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“Okay, so the premise is a little off-kilter – teaming up exhausting adventure sports with craft beer. These well-written columns are fast-paced, fun and really will get you off and exploring natural areas, with a cold brew as your reward.”
James Murren is an award-winning independent writer, with numerous pieces having appeared in outdoor sports and recreation media outlets, adventure and travel magazines, newspapers, practitioners’ journals and newsletters, including:
L.A. Times, The Surfer’s Journal, Adventure Sports Journal, Mountain Flyer, Roads & Kingdoms, Backpacker Magazine, Cranked (UK), Snowshoe Magazine, Sub-Saharan Magazine, San Diego Union-Tribune, Spoke Magazine (NZ), Dirt Rag Magazine, Bike Magazine, Bicyclist Magazine, Strung Magazine, Bicycle Times, Switchback, and XXC Mag.
Currently, he is a columnist for Adventure Sports Journal (“Earn Your Beer“). Earn Your Beer is about pushing yourself in the mountains, deserts, oceans, rivers, wherever and then sitting back and enjoying a beer when relaxing at camp or home. Additionally, he is on the editorial team for Snowshoe Magazine.
I’ve a new project for 2021. Check it out here: MTBeer
Several articles and writing samples are available under Portfolio in the menu bar up top, where you can also enter the Blog for current postings.
Murren has published three books. Go Here, Go There: Travel and Workis a collection of words and photos depicting such experiences in ten countries around West Africa, Central and South America, North America, and Eurasia. The other two books are based on his work and travels in Honduras and Ethiopia. You can buy the books online via the link in the sidebar, or at the following locations: The Reader’s Cafe in Hanover, PA and Verbatim Books in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego, CA.
Member: Society of American Travel Writers and North American Travel Journalists Association
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- Earn Your Beer #132: Digital Detox - 02/15/2024
- Earn Your Beer #131: Mendocino Redwoods - 12/14/2023
- Earn Your Beer: Issue #130 - 08/28/2023
Earn Your Beer: The Valley of the Moon
The Earning
East of San Diego, out in the desert along the border with Mexico, is the Valley of the Moon. It’s an off-the-beaten path place, where climbers looking for solitude go. Some say it’s like Joshua Tree without the famous trees. Bouldering opportunities abound, as do sport and trad climbing options. Not much of a climber, the Valley of the Moon is, for me, perfect for loading up the fat bike and getting away. What I find is silence, sand and rock, cacti and other succulents, bird songs and vigorous breezes, and sometimes lashing winds and wintry rain.
There are no real trails, per se. Instead, you simply ride where there’s two-track, sometimes spotting paths that wander off here and there, which are great for meandering while pedaling. The climb up from the parking lot is steep. At the intersection after the climb to the saddle, the primary area is off to the left, though if you go right, there is a lot out that way to explore. With patience, a willingness to be adventurous, no real agenda, and a map, you can make it an all-day outing.
Better yet, load up your backpack or bike and spend a few nights. If you have a 4×4 vehicle with high clearance, you might be able to drive in, setting up camp for a longer stay. The Valley of the Moon sits on BLM land, and there is no water so you do not want to go during the summer. Fall through early spring is perfect, with warm afternoons and chilly nights.
The Beer
Tabula Rasa Porter. Second Chance Beer Company, San Diego. Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal winner in the Robust Porter category (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020).
Porters are my go-to campfire beer on chilly evenings. When the weather turns cold, a variety of porters are in my fridge. Fortunately, San Diego has one of the best porters you can find anywhere in the country. The Tabula Rasa porter is exactly what I want in a winter beer. There are no added flavors. It is not thin. It has girth. The roast and toast profiles are there. It even has a bit of a silky smooth feel as it goes down. The color is dark, deep brown-to-black. On the nose, you might sense chocolate or espresso, with some biscuit in the background.
Tabula Rasa means “blank slate.” That’s how I feel about Valley of the Moon. You just find it on a map and go. It’s a bit like those books where you choose your own adventure. The possibilities are endless: hike, backpack, climb, boulder, scramble, bike, bikepack, bird watch, star gaze, or whatever adventure is calling you.
Read other Earn Your Beer columns here.
