Portfolio

Winner of the 2023 Society of American Travel Writers-Western Chapter Gold Award in the Adventure/Health category for his Pines to Palms article in Mountain Flyer: The Mountain Bike Journal. Said the judges:

Even if you aren’t a mountain biker, this article makes you feel the exhilaration as you race from the mountaintop down to the desert near Palm Springs. An amazing journey.

Winner of the 2022 Society of American Travel Writers-Western Chapter Bronze Award in the Adventure/Health category for his article on Purple Lizard Maps/The Art of the Mapmaker in Mountain Flyer: The Mountain Bike Journal, with judging by The Missouri School of Journalism, University of Missouri. Said the judges:

In a world where GPS only gives you the next turn, this story makes you reconsider the true adventure of charting your own course — with a map. The writer journeys to Michaux State Forest in Pennsylvania to meet a mapmaker with deep insight into how following a contour map will push you toward your ultimate journey. 

Winner of the 2020 Gold Award in the Column category for Earn Your Beer in Adventure Sports Journal, handed out by the Society of American Travel Writers–Western Chapter, with judging by The Missouri School of Journalism, University of Missouri, home of one of the world’s first journalism schools (1908).

Member: Society of American Travel Writers (SATW)

Select published writings. Click the underlined titles to read the words:

Go Here, Go There, Ethiopian Vignettes, and Whispers of Honduras (3 books)

  1. Adventure Sports Journal, #106: Bodysurfing & Hipsters and Hippies IPA
  2. Adventure Sports Journal, #107: 5 Peaks Challenge and Gatling Gun Imperial Stout
  3. Adventure Sports Journal, #108: Earn Your Beer Snowshoeing June Lake (Brewing)
  4. Adventure Sports Journal, #109: MTB Prescott/Sedona and Local Breweries
  5. Adventure Sports Journal, #110: Over the Edge Brewery and MTB Gooseberry Mesa
  6. Adventure Sports Journal, #111: Snorkel-Swim La Jolla and New California IPA
  7. Adventure Sports Journal, #112: McGurk Meadow and Tioga Sequoia Batch 2000
  8. Adventure Sports Journal, #113: Suicidal Tendencies MTB and Silver Reef Red Ale
  9. Adventure Sports Journal, #114: Eastern Sierra, Craft Beers, and SN Pale Ale
  10. Adventure Sports Journal, #115: San Diego MTB and Border X Blood Saison
  11. Adventure Sports Journal, #116: Bodysurfing OB and Beers for Causes
  12. Adventure Sports Journal, #117: Classic Yosemite Hike and Southgate Brewing
  13. Adventure Sports Journal, #118: Seasonal Waterfalls and Julian Beer Company
  14. Adventure Sports Journal, #119: Hike and Mountain Bike in Idyllwild, CA
  15. Adventure Sports Journal, #120: San Luis Obispo: Ocean, Mountains, Beers
  16. Adventure Sports Journal, #121: Valley of the Moon and Tabula Rasa Porter
  17. Adventure Sports Journal, #122: Snowshoeing Lake Mary and Distant Brewing Company
  18. Adventure Sports Journal, #123: MTB Palm Springs and Las Palmas Brewing
  19. Adventure Sports Journal, #124: Kayaking SD’s Mission Bay, Best Day and Rove
  20. Adventure Sports Journal, #125: MTB Nobel Canyon and Mcilhenney Brewing
  21. Adventure Sports Journal, #126: Hiking Elfin Forest and The Lost Abbey
  22. Adventure Sports Journal, #127: Fat Biking Sierra National Forest and New Glory
  23. Adventure Sports Journal, #128: Singlespeeding San Diego and Bike Can Art
  24. Adventure Sports Journal, #129: Volunteering and Gravity Heights
  25. Adventure Sports Journal, #130: Kayaking/Bodysurfing Mendocino and Ft. Bragg Breweries
  26. Adventure Sports Journal, #131: Hiking & MTB Mendo’s Redwoods and More Mendo Breweries
  27. Adventure Sports Journal, #132: Desert Digital Detox and Strong Beers

