Welcome
Greetings y’all,
Hope your summer has been splendid so far. It definitely has for us at OOFD. All sorts of fun bike adventures and events: 2 Adult Overnights (including our big SWMI ride), a Family Overnight, an Adaptive Overnight, a Where the Wild Things Grow Ride, and a Day ride, all in the last month! We have our huge Flock Off the Block event coming next weekend where around 100 bike campers will be riding from all sides of the city to bike camp at Camp Sullivan in Oak Forest (free spots available for BIPOC riders and riders with disabilities).
Read on for more details on what we've been up to and what we have coming up as well as a bit of gratitude and some other cool bike events around town.
Big Announcements
We mentioned in the last newsletter that we won a $35,000 grant from Thrive Outside and The Nature Conservancy. The funds will pay for two Adaptive Bike Camping trips (one of which we did last weekend) as well as one Youth Bike Camping trip. Funds will also enable us to purchase and build out first ever CRM, Chicago-based Neon One, to help us track our data better. Some grant funds will go to covering some of Glenn’s ED salary as well as two temporary positions in the org to help with capacity building especially in regards to implementing our new CRM.
But the big part of this we want to highlight this month is that the grant will pay for 10 spots for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) riders with financial restrictions to join our rides this year for free. We have Flock Off the Block all set for these riders to snag their free tickets (valued at $100 each). We even have some funds in the grant to help with any bike tune-ups that the riders may need. These free BIPOC tickets sold out in 24 hours last year, so if you or someone you know might qualify and be interested, please check out this blog for more details on how to claim the spots.
And in general, there are lots of tickets available still from the North, West, and South Start Points. Families welcome from the South Start Point.
Please help us spread the word. You can get your tickets here.
Upcoming Events OOFD Events
Ok. It is the end of July and the summertime adventures are leveling off a little bit after a wild June and July. But still heaps of fun rides and events. I count 13 in the next 2 months! We welcome you to join us on any or all of these.
Bike Camping in the City - Gompers and Emily Oaks
August 1-3
A super fun and hyper local bike camping adventure is taking off tomorrow. Our good friends at the Chicago Park District are partnering with us for the first night campout in Gompers Park on the Northside. Then, we have a full day of adventures, including a stop for ice cream, en route to camp with our friends at Emily Oaks Nature Center in Skokie. There are only 3 of the 32 spots left for this one. Deets and sign-up here.
Monthly Hang at Rainbow Beach (South Chicago)
Tuesday, August 5
The main idea is to hang with the Out Our Front Door community and welcome new folks that are interested in riding or volunteering with OOFD. It is a fun, chill, casual time to socialize and hangout/have a good time. Come meet some of the OOFD crew, ask questions, figure out ways to get involved, ask your questions about bike adventures and camping. Deets and sign-up here.
Flock off the Block - Camp Sullivan
August 9-10
Choose your adventure, 20, 40, 60 or 70 mile options. Family and adaptive riders welcome. Live bluegrass music by Wild Scallions, catered food by Hienie's McCarthy's of Orland Park, beer from Sketchbook Brewing. Don’t miss this bike camping party of the year. Cabins available as well as camping gear (tents, sleeping bags, pads) available too. We’ll even haul your gear to camp if you start on the Southside. Expect around 100 folks all flocking together from different parts of the city for this one, our bike camping event of the year. Deets and sign-up here.
Family Blackwell Campground
August 15-17
One of the most beloved Family overnight’s of the year. There is a solid crew of amazing humans who have been coming on this ride for 5+ years, watching their kids grow up together, from baby seats to riding the ride themselves. We’ll even have a couple of our long-time kids on this ride pilot out our Junior Guides program. There’s magically still 4 spots left on this one here.
Waterways to the West - Starved Rock
August 22-24
If you haven’t ridden this ride, it is a must at some point. This is many guides’ favorite ride and arguably one of the best local trails in Chicagoland, the I&M Canal Trail. 110 miles on Day 1, off day to explore and hike on Day 2, and 65 miles back to Joliet to catch the train on Day 3. This one’s been sold out for about a month now. Don’t snooze on this thing next year! Deets on what yer missin’ here.
Where the Wild Things Grow ride to Bill Jarvis Migratory Bird Sanctuary with Patagonia
Saturday, August 23
I believe this is our 4th year in a row doing this ride with Patagonia Mag Mile. This is what began the OOFD and Patagonia friendship and now they are one of our most beloved and supportive partners. Registration coming soon.
Adult Day Ride to Morton Arboretum
Friday, August 29
Join us for a Friday ride to the Morton Arboretum. We'll learn about trees during a guided walk & visit to their Tree Science Center. Starting in Oak Park; it's 22 miles each way. Deets and sign-up here.
