‘Vato’ Steve Vogel: Owner of The Bike Ranch

What’s up with "Vato," your nickname?

Most know me by a nickname, Vato Steve, or just Vato. It means dude. It’s because I grew up in Mexico and I build lowrider cars.

How did The Bike Ranch come to be?

My wife and I bought the property eight years ago. It was a mess, it was a foreclosure. It was Ski to Sea weekend and me and the boys were headed up to Glacier to go riding. And I said, ‘Guys, I got to show you this property.’ 

So we come in here and bust into the barn, looking at some of the buildings. And I’m like, ‘Look at this arena. We can build jumps in here.’ They think I’m pipe dreaming. They don’t realize that if I’ve got a focus, it’s happening. So we were in here by my birthday, July, and by Halloween, this was built and running.

I drew up about five different plans, did a lot of measuring and a lot of research online, because pump track design is quite the science. And I wanted to make the place more than just a boring pump track or just a bunch of dirt jumps. 

If you rate Bellingham pump tracks in difficulty level, I’d say this is on the top because it’s a confined space. And then I’ve tried to use all of the space for the track and jumps — other than the social area and fire pit — which was a killer idea because we’re doing this in the fall and winter and early spring. 

The community needed it. It’s the Northwest. It’s dark and it’s rainy.

How has The Bike Ranch fostered a community?

I’ve had a lot of pros come through here. And kids that were first here on Strider bikes are now hitting the big jumps. Eight years is a long time, so I’ve seen a lot of change and it’s been pretty neat. 

But it’s not a business. It’s more of a free-for-all, as long as people respect my property and help take care of the track. Donations help pay the bills. I’m not a licensed nonprofit; any profit goes back to local organizations. I’m not trying to make a business out of it. I still could, but that’s a long time from now.

Private parties are big. Name me a neat place to have a mountain bike kid’s birthday. You can go bowling, you can go to an arcade, but there’s not a lot of fun for kids. One time, a bike coach asked me if he could hold a birthday party here, and I said sure. And that was it. One middle schooler has a Bike Ranch party? Wildfire. They all want a party. 

I have a bunch of Transition bikes, so people can come out here without a bicycle and give it a go, with the right tool for the job. 

It’s been a blessing to have Angi (Weston, owner of Radical Roots MTB Instruction) take over ladies’ nights. She’s a great coach, she’s a good person. She really has helped the female presence here. 

What else are you into?

I’ve always had a passion for cars. It’s artistic form, it’s creativity, it’s uniqueness. But I never expected to be the best. It took me 10 years to build a car, but in 2008 after touring for four years and qualifying many times, I decided to take my chances and go to [Las] Vegas to the Lowrider World Championship, and I got Best in Show.

The Bike Ranch is open to the public 6–9 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. To learn more, visit facebook.com/Dirtbmxplayground.