoreStates race ...

Watching the total eclipse in Dallas, Oregon will be remembered forever. Wow.