Tabling at Bike the Drive
Sunday, August 31
Stop by our table in Grant Park at Bike the Drive this year to say hi after riding in a day of Chicago bike utopia along Lakeshore Drive thanks to Active Transportation Alliance. Deets and sign-up here.
Monday Funday to Big Marsh
September 8-9 (Monday-Tuesday)
As we continue to ask ourselves repeatedly, “how can we be more inclusive” and “who are we leaving out,” we came up with this ride so we can welcome folks that usually have to work weekends. Those that do have weekends off might just want an excuse to take a couple days off of work and go bike camping instead. All are welcome to join us for this classic, chill bike camping ride. Deets and sign-up here.
Tabling at Fall Nature Fest at LaBagh Woods
Saturday, September 13
Come say hey to us at this free environmentally-focused festival. Talk to nearly 70 local environmental organizations, learn about nature, meet animal ambassadors from the Brookfield Zoo, watch the Jesse White Tumblers, and much more! Deets and sign-up here.
Ride to Valhalla - Door County
September 12-15
4 days, 3 nights of riding around Door County. 2 of those nights are spent camping on an island in Lake Michigan, Washington Island. There’s a good chance we’ll be resting this ride after this season so it might be your last chance to ride it with us for some years. More deets and registration here.
Canal Origins Park with Friends of the Chicago River
Saturday, September 13
We will be doing service with Friends of the Chicago River from 10am-12pm. More details and registration coming soon.
DIY - Shabonna
September 27-28
This ride is a little different. You can leave from wherever you want, whenever you want, with any other friends that have registered. You can ride as fast or slow as you would like, and create any route you want to get there. This is truly a choose your own adventure. But know that OOFD will be there to welcome you to camp with a campsite, a fire, dinner, and even coffee and breakfast in the morning and optional roll back to the city together. Deets and sign-up here.
Volunteer Gratitude - Jess Kursman
Jess rode a few rides with us as a participant last year, including the epic SWMI ride and came on as a guide this year. They have been an absolute boon to the org. They bring such a thoughtful, considerate, and inclusive mindset to being a guide and lives and breathes adventure including a huge ride from MN to Chi by way of MI last year. In the last month alone, they have stepped in to fill a Family Lead Guide role, guided SWMI, and guided the Where the Wild Things Grow Wild Mile ride. We are so lucky to have such sincere and excellent folks like Jess join the OOFD crew.
In their own words, “Jess feels that freedom, unadulterated joy, and grit are three incredible gifts that can be found on a bike. They grew up in the inner-ring suburbs of Detroit and learned to incrementally city-ride in Ann Arbor, Urbana, and Berlin before moving to Chicago in 2014. Jess steadily gained more experience and confidence in long rides before joining OOFD in 2024, where they learned that bike-camping is available to everyone and anyone. They began guiding in 2025 with the intention to pay forward the same kindness and competency that OOFD guides have shown them."
"Jess loves long meditative rides, the camaraderie of physical adventure and play, and the everyday splendor tucked within the Midwest. They appreciate that OOFD doesn’t ‘ride through’ a route, but rather seeks to learn about the land, the people, and the histories within the journey. When not biking, Jess helps run a trans and queer basketball league and worries about climate collapse. They enjoy building, organizing, and learning with their friends and comrades, and cooking a good meal for loved ones.”
Events We Did in the Last Month or So
Train O' Lakes: Adult Overnight to Chain O' Lakes
June 28 -29
This rad crew of about 25 folks rode nearly 100 miles up the western side of our original North Loop Ride and then returned back via the Metra back home the next day. Huge props to this guide crew led by Mike L who overcame some challenges on this epic ride.
Camp Dan Beard: Family Overnight
June 28-29
Our first bike camping trip to this often overlooked Cook County site was a success. We got a handful of families including a rider with a disability along on this unique one night family overnight from Park Ridge to Northbrook and back.
Monthly Hang - McKinley Park
Tuesday, July 2
Lovely hang in the restored prairie on the eastside of McKinley Park. The southside hangs always are a bit smaller numberswise, but a great time with about 12 folks, having some beverages and enjoying the lightening bug lit evening prairie.
SWMI - Southwest Michigan
July 10-14
This crew rocked our 4th annual SWMI ride, 8 guides and 15 participants spent 5 days, 4 nights riding all along that shore of Lake Michigan, Chicago to South Haven. We even had a teenager ride this one with her dad as we pilot finding ways to welcome teenagers that might be looking for a bigger challenge outside of our Family Overnights. Huge shoutout to this guide crew especially Kat L for lead guiding it and Dave W who was the director on this one. This ride is a beast logistically, and they made it all happen like the pros they are.
Camp Shabonna Family
July 18-20
This is a classic OOFD route that runs the lakefront and eventually into the lovely Hammond, IN trail system and then into the forest preserves system down near South Holland, IL. We had a great crew of 23 family riders and 7 guides make this blast of a weekend adventure happen.
