Eric Lange - Founder

Originally from Wisconsin in the United States, Eric set out on a long awaited adventure in the spring of 2008 and rode across the U.S., down through Mexico and Central America, eventually ending up in South America.

Having covered 65,000 miles during this first 2+ year journey and having worked in motorcycle tourism along the way, Eric’s passion for adventure was only fueled by what he saw: The incredible scenery and culture in places like Bolivia, unforgettable rides through the Andes mountains, and of course, the stunning and almost “heart-breaking” natural beauty of Patagonia. All the exploration, discovery, and reactions from touring customers left him with the recurring thought that, "more people need to experience this." That sentiment has propelled RIDE Adventures to become the reputable travel service provider that it is today.

Eric and the Team are busy building the RIDE Adventures YouTube Channel, and always researching more and better journeys that our Customers will enjoy. The history of Eric’s initial travels through North and South America in 2008-2010 can be reviewed on his personal blog at http://travelswitheric.blogspot.com.

Garrett Galvan - Marketing, Media & Adventure Development

Hailing from Oregon, home of RIDE Adventures headquarters, Garrett joined us in 2018 after spending three years traveling the world full-time. He has since visited 45+ countries and ridden motorcycles in over 10 of them.

Motorcycling has been part of Garrett’s life since age nine, when his dad, a former president of Portland’s Rose City Motorcycle Club, gifted him a baby blue Honda Express NC50. The love for challenging, long-distance motorcycle travel came later in 2015, when Garrett traversed New Zealand’s remote and dramatic landscapes on the legendary CBR250RR MC22. 

Now, with countless hours in the saddle, he continues to push the boundaries of exploration with a 2026 scouting and research trip in India to develop new and exciting route options for our Customers.

His absolute favorite RIDE Adventures routes are Northern  Vietnam, Ultimate Nepal, Motosafari Tanzania & Baja on Down.

Kristen Kaul - Customer Relations & Internal Management

Kristen Kaul (Krissy or Kris)

Originally from Minnesota, Kristen made her way west on a mission to find adventure and escape the negative degree weather. Central Oregon has been her home for the last 5 years. 

Her passions lie in building positive relationships with clients, supporting teams through project management, and laughing through life as much as possible.

You can find her mountain biking with her dog Zion, at the coast attempting to surf, or being a homebody making sourdough bread and playing the piano. She is excited to add adventure riding to the list!

Jeff Taylor - eCommerce, SCO, SEO, Webstore, Managment

Jeff’s background in adventure travel is diverse and extensive. He's explored several countries, often staying for months at a time, including a six-month journey in New Zealand where he bought a car for the full experience. An avid cave explorer and cartographer, Jeff also enjoys canyoneering, backcountry skiing, and whitewater packrafting. His core motivation for adventure riding is the freedom to travel quickly while immersing himself in the surroundings, believing motorcycles offer one of the best perspectives on the world.

In his role with RIDE Adventures, Jeff combines his marketing expertise in Search Engine Marketing and copywriting with his well-rounded business acumen. Known for his data-driven approach and strategic vision, he’s dedicated to enhancing RIDE Adventures’ offerings, inspiring riders to reach destinations they may have never considered. Jeff also runs Tinkerlytics, a consulting business dedicated to helping brands maximize their marketing impact through innovation and data tinkerlytics.com.

Andrew Murray - Lead Instructor & PNW Ambassador

Originally from Santa Cruz CA, Andrew grew up sailing, scuba diving, mountain bike racing and motorcycling on California’s Central Coast. After moving to Bend OR in 2017, his passion for motorcycling was rekindled. Moving from sport touring bikes to adventure bikes he figured out quickly the value of proper training and completed several Adventure Bike training clinics, along
with Motorcycle Safety Foundations Professional Adventure Bike coaches clinic.

Besides teaching adventure bike riding, Andrew has taught swimming, marine navigation, sailing, scuba diving, and spent 30 years coaching and training executives and managers in his prior corporate career. He’s always looking for ways to improve the quality of our program and the experience of our students, and he’s passionate about finding the safest, and most effective ways to help riders learn and master the fundamentals of Adventure Bike riding.

When he’s not riding and coaching motorcycles you might find him riding his mountain or gravel bicycles with his wife, or patrolling the Trails of the Three Sisters National Wilderness Areas as a volunteer Wilderness Ranger for the US Forest Service.

Andrew gives talks on and around adventure riding across the PNW. If you're interested in having him speak at your event please reach out. 

Keith Riehl - Guiding, Training, Operations, & Mayhem

A guy who could be described as 'part Howard Hughes, and part MacGyver,' we're so glad to have a rider like Keith Riehl on our Team.

If you're lucky enough to have him along as part of an upcoming motorcycle trip, whether it be for mechanical needs, route-related questions, comic relief, or even if you just need some tires burned or fuel wasted, riders will be glad this multi-faceted ace is along for the ride. An Oregon native, Keith can be found ripping trails locally and exploring internationally by every mode of transportation; elephants, UTV's, and tuk tuk's included. He jumps at invites to adventures on a whim and even keeps bikes on a few different continents. When you're with Keith, there's never a dull moment.

Keith is such fun to hang out with, resourceful with our touring, renting, and training operations, and just a great guy all around.

Diego Villalpando - Booking Operations & Baja Extraordinaire

Originally from Mexicali, BC., Diego has been living in the U.S. for almost 20 years. While living in Baja California though, he spent time with his Dad exploring the peninsula with activities like fishing off the coast of the Rio Colorado Delta, and exploring canyons in the middle of the desert.

