I have a road trip ritual I rarely stray from: Diet Mountain Dew, crunchy peanut butter Clif Bars, sunflower seeds, and classic country music. How that combo came to be, I couldn’t tell you. But it works.
I just rolled back home after a weekend of serving coffee at Cascade Gravel in Sisters, Oregon. These events always feel like something special. The energy. The people. That final pre-race sip of coffee before riders clip in and chase 40, 60, or 80 miles through the shadow of the Cascades.
For me, the day starts early. Alarm at 5:30am. Fire up the generator. Get the drip brewers warming. Then it’s time to unfurl the awning, set up the table, and fine-tune the layout—where to stash the grinder, where the drip brewer flows best (I’m still tweaking my setup). It’s a small dance I’ve done many times, and still, each event brings its own rhythm.
But before the brewing and buzz of race day, there’s the road. The in-between moments that make this kind of work what it is.
Driving Nacho the Van up and over mountain passes is anything but fast. The V6 isn’t built for speed. That’s fine by me. I’m not in a hurry. I pull over to let the quicker ones pass and settle into my own pace, sunflower seeds in hand, and a playlist full of twang and nostalgia humming through the speakers.
I’m not a country music fan. But classic country hits different when you’re winding through the trees of the Cascades. It’s the soundtrack of long roads, empty highways, and small-town gas stations with surprisingly good burritos.
Speaking of burritos … I found a good one. No trendy café. No Yelp reviews. Just a little food counter inside a gas station in Sisters. I passed on the sit-down spots and went with my gut. Hot. Simple. Exactly what I wanted.
Burrito in hand, I made my way to the school parking lot where the race would start the next morning. I had permission to crash there, so I backed into a quiet corner, made a few last-minute adjustments inside the van, and tried to get some sleep.
When I woke up, the thermometer inside Nacho read 39 degrees. Crisp. Time to roll.
The next three hours were a blur … brewing, serving, chatting. Racers. Event crew. Volunteers. Everyone with their own story. Some looked nervous. Others cracked jokes to hide it. Plenty were just stoked to be out riding with friends.
Then, just like that, I was packed up and back on the road. One last pit stop for a Diet Mountain Dew and Clif Bar, windows down, classic country back on. The drive to Portland stretched ahead of me.
This is what the road looks like when you’re out serving coffee at gravel races and dig days. There’s a rhythm to it. One I’ve come to love. It’s not just about the coffee. It’s about the conversations across the table, the shared nerves, the early-morning warmth, and the dirt-under-your-nails satisfaction that follows.
Thanks to Breakaway Promotions for having me out at Cascade Gravel. Next stop: the Oregon Coast for the Ride the Dirt Wave enduro at Klootchy Creek. Then it’s back with Breakaway for the Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder … five days, four nights, 350 miles of gravel.
Let’s keep the coffee flowing.
