As it happens during the holidays, you sometimes end up playing tour guide to family members. My parents came to Los Angeles this weekend, with one thing on their mind: a road trip to the Sequoia National Forest. Turns out, Nat Geo has a special running on this magical place and my parents caught the bug. The only problem is, lodging since neither of my parents liked the idea of camping in the wilds of the Sequoia backcountry. After some phone calls, I found one place to be open: the Durrwood Creekside Lodge.

While there, we got to do a lot of chatting with Eddie and Dave, the two caretakers of the lodge. Once Dave found out I’m into bikes, he had to show his two choppers he made in the lodge’s old blacksmith shop – which coincidentally is a recognized landmark. This whole experience caught me off-guard since I had barely had my coffee yet, but my mind was blown by Dave’s thought process and end-product.

I love seeing projects like this, and yes, I took it for a spin!