In Iowa, Diego's adventure spirit may have dwindled a bit, although a few backpacking trips overseas brought that back. Early thoughts of getting into overlanding via a Land Cruiser or Land Rover Defender changed dramatically after watching the "Long way Round" which sparked his passion for the possibilities of traveling by motorcycle.

After researching and eventually buying his first bike, a 2016 BMW R1200GS Adventure, Diego has found his calling in Adventure Motorcycle Travel. Spending the next 2 years going to events all over the U.S., Diego was eventually named the "Rookie of the Year" award by the GS Giants.

After running away from Iowa's extreme 2017 winter, Diego spent a few months living a long-awaited dream by once again traveling and exploring Baja California on his BMW. Now having joined the RIDE Adventures Team, Diego is ready to assist anyone with their travel needs, and who knows, may be the Best Baja Guide yet!

Kyle J. Quinn - Guide, Instructor, Wildcard

Todd Smith — Guide, Instructor, and Course Developer

A true son of the Pacific Northwest, Todd grew up surfing the cold waters off the Oregon coast and exploring endless logging roads on a dirt bike. At 15, he joined a wildland firefighting crew working for a local timber company. He kept the adventures going as a deckhand on a commercial fishing boat before joining the U.S. Air Force to stretch his legs and see the world. His service took him to Utah, South Korea, Las Vegas, Alamogordo, Guam, and the Philippines. After leaving the Air Force, he returned home to Oregon.

So, how did he end up developing and teaching ADV motorcycle training courses at RIDE Adventures? Todd has always enjoyed learning new skills and sharing what he discovers. That curiosity has led him to learn water divining from a weathered desert rancher, become a TEAM OREGON motorcycle safety instructor, and take off-road driving courses with Bill Burke. Eventually, he signed up for an introductory ADV motorcycle course with RIDE Adventures. It turned out to be his way of submitting a very hands-on résumé. It worked: he is now one of our lead ADV motorcycle training instructors and course developers.

Todd continues to build his own skills while refining our classes and routes. His focus is on proven fundamentals, up-to-date techniques, and practical riding experiences that help students build confidence on their motorcycles.

Brian Mackenzie - Lead Instructor, Pahrump, Nevada

Originally from Bishop, California, Brian grew up riding motorcycles and has been racing off-road for more than 20 years. After retiring from the California Highway Patrol in 2022, he decided to try adventure motorcycling and purchased a KTM 890 Adventure R. The heavier bike brought new challenges and opportunities to put his racing skills to work. He has since ridden several sections of the Nevada and California Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDRs), along with many local routes around Las Vegas and Pahrump. In 2023, he discovered RIDE Adventures and quickly became a lead instructor, eager to give back to the sport that has given him so much.

Brian spent several years as a motor officer with the California Highway Patrol and played a central role in several off-highway vehicle programs, including the pilot program for Inyo County’s Combined Use OHV trail system. He has also been heavily involved with the Viewfinders MC, a local District 37 racing club, where he currently serves as president.

At RIDE Adventures, Brian continues to refine our training program and improve the student experience in the Las Vegas and Pahrump area. His focus is on safe, effective instruction that helps riders master the fundamentals, build confidence, and get more out of their adventure motorcycles.

Patrick Ditson - Lead Instructor

Jeff Jones - Instructor & SW Fleet Manager

Jeff Jones (JJ) grew up in South Dakota, riding horses to school. At 10 years old, he started riding a 1974 Honda CB 125 street bike in the dirt on weekends.

JJ is a former U.S. Marine, a retired Deputy U.S. Marshal, and a local volunteer for Search and Rescue. His goals are simple: feeding and sharing the appetite for freedom through riding.

He discovered early on that riding horses and motorcycles offer the same benefits—openness, mental clarity, the pursuit of learning, and experiencing new people and places. Whether riding as a kid, tactically in law enforcement, or now for adventure, the pleasure and rewards continue to grow. The only difference for him now is that his stable doesn't poop in the barn.

Cricket Butler - Training Instructor & ADV Guide

Cricket Butler calls Kalispell, Montana home, but since selling her business, The Whitefish Bike Retreat, and retiring in 2021, she has been in constant motion. Traveling the country in her truck camper, she explores remote landscapes by motorcycle, bicycle, backpack, and fly rod. Her background in ultra-endurance sports is extensive, including three Tour Divide MTB Races, numerous MTB Stage Races, 24-hour MTB competitions, 100-mile NUE MTB Series Races, adventure racing, mountaineering, and canoeing remote rivers in the Yukon and Alaska. The more remote and longer the adventure, the more at home she feels.

Cricket discovered the ADV riding world after encountering an adventure rider on the Great Divide in 2010. The concept of what she calls "Bikepacking with a throttle" captivated her imagination. Retirement has given her the opportunity to refine her motorcycle skills while exploring the country on routes like the TAT, BDRs, and countless dirt roads that lead to new discoveries. Her extensive experience teaching women's MTB and bikepacking clinics, along with guiding and consulting work, has led her to RIDE Adventures where she's passionate about helping women ride and explore the world with greater confidence on their motorcycles. Cricket lives by the belief that anything is possible for anyone who is willing to try.

Evan Heidtmann

Evan has been passionate about motorcycles since age 15, but his love for dirt riding began after moving to Bend, Oregon. Encouraged by local friends, he finally gave it a try, mastered the techniques, and discovered a deep connection to the sport.

As an avid backpacker in his youth, Evan spent countless hours exploring nature. Today, motocamping fulfills that same calling. There is nothing quite like packing up his bike, riding deep into the wilderness, and setting up camp beneath the stars.

As an instructor and trip host at RIDE Adventures, Evan's mission is straightforward: help riders feel comfortable, confident, and safe on their bikes while ensuring they have a great time.