Category: Bikes

My passion for bikes and bicycling exploded in 2004 when I got swept away in Portland Oregon’s burgeoning cycling scene. That community was so much fun. I raced and cheered cyclocross for a few years, enjoyed a lot of Oregon XC MTB, and went on several long tours such as Portland to San Francisco along 101, Crater Lake to Portland, and Charleston, South Carolina to Boone, North Carolina. During my spare time, I built an independent business around my passion: Little Package Cycling Caps. Bikes are super fun. Bicycling is freedom!

Backpacking the Kokopelli Trail – Part 1
2019.04.16
Bikes, Hiking
In the spring of 2019, I solo backpacked (self-supported) from Loma, Colorado to Moab, Utah on the Kokopelli Trail. Given it was a relatively high snow year and the wet weather forecast, this was sorta dumb. But I was determined to hike “the entire Colorado Plateau” after a geologist friend asked about the Hayduke. He was driving me to Vegas so I could pick up a rental car in 2016, just before the first time I hiked it. He seemed to challenge me when he said: “Why would the Hayduke not cover the entire Plateau?” I am not sure he was exactly throwing down that gauntlet, but that’s how I took it, and even after having hiked the Hayduke twice, once in each direction, I decided to […]

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Whitney, Tim, and Willy
2017.04.23
Bikes, Latergram, Lowest to Highest
Women guard your husbands ‘cuz if they this fun they’re at risk of getting snagged on the local adventurettes. This is Tim. He stopped to smoke a cigarette near my van and I bummed one cuz… good lookin’ lone motobiker? I asked about his planned rides. When he mentioned the Inyo Range, I convinced him that if he was gonna bike it, he needed to do it right, and ride the entire crest. He asked if I would want to come, and duh, guess what I said. So the next day found us BRAPPING the fuck up Cerro Gordo Road, riding clear past the salt tram to New York Butte, then back down the Swansea Grade. We hit some high speeds, which in hindsight was just stupid […]

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Bikini Cross – Where it All Started
2016.12.04
Bikes, Latergram
Some people thought this was un-feminist of me, not classy, etc. The rest of us were just having a real good time. Wage FUN, Portland! #sscxwc, much latergram 2007 (photo via @unnskyldmeg, credit @cxmagazine) This was a time I was working on becoming less shy and consciously forcing myself out of my shell by doing things only confident women would do (so I thought). This was a time when I got much better at not giving so many fucks. It wasn’t about attention like I’m sure many confused or jealous people thought, it was about personal growth and making fun. And yet, several years after MANY photos were taken that cold October day, an online bike publication decided to host a caption contest with one of the […]

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Abram’s Descent
2016.09.27
Bikes, Latergram
Abram (abramwashere.com) descends White Mountain a little more carefully with a borrowed bike and helmet. I invited him the day before and he pulled gear together despite being couch-surfing in a new town; I was able to borrow a 4×4 truck – pretty incredible luck of ours. You can see the summit hut up high in both clips. But look at that scenery 10,000 feet below! My 26″ hardtail did just fine from the top; all those years of hard riding came back to me just like… riding a bicycle. SO. MUCH. FUN. 😀 Big thank you Julie F ❤️

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Biking down a 14er
Bikes, Latergram
There’s a road all the way to the summit of White Mountain (14,246ft), which makes it by far the easiest 14er summit in California (or perhaps anywhere in the USA). From what I understand, once a year the final 7 miles of chunky road even opens for the general public to drive past the gate! How easy, but how darn cool. The White range affords spectacular views of the High Sierra range, the Inyos, and Death Valley on a clear day, and White Mountain itself is beautiful as a lava cake with caramel sauce. (But it’s not white, nor is it edible.) Maybe because it’s so accessible, its summit log has been a bit abused, with people scribbling their names on any piece of anything they can […]

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Velocipede Races Cover
2016.02.02
Bikes
This time last year I was reading a quick and fun book by Emily June Street called The Velocipede Races, preparing to illustrate its cover. The book centers around a young woman’s passion for cycling, is tinged with steampunky Victoriana, and is also digestibly feminist. In short, I totally enjoyed it and had no trouble finding inspiration to design its new cover. I decided to use a papercutting/scherenschnitte style and incorporate the corset, trying to capturing a mood… of a sporty lady craving to burst out of that delicate corset. Here’s what I initially submitted to Elly Blue over at Microcosm Publishing: To my surprise, the advance copy went black, which I’m glad was a temporary shift! It still looked cool, but I hated to see the […]

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The Best Ultra Lightweight Sleeping Bags
2015.01.07
Bikes, Pacific Crest Trail, Sewing
Ultra lightweight sleeping bags are purpose-built for long-haul treks where space is at a premium and weight is counted in grams, but they can also be used on your ordinary family camping trips. I call that win-win! The sleeping bag is part of “The Big Three:” These three items comprise the most weight, and take up the most space of all your gear. Also, they are items (aside from food and shoes) that can make–or break–your hike or bike tour. Be prepared to shell out good money up front (and not have to re-purchase something better later). This is an investment you’ll be putting to very good use. A sleeping bag is a camper’s best friend! Considerations For Choosing a Sleeping Bag Sleeping Bag Comparisons These comparisons […]

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This Cap Was Perfect
2014.01.17
Bikes, Cycling Caps
I got this great letter from a customer of mine who loved his Little Package cap. I got many letters like this over the years, and wanted to share this one to share the love! I love getting letters like this. Getting them now that I’m done making caps is a little sad, but that’s OK. It’s nice to be reminded I made lots of great little things. [box type=”note” size=”large” border=”full” icon=”none”]Hi Caroline, I’m sad to hear that you’re not currently making caps. I bought a cap from you a couple of years ago and I recently lost it. I know you’re not open for new orders, I just wanted to share its story a little. This cap was perfect. It accompanied me on countless journeys, […]

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PCT Gear Review
2013.10.23
Bikes, Opinion, Pacific Crest Trail
I was really comfortable with my gear along the Pacific Crest Trail, so I thought I would share it with you, and explain why it worked. Please note beforehand that I purchased all these items with my own money after carefully researching them, and was not given anything for review. The following are my opinions. If you look at this photograph with me, I will talk about the items shown, left to right, one row at a time. Click a link to skip forward to that gear item.

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Bike Craft 2012
2012.11.03
Bikes
It’s getting busy in my studio but I had to take a minute aside to let everyone know Little Package will be at the Bike Craft fair this year. This will be the 5th or 6th time I’ve tabled at this wonderful, homegrown Portland event, and as always, I’m looking forward to it. It’s so fun to be in a room with dozens of other local crafters who have worked hard to bring their bike style to life. Please put it on your calendar! BIKE CRAFT 2012 December 1 and 2, 11am-6pm Sandbox Studios, 420 NE 9th Portland, Oregon USA This month I am trying to catch up on the wait list that formed when I was out of action in August and September, packing and shipping […]

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Collarbone – 6 weeks, 5 days out
2012.09.29
Bikes, Nursing
So this is my new right collarbone. I’m pretty happy — as happy as one can be, I guess — with the new shape. And I’m proud that I healed it myself, trusting nature to do its job (though that was tough sometimes). There are some fairly good resources online for people with broken collarbones wanting to know what to do. I really had no idea, and never went to the doctor, so I did a lot of Googling. I got the most (but not necessarily the best) information from these two websites: – Pinkbike broken collarbone recovery time Of course that’s the first thing people want to know. How long will I endure this hell? – John’s Clavicle Page Lay expert-ish, though a bit pro-surgery. Some […]

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