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Dirt Cruise

Dirt Cruise

A dirty little bike touring blog. Mostly about bikepacking and rigid single speeds. By Montana Miller

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Ha Giang to Lao Cai

February 1, 2020 ~ Montana

We just finished dinner at a little farm called the Cinnamon Eco Lodge, and the grandpa of the family just brought out his jungle pipe. As long as we've been here, I've been seeing guys sitting next to the road hitting these things- it's a bamboo bong, used to smoke Lao tobacco, which is very … Continue reading Ha Giang to Lao Cai

Vietnam: Cao Bang to Ha Giang

January 6, 2020January 7, 2020 ~ Montana

Close to the top of a giant climb, I see a pack of six little kids running down out of a steep field. Nothing unusual, kids are constantly running out to scream "Hello! Hello! What's your name!" I wave to these ones, and say hello, and keep moving up the steep hill. They're down to … Continue reading Vietnam: Cao Bang to Ha Giang

Vietnam: Ha Long Bay to Cao Bang

January 4, 2020January 4, 2020 ~ Montana

"Man, Colleen couldn't you have picked a place farther up the hill?" I'm doing the paper boy up the super steep street in Cat Ba Town, to the hotel Colleen picked which is like five feet below the very very top. "You're being super dramatic," she says. "No, I'm just telling you, please pick the … Continue reading Vietnam: Ha Long Bay to Cao Bang

Vietnam: Hanoi to Ha Long Bay

December 29, 2019December 29, 2019 ~ Montana

"Try, try it, this for you," says an old lady with a cone hat. She pushes a little donut into my hand before I know what's happening. Colleen and I were just walking down some busy side street in Hanoi, scooter horns and buzzy exhausts. "Oh, thank you," I say. I try the donut, not … Continue reading Vietnam: Hanoi to Ha Long Bay

Hello Vietnam

December 12, 2019December 13, 2019 ~ Montana

I never finished writing about New Zealand last year, work just got too busy. We rode all around the South Island, it was nice, I'll write it up sometime. (And here's a plug for a good gig- if you're interested in being a bike tour guide or mechanic, we're crazy short staffed. Work in the … Continue reading Hello Vietnam

Napier to Wellington

March 17, 2019March 17, 2019 ~ Montana ~ 1 Comment

“They's all meat sheep now,” says Will. He's a pot bellied bloke with a stubbly face, and is wearing a t-shirt with a screaming, flaming, ghastly ghost skull on it. Spooky! We're sitting at the Wimbledon Tavern, an old little pub at the bottom of a steep green valley. “Meat sheep?” I think of the … Continue reading Napier to Wellington

Wairoa to Napier

March 12, 2019March 12, 2019 ~ Montana ~ 4 Comments

“You looking at the bird?” There's a little black bird hopping around the grass. “He's called B-fah. You see? B for bird!” T starts cracking up at his own joke. He's an older Maori guy, thin and wiry, fluorescent camo bucket hat and little pink reading glasses. “I named him, he follows me everywhere. Poor … Continue reading Wairoa to Napier

Rotorua to Gisborne

February 27, 2019 ~ Montana ~ 4 Comments

It's raining in Rotorua. Which is just fine, because we're happy and dry in a house. “You guys could probably jump on a trip today,” says our friend Dicky. The raft trips are quick, only 30 minutes or something down the Kaituna River. We went a couple years ago, and the river is gorgeous- blue … Continue reading Rotorua to Gisborne

Colville to Rotorua

February 25, 2019February 25, 2019 ~ Montana ~ 3 Comments

I'm way behind on this as usual, but we're taking a few days off before our last couple weeks of riding, so I'm going to try to get caught up. Back in December: From Colville at the top of the Coromandal, we ride south to Whitianga. A vacation community with some houses attached to a … Continue reading Colville to Rotorua

Auckland to Coromandal

January 16, 2019January 16, 2019 ~ Montana ~ 4 Comments

The road is one of those impossibly steep ones, the kind where you'd shift a car into first gear to try to creep down, but it's still too steep so the by the time you're at the bottom the brake warbles and smells like shoes that were supposed to be drying by the campfire, but … Continue reading Auckland to Coromandal

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