Mountain Flyer, #52:  Nairobi, Kenya’s Cycloville (Advocacy)
Mountain Flyer, #61:  Hog Wild in Sedona
Mountain Flyer, #66:  Profile: Purple Lizard Maps
Mountain Flyer, #72:  Going to Gooseberry: Riding Utah’s Ancient Lands
Mountain Flyer, #73:  Pines to Palms: Chasing Big Horn Sheep and Refuge in Palm Springs

The Surfer’s Journal, 26.3: African Echo: Reverberations … Carom in Senegal
The Surfer’s Journal, 30.6: More Than For Kicks — Sustainability (Yucca Fins)

L.A. Times: Snowshoeing in San Diego, a place better known for surf and sand
L.A. Times: Standing in Zion’s Shadow, Gooseberry Mesa …
L.A. Times: Escapes: Finding the Solitude and Sense of Freedom …
L.A. Times: Best Snowshoeing Trails in San Diego County

Spoke, #71: Mojave Miles–Riding through the Tufas at the Trona Pinnacles
Spoke, #73: Range Riders–Rolling in the Footsteps of the Sheepeaters (Idaho)

Strung Mag, #3: Fire on the Mountain, Negotiating Wildfire in the West

Backpacker Magazine, Jan/Feb 2020: Find Rare Snow

San Diego Union-Tribune: 6 Tips for Self-Isolation from a Peace Corps Veteran

Sub-Saharan Magazine: Berbere (poem)

Roads & Kingdoms, Breakfast: Ceviche Tostadas (Ensenada, Baja, Mexico)
Roads & Kingdoms, Breakfast: Machaca (Valle de Guadalupe, Baja, Mexico)
Roads & Kingdoms, 5 O’clock Somewhere: Bar Diana (Tecate, Baja, Mexico)
Roads & Kingdoms, Breakfast: Somali Doughnuts (San Diego, CA)

Bicyclist, #153/154:  SDMBA MTB Trail Fest
Bicyclist, #155: 5 Days of MTB in Pisgah National Forest
Bicyclist, #156: CuyaGuna Ride, East County San Diego
Bicyclist, #157: MTB Through History on the Anza Trail
Bicyclist, #158: Classic XC Riding in Prescott, AZ
Bicyclist, #159: Getting in Sync with Mesa Time (Gooseberry)
Bicyclist, #160: San Diego Single Speed Adventures
Bicyclist, #161: Rip Roarin’ Through Kernville
Bicyclist, #161: Cheers to Trailbuilder Pete
Bicyclist, #162: Outside Zion, A Survey

Dirt Rag, #153: Access Action: Michaux’s Grave Ridge
Dirt Rag, #174: A DIY Guide to Riding the Keweenaw
Dirt Rag, #182: Musings on East San Diego Singletrack
Dirt Rag, #184: Anza-Borrego Bikepacking: Coyote Canyon to Sheep Canyon
Dirt Rag, #190: Access Action: 26 Years of Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
Dirt Rag, #191: Bones of Oaxaca: A Mountain Bike Memory in Mexico
Dirt Rag, #198: Almost Dead: Facing Mortality in the California Hills
Dirt Rag, #203: The Dirt: Kernville, CA
Dirt Rag, #207: The Dirt: Sequoia National Monument
Dirt Rag, emag: Passing Through Little Creek Mesa, UT

Bicycle Times, #44: Bicicletas y Cerveza en Tijuana
Bicycle Times (online): San Diego’s Bikeway Village

Bike, June 2017:  Lost Borders–Riding California’s Vast Mojave Desert 

Cranked, #4: Reclaiming Utah (Hurricane/St. George XC MTB)
Cranked, #7: Home Honing
Cranked, #8: The Pub Hub — Germany to Brevard, NC
Cranked, #10: Sedona — May the Vortex Be with You
Cranked, #11: Shank’s Pony — Redfish Lake, ID Hike-a-Bike
Cranked, #14: Ride Both Ways
Cranked, #17: Burnin’ That Gasoline (Crested Butte Road Trip)
Cranked, #24: Desert Song: The Sound of Silence (Valley of the Moon, CA)

4 comments on “Portfolio

  1. You are one of the best MTB writers. Thank you!

    • James Murren

      Thanks, Colby. I appreciate the kind words and support! Cheers — jim

  2. Hey James.
    I always read your Articles. They’re so good for reading and inspiring.

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