Dreamride LLC Mountain Bike Guides

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Mature guides who are actually hardcore riders who focus on the environment and safety? What a concept!
          On Saturday April 29, 2007 I was leading a skills clinic for a single client with help from a second guide, Jo Maehner. We were coming out of the Courthouse Pasture when we were rapidly approached by a group of 5 motorcyclists, racing from the parking lot, throwing up clouds of dust, roaring like a squadron of fighter planes at speeds over 50 miles per hour into an area filled with recreational cyclists of all ages and types. I waved to slow them down, but no chance. Two of them approached me on my left, then two came directly at me on my side of the 4WD road. I dodged the first four, but because they took up every space on the trail, the fifth one hit me at a speed that threw me into the air and nearly tore off my left arm. It could have been much worst had I not scrambled to get to the side of the trail (too slowly, I guess to get out of the way of a motorcycle). It turns out that the guy who hit me was a guide for a well known tour company based in Moab (Western Spirit--they deserve to be known for their staff, as we are). When WE contacted HIM, he accused ME of hitting HIM and admitted to having no insurance! If you are looking for stupid, single, immature guides who don't know anything after years of experience, Moab's got them in spades. I had hired a guide who had worked for the same tour company in 1996, but when she bragged about having sex with clients on the trail while on the job with that same "prestigious" company, I fired her PRONTO. The worst types work for these outfits. They always refer to these dolts and lifeless turds as "professional guides." Professionals are people who make some money at guiding, but the simple fact of money changing hands does not qualify anyone to be a guide, as far as Dreamride is concerned. If a company's list of guides on their website looks like a dating service with provided profiles that are ego-gratifying, just plain stupid (favorite color, sign of the zodiac) or an outright lie, you can bet you have found the MATCH.COM of mountain biking tour services. If you are looking for a date, don't call us. Our guides are married, living in sin already, or forbidden to even go there. I will find you a whore in Nevada, but I charge a high commission and Nevada's cycling opportunities are not as exciting as the whorehouses, so why go there? Just know that sex with clients is off-limits with Dreamride (even though the business name might imply that we are hot). We understand the meaning of "fraternization." If you are looking for a friend, we are certainly friendly (and honest, myself brutally sometimes), but we draw a line for our guides out of respect for our guests. If you are looking for a guide, we are the best at what we do. We are good at other things, too, but who gives a damn. You want a guide, not a racer or a date, right?
          The reason I mention this at the top of this page is to inform you of our policy of hiring MARRIED, EDUCATED, MATURE, ENVIRONMENTALISTS with tons of experience on a MOUNTAIN BIKE, AND LIVES AND JOBS ASIDE FROM GUIDING. Maturity is most important! The reason our guide list is short is because we couldn't find more of them after 11 years in this business. We run away at least ten wannabes a week. The people who work for us are RARE INDEED! In the days following the accident mentioned above, I have become more and more proud of the small group of very good people we employ as guides, and less critical of them (I am VERY critical, and I guess that is why the company is so careful in the guides we hire). I can sleep at night knowing that we employ the finest people for the services we provide. When people work for us, they stay on for many years. Jo, the fellow who was riding with me on that day, has been with us for a decade. One of the qualifications to guide for Dreamride is that the person has not and will not work for other tour companies. Getting hit by a guide from another company on a motorcycle totally reinforced this concept of keeping our guides "clean." Working for companies that operate as dating services rather than mountain bike guides, taints a guide's vision of what the business is all about and what is allowed on the trail and in front of the customer. We want fresh minds willing to accept and promote our careful, considerate, no-bullshit, environmental methods: No camping. Environmental riding methods and trail choices. Skills-specific groups. REAL mountain biking tuned to the skills of each and every rider.
          Riding at highway speeds on multi-use trails with no liability insurance is just one good example of an unaware, inconsiderate, careless, take-no-responsibility, anti-environment guides from just another company. Here is another example of selfishness you never want to experience with a bike guide:
          It was a fine morning in April of 2004. Attention to detail and interpretation on the first day in a series is most important, so I was accompanying a client and his guide to bring along stories and tips to share and prepare. When we reached the top of the trail, I sent the pair ahead to hike to a viewpoint. I stayed with the bikes, an excuse to be alone, observe, and give our guide and his new client a chance to bond for the days ahead.
