It's hard to explain, but there is something magical about the Pacific Northwest. Of course, that's a very American term because when we lived up in British Columbia for a couple years it would more or less be considered southwest Canada, but anyways ... you get what I'm saying. No one really knows or has explicitly defined what the PNW is as far as geographic boundaries. My hunch is that it starts somewhere in northern California and follows the coastline all of the way up to southeast Alaska. Pretty much wherever there is lots of rain, fog, and dense forest (with lots of loam) there you'll find the Pacific Northwest.
Long before I ever had my first sip of beer I knew about "beer muscles." Actually, come to think of it, I vividly recall when I was 4 years old sneaking a sip of my Dad's Old Milwaukee (maybe it was Schlitz) when he stepped of our the truck to pee while we were driving along the back country roads (for obvious reasons). But we know what beer muscles are. In a sense they are that inflated ego and sense of invincibility that comes when too much beer has been consumed.
Often times what happens early on ends up setting the trajectory of our lives or at least influencing us in some way. That first time you picked up a basketball and you were hooked. That first time you borrowed your neighbor's hockey stick and it somehow just felt right. That first time you listened to someone masterfully play the piano and you immediately begged your Mom to sign you up for lessons. That first time you remember riding a bike (banana seat and baseball cards in the spokes). As they say, first impressions are everything.
Mountain biking is so much more than a good workout. If that's all we were looking for we'd be satisfied with spin classes at the gym. Instead, it is about community. About our squad(s). Mountain biking is just as much (or more) about a lifestyle and a people than it is about simply a sport.
Since I lead this startup known as Loam Coffee I'm always watching and paying attention when it comes to branding, marketing, social media, and the like. I'll read articles about these subjects and even the nuances from how branding is done in North America compared with Latin America and so on. With that in mind I feel as though I've become kind of good at "seeing through" marketing to decipher what brands are really trying to sell and promote.
It hit me recently that I share a lot of commonalities with my sons in terms of how they grew up and what kinds of entertainment was available. While I'd say that having an Atari or Commodore 64 is a far cry from amped up PCs and Xbox systems at the core they are the same ... gaming consoles. While Fortnite is a vastly better gaming experience than playing Frogger or Pitfall on Atari there are more similarities than differences. I remember hot and humid summers after being outside all day coming in the house to game. Same concept, but what has drastically changed is technology. However, I didn't enjoy the experience any less than my sons do now.
The same with mountain biking.
