We created this Chicago Summer Adventure Guide in order to dispel the notion that worthwhile life experiences must involve international travel, significant investment and considerable allotment of time. Summers often seem short, and sometimes wishing for conditions to fall into perfect alignment so that we feel we can get away from it all keeps many … Read more
The pressures of our daily lives can make us feel we don’t have a moment to ourselves, let alone time for vacation. I’ve discovered that sometimes the best vacation is a microescape: a quick plunge into the great outdoors, which requires little preparation, or — better yet — is completely spontaneous. Such small adventures —lasting … Read more
When I need a break from routine, but can’t swing any time off, one of my favorite ways to mix things up is to cook breakfast outside. For a couple hours before the start of my regular workday, I can forget about my emails, my to-do list, and maybe even forget I’m still in the … Read more
Some of the best lakeside places for overnight camping, weekend or week-long bike tours require creative ways for getting out of the city. All of our Lake Michigan sharing neighbors —Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan— offer more wild and picturesque places along the shore than does our own state, which is unfortunately dominated by the enormous … Read more
This was an eagerly anticipated trip, long planned, and executed on the spur of the moment, with untested but vital components of my minimalist set-up arriving the day before my planned departure. But I needed to go! Ever since we visited the lovely town of Port Washington a couple of years ago, and cruised on … Read more
Michigan’s Kal-Haven Trail stretches for 34 miles between the towns of Kalamazoo and South Haven, and is an unpaved, scenic and shaded rail-to-trail. It’s relatively flat and not terribly demanding, except in the brutal summer heat, which was precisely when I happened to carve out some time available for bike camping. My original plan was … Read more
The Ten Essentials List, originally developed by The Mountaineers, a Seattle-based organization for climbers and outdoor adventurers, included 10 actual items. Over the years, and as more modern gear became available, it had become more of a “system” approach. So, it is less about specific item recommendations, and more about the basics you really should … Read more
Look familiar? Yup. These are the iconic Chicago Schwinn cruiser frames stripped down, and outfitted for bike adventure on the trails in Marin County. This is what mountain bikes were, before the category was ever created. Don’t feel that you need to rush out and get the newest bikepacking or gravel bike if you’re just … Read more
The inspiration for our fall overnight bikepacking and camping trip last year came from this story on Bikepacking.com. We were heading “up North” to close up our summer cabin on an island on Lake Huron, so we knew that we wouldn’t be able to carve out the number of days necessary to do the entire … Read more
I love occasional spontaneous adventures and outings, but some organized adventure planning will ensure that you optimize the time you have available. We often complain that summer isn’t long enough, and we don’t do a quarter of the things we wanted to. If we shift our thinking about what constitutes a great trip or an … Read more
Getting started with bike commuting is no different than making any other life change such as diet, exercise, or New Year resolution: we start with a lot of enthusiasm, only to find that it can be very hard to muster day after day as we yearn to settle back into comfortable habits. The secret is … Read more