 Why Support OOFD?Momentum. We got it. 557 folks signed-up for our 22 bike camping adventures in 2024. And more to come in our 10th season next year.
This giving season, we have an amazing donor who will match up to $4000 of the donations that we bring in before the end of the year. Please consider giving $10, $25, $100, shoot even $250 to OOFD. We only accept donations if you believe in adventure and think that getting a diversity of folks out into nature on bikes learning about local history and nature is a good thing. If you need more convincing, read on for 5 reasons to donate to OOFD this giving season.
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 The 2025 Ride Flyer by Mimi Stocker WelcomeGreetings,
It’s November and the big things keep rolling in for OOFD. As you can see, we have our 2025 Overnight Dates and flyer ready. We are about to start a big fundraising campaign with a matching donor already lined up. And we officially have brought Glenn on to full-time Executive Director! Read on for more details on all of this as well as heaps of gratitude for our 3 Star New Volunteers of 2024 and all of the cool stuff we’ve been up to this month.  WelcomeGreetings,
October just wrapped up, and with it, so did our Fiscal Year. We just finished up our biggest month of October ever with 5 biking events, including our first ever Indigenous People’s Day Family Bike Camping Overnight, two Where the Wild Things Grow rides, and an Adult Day ride. Not to mention, the 8th annual Sun Harvest Ride which got over 80 folks riding up to Illinois Beach State Park. Read on to hear a bit more about these awesome events and a couple of final events we have coming up to close out the year, including our last Monthly Hang of the year, tomorrow, Tusday, November 5 at Exchequer in the loop.  Riders on Waterways to the West near Starved Rock in August Photo by Elliot Brandt WelcomeGreetings,
Hope you are living well and enjoying the end of summer and start of fall. This epic season has not let up as the OOFD crew of volunteers continue to make such cool bike adventures happen all over Chicagoland including leading 5 bike camping trips in September alone! It was a month full of big news including us receiving the $50,000 Laureus Grant again which will help to further bolster our Adaptive Program. And we had a beautiful 6 page write up in the gorgeous Trails Magazine. We are staying after it in October with heaps of fun adventures including 2 Where the Wild Things Grow Rides, an Adult Day Ride, a Family