          I was only alone for a couple of minutes, twenty feet from the bike rack in the middle of nowhere, wearing red, sitting under a tree behind a low pile of rocks, sipping from my water pack, when I began to hear a shrill human voice growing closer, "my sister's little girl . . . until . . . cancer . . . (garbled) . . . she was four years . . . so sick that she had to stay in the hospital for months, but she is just fine now. She had brain surgery and one leg is shorter than the other one, and she has some learning disabilities because of the fight with the cancer, but she is perfectly fine now. She is such a great kid. Such a great girl. My boy friend and I are staying together, uh, and, . . . and we want to have babies and all that, and I want to have a baby, too, some day, . . . . but we are not ready right now, but we plan on it. If it is a girl, I am going to name it after my aunt. Do you want an energy bar? I have a chocolate, a chocolate chip and a berry . . ."
           Over the next ten minutes I was witness to one of the most depressing scenes, filled with sad stories of college, family tragedies, boyfriends with herpes, and, "The berry is my favorite flavor." This was a guide from another copycat company with "ADVENTURE" in their name, an apt description because "adventures" generally happen to the unprepared and ill-equipt. This group looked to be subcontracted to another dumb-ass tour company in a building on Main Street that looks like Nordstroms and MacDonald had a retarded child that somehow inherited dad's fortune. Moab draws clueless wannabes and the unprepared like flies to shit and these guides are slinging burgers in a bike helmet with their "grim tour" groups of weekend warriors-on-a-budget, grandmas in a helmet, cellulite busting out of bike shorts, and Dr. Liebling's children he could not stand to be with for another day. These bottom feeding tour companies scatter sunburned white people over five miles of trail as one by one the grannies, fatties and red-faced kids give out in the heat and are left to fend for themselves sitting on crushed crytobiotic soil in the shade of a tiny juniper tree with a Cliff Bar and a bottle of water. The name might be different, but it is always the same company, same bikes, same van, same run of pitiful tourists, same food, but a DIFFERENT GUIDE every damn time!
           What is the worst? It's hard to decide, but recently, while doing the same sort of thing, accompanying a group guided by one of our staff, a fellow leading another commercial group of people spotted us in the distance. With his group of six or seven riders trailing behind him he sprinted across a huge section of crytobiotic soil crust to ask us where the trail connected from here. Just another Main Street day tour provider in Moab. This sort of thing always reinforces our clients' pride in having been smart enough to search us out and pay the few extra bucks for a real mountain bike guide that is over 40, a longterm Moab resident and smart as a whip, not a hack with a driver's license between semesters on daddy's dole.
           Some people think mountain bike guiding is "romantic," but please take a look at the depressing job description for those "adventure" companies; pack the support vehicle, unpack the support vehicles (the vehicles are always better than the guides, because the company has money), clean chemical toilets, cook beans, set up tents, drive the sag wagon (always needed), wait for the group (like a blind whore, you have to hand it to them), watch the water (careful, don't drink from the wrong 5 gallon tank while you are dealing with your dehydration in the dark), smoke pot in the van while the dummies learn to shift gears in the parking lot (this story is from a lawsuit in which I was expert investigator and witness--evidence that sloppy methods can maim people). As a guide for most bike tour companies in Moab, you will be lucky if you get to "pace" inexperienced riders in blue jeans and tennis shoes on funky Chinese bikes with big important American names on the same old dirt road in a crowded national park, and maybe have sex with a client behind a rock (don't laugh--it could happen to you). Think I am being facetious? Maybe, but not without telling the absolute truth. If you find that your guide is a teen or twenty-something, talks irrelevent personal shit THE WHOLE DAMN TIME, rides far behind or away or out of sight, and has a shallow (or no) understanding of ecology or local history, you are definitely not riding with Dreamride (if you are, tell us and we'll fire the SOB on the spot). Our guides are unusual, experienced, skilled, educated and mature, focused on balancing challenge with safety, education with activity, and personal attention with respect for your privacy. If they demonstrate anything to the contrary, they are gone in no time. It is extremely difficult to find the right people and we go through at least five or six trainees every year. The folks listed below are the best we could find. To us, they are our family.
           Completely sincere and elitist,
          Lee Bridgers

