About Joe "Metal Cowboy" Kurmaskie

Joe Kurmaskie, dubbed the "Metal Cowboy" by a blind rancher he encountered one icy morning in Idaho, has been addicted to the intoxicating freedom and power of the bicycle ever since he "borrowed" his big sister's banana-seat bike at the age of five. As he careened down the neighborhood hill, much to his parents' dismay, Joe set in motion what has become a lifelong love affair with the road and the wheel. In Metal Cowboy, Joe offers up an infectious and big-hearted collection of true adventures and misadventures, chronicling his time touring America on his bicycle. Whether he is climbing a tree to avoid the insistent pecking of a flock of geese in New Hampshire, tooling around a motel parking lot in Utah with a touring group of Elvis impersonators, or filling in as a last-minute scarecrow in a North Carolina Halloween parade, Joe revels in the charm of small town America and the unforgettable characters who dot our landscape. Full of energy, wit, and wisdom, Metal Cowboy is both an inspiration and a call to the road, full of the simple joy of a path well pedaled and a life less ordinary. Metal  Cowboy (Best seller) Riding between the lines Momentum is your friend (Best Seller) Joe has been a journalist for two decades. He's been a contributing writer to Bicycling Magazine, Details, Men's Journal He worked as an editor for five years at an AP newspaper, before becoming and author and entertainer (mostly so he could sleep in later.) His work has appeared in Details, Midwest Bike and The SF Chronicle. He reviews books for The Oregonian and is a educator for Literary Arts Inc and Community of Writers - COW writer in residence at Portland State University. He lives in Portland Oregon with his wife Beth and his three boys Quinn and Lorenzo and Matteo. They attempt without much success to grow webbed feet during the "wet" season. Email The Ranch Questions: Call 503-239-6985 or 408-595-6025 to order books, hire Joe for programs, assemblies, speaking events - quotes/fees for Joe's performances and appearances etc...