Sandy Shores - Illinois Beach State Park
July 19-20
Another classic Chicago bike camping weekend, skirting the lake up to our gem of a state park. This one is super popular and sold out all 25 spots well before the ride.
Executive Director Happy Hour at Burning Bush Brewery
Tuesday, July 23
Once a quarter, OOFD’s Executive Director and Co-Founder, Glenn, will be at a good Chicago Happy Hour spot, and available to discuss any ideas or questions you have for OOFD and even get to work on them a bit together. This is open to anyone, OOFD volunteers and the broader community. If you are new and curious about OOFD or if you are an OG guide, everyone is welcome. The next one will be on Wednesday, October 22 from 4:30-6:30pm at Beermiscuous in Lakeview.
Where the Wild Things Grow - The Wild Mile
July 23 Wednesday (5-7pm)
This was a super unique service ride for us as we get to help do some restoration work at the famously beautiful Wild Mile which is on the river just behind the Lincoln Park REI. Our partners, Urban Rivers who care for the space, were incredible hosts, and we pulled out a bunch of overgrown plants while learning more about the work they do at Wild Mile. Followed up with some tasty, cold beers at Off Color after some steamy, steamy service.
Adult Day Ride to Montrose with Patagonia
Friday, July 25
Patagonia helps us make our dreams come true, and we wanted to help them make this dream come true. The crew at Patagonia helped organize this Rise and Ride on Friday morning out to the lakefront at Montrose for a nice way to start the day. They got us snacks from Skratch labs and some donuts and coffee too. Nice turnout of 12 folks and 4 guides.
Adaptive Overnight - Sullivan
July 26-27
Our third annual adaptive overnight with KEEN Chicago. We had 4 families, all with a young person with a disability, come out to ride bikes (15+ miles over the weekend), roast marshmallows, campout, and generally have a blast together. Goodness are we so lucky to have KEEN Chicago as a partner. They are the real deal.
Other Awesome Bike Events Upcoming
If you ride bikes, you know, there are endless possibilities to join a group for a ride. Here are a few that we know some of our partners and friends are putting on as well as a few that our volunteers have mentioned.
Southside Critical Mass
Friday, August 1
1st Fridays at 5:45pm and ride at 6:15ish. From Nichols Park (south end, 55th & Kimbark) 1300 E. 55th St, Chicago.
Dog Days Ride
Saturday, August 2
A leisure bike tour of Chicago's finest hot dog stands. This ride is not meant to be challenging, but a perfect way to enjoy the summer in Chicago, meet new people, and broaden your horizons by exploring a variety of encased meats in a bun.
Biking Out Negativity’s Street Love Ride
Saturday, August 16
Join this ride as they gather in love and positivity for the 6th annual Street Love Ride. Meet in the boulevard across from St. Agatha Church, 3147 W. Douglas Blvd. for the pre-ride party, 6pm - 8pm. They will slow-roll at 8pm for about a. 9 mile ride on the West side. Donations of new back-to-school supplies and gently used books welcome at registration.
Movie in Dawes Park: Bike Vessel
Tuesday, August 19 at dusk
Friends of Major Taylor is partnering which Chicago Park District for a screening of the PBS Independent Lens documentary Bike Vessel: A Bike Ride from St. Louis to Chicago. Come out to see the film at Dawes Park, 8052 S. Damen Ave.
Dust at Dusk
Saturday, August 31
We hear this night gravel ride in Oregon, IL is a great time.
The Major Taylor Trail Keepers Bicycle Ride
Saturday September 6, 2025
Come ride this awesome ride with these awesome folks. This marks the 126th year anniversary of Marshall "Major" Taylor winning the world 1-mile championship in Montreal in 1899 to become the first African American to win a world championship in cycling and was our nation's first African American sports hero. Join for their biggest event of the year.
North Shore Century
Sunday, September 21
Our friends and supporters at the Evanston Bicycle Club put on this awesome event which has super scenic biking on routes of 25, 50, 62, and 100 miles. There are frequent, well-stocked rest stops and lots of support.
Alrighty. We are so pumped to see a bunch of y’all on a bunch of these rides over the next two months. Please please share the word about Flock Off the Block as we have a bunch of tickets left for that ride.
We’ll end this month with probably one of the most important quotes I’ve ever read, one that had a huge influence on the beginnings of OOFD. Its by Mr. Thoreau in Walden.
“It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or to carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and pain the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do. To affect ht equality of the day, that is the highest of arts.”
I’d argue that the OOFD guide crew are some of the finest artists of affecting the quality of the day, of calling our fellow Chicagolanders to local adventures in nature with a welcoming community. Here’s to all y’all that give us the honor to affect the quality of your day by riding with us and for the ways you affect the quality of our days by being the lovely community of adventures that you are.
Much love,
Glenn and the whole OOFD crew