     "If you're looking for a guide and are willing to pay top dollar for top-dollar services, give Lee Bridgers a call at Dreamride. Lee pioneered many of the area's best rides and shares them only with elite mountain bikers who appreciate highly customized service: you'll eat in his house, listen to him play the guitar, and try to keep up as he shows you secrets." ~ Outside Magazine

. . . . Well, maybe. Lee Bridgers, Dreamride founder/owner is available as a personal guide by invitation or as part of our Super Elite service upgrade. Lee also leads or oversees packages away from Moab in Hawaii, San Francisco and the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. Lee is designer and builder of our Dreamride mountain bikes. Riding and tinkering with bicycles off-road since the 1950's, he has supported a passionate cycling hobbie for thirty years by playing music and teaching fine art film production in some of the best mountain biking areas of the country. Lee's San Francisco Art Institute and University of Colorado film classes were notorious for uniquely funny and touching personal films, camera-laden mountain bike rides, wheelie drops off of lab tables in adjacent departments, and trips to Moab, Utah to "shoot film." Lee's Moab trailguide, MOUNTAIN BIKING MOAB, documents 40 trails, Moab's history and local color, as well as twists and turns on his journey to Mecca. Lee has edited and provided photographs for other guidebooks and for other authors. If you are a music lover and a fan of the avant garde, he now only plays for money, but you can always ask. See below to music downloads and radio. Click on SHORT STORIES AND ARTICLES for uncensored writing samples. For more information on Lee go to the BIO, TRAVEL SERVICES, and CURRICULUM VITAE.

Click on the image above for free samples of Lee (Dink) Bridgers' music. All selections are copyrighted by Lee Bridgers 1972-2006. It is forbidden to reproduce, reprint, copy or publish any audio or visual materials from this website without the written, signed consent of Lee Bridgers and Dreamride LLC.

AUDIO/VIDEO ~ MUSICAL NATURE

"There are trail guides; and then there's the real deal." ~ Bike Magazine "This guide is setting a new standard for guidebooks. Lee Bridgers' first-hand accounts give the reader a sense that they have some behind-the-scenes information about Moab." ~ Brian Fiske, Senior Editor of Mountain Bike Magazine

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Miki Bridgers co-owns Dreamride, personally books all packages, leads Moab area hikes, and assists with families, Elite level bookings and Invitationals. Miki worked as a professional herbalist for twenty years, is an amazing cook and is multi-lingual. Miki ran Lin Ottinger's Moab Rock Shop and booked for Ottinger's Land Tours for three years. She is quite good at mineral identification and rock art theme hikes, but her knowledge of herbs is what people appreciate most. Even the Navajo elders find Miki's knowledge of herbs helpful. Miki is Belgian, speaking fluent Flemish and Dutch. She knows what you are saying in German andFrench.      "You can't get this kind of food anywhere! It is incredibly delicious, but what is really special about Miki's cooking is how it makes you feel, so happy, so strong and healthy. I'll back Miki in her own restaurant if she moves to New York." ~ David Karmelli, Damoka Corporation, New York City      "One of the reasons that Lois and I want to do this Hawaii trip with you both is your absolute joy for doing anything. I never felt so good as when I was in Moab. You both have a lot to do with that. Most important was the concern you showed for Lois, who was suffering through a medical problem. We can't think of two nicer or better people to spend our quality time with." ~Bruce Jacobs, New Jersey

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Joachim Maehner has been with Dreamride for almost ten years. If you have been with us before you will remember Jo as the cut German fellow who launches rocks into outerspace with his front wheel. Once a top Cycle Ball player in Germany (the picture is a good demo--with the correct bike and ball for the sport), Jo moved to Moab in 1996 for a beautiufl woman and thenatural beauty surrounding us. He began working and guiding here as part of the Marlboro Team. Jo's slow speed skills, balance and hoping technique are extraordinary due to his background in Cycle Ball. His specialty is the Moab Slickrock Bike Trail where he demonstrates unique and useful slow speed skills for clients fit and skilled enough for us to allow him to take you there. Just don't follow Jo when he tells you not to! If you want a fluent German speaking guide who knows Moab, here he is. Jo guides on a Dreamride Stud Muffin play bike hardtail. Jo is also a contractor in Moab and loves long motorcycle trips into Mexico and along the west coast, so reserve Jo far in advance if you want to guarantee his company.

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Mithchell Atkins helps us on weekends in Moab. A resident of Grand Junction, Mitch guides Fruita, Grand Junction, handles overflow in Moab and is available in Moab to anyone who requests him to drive over for your visit. Mitch works for a bicycle parts manufacturer in Grand Junction and has also worked as a real estate appraiser, wine importer, contractor and waiter (we have hired three waiters in the past in Moab and found that this night job dovetails nicely with guiding). He has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas in Austin and has traveled extensively in Europe. We wish we could see more of Mitch. He is a welcome member of the Dreamride staff because of his warm personality, smart and refined finesse mountain bike skills and thorough knowledge of what it takes in a service industry.

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Bruce Condi joined our staff in 2006 and began guiding parties in 2007. Bruce's day job is with the National Park Service, where he and his wife work as Biological Science Technicians monitoring plant life in remote areas. Bruce has performed this kind of work in Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Dinosaur National Monument, Natural Bridges, and other park and monument lands. In conjunction with Miki, our hiking guide and company co-owner who is a professional herbalist, you can get a real education in identifying and understanding uses for native and introduced plant life in the Moab area. Bruce is well-versed in current geological mapping and is very helpful in identifying individual layers and specific fossils and plants found in each. Due to his work for the park service and other land agencies that require he hike and camp in remote areas far away from civilization, Bruce is a good navigator. Bruce's knowledge of trail systems in and around Moab and his drive to ride his bike as much as possible make him a welcome asset at Dreamride. Bruce is a quiet man by nature, so we suggest asking questions and clearly stating your interests before each ride with him. Otherwise, Bruce will be attentive to your needs without much verbal interchange (something you may find quite refreshing in a guide).

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Sam Morris has been with us for many years now, but just doesn't get the amount of work he deserves. Sam is our native guide on the Navajo Reservation, a place with the best cycling in the west, but no publicity or marketing plan to attract cyclists. We are the only tour company we know of with a Navajo mountain bike guide living on the rez. Once a BMX world champion and still a very talented rider, Sam is not only a huge resource as a cycling guide, but he also serves as a cultural guide, interpreter and logistics assistant on trips that focus on culture and cycling. Sam is an accomplished musician as well--a rock drummer who counts as his friends many of the rock stars he worshipped as a kid. Sam's family is our family and their help with trips onto the rez is necessary for invitations to ceremonials and other traditional events. There family home in Lukachukai, Arizona is one of our best desinations with mountains and slickrock nearby, and cultural experiences that go far beyond expectations. Sam's mom, dad, uncle and other members of the family also assist us with trips into Indian territory. The Navajo Reservation has its challenges, but the slickrock and mountain trails within its boundaries are certainly the best we offer. Laws there forbid the use of motorized vehicles off road, a welcome situation where the dangers of coming into contact with idiots on motorcycles and ATVs have been completely eliminated and the possibility for perfect riding conditions in complete solitude is always available.

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Call 1 (888) MOAB UTAH in the states.
If you are calling from foreign shores the number is 435-259-6419.
FAX number is 435-259-8196.
or write to:

Dreamride
P.O. Box 1137
Moab, UT 84532

For email contact information click on:
CURRENT DREAMRIDE EMAIL ADDRESS

copyright Dreamride 1997 None of the material, written, graphics, or photographs, may be broadcast, published, re-written, re-edited, or used in any way outside of this site without the written consent of Dreamride Mountain Bike Tours and Film Services and Lee Bridgers. Use of this site signifies agreement to terms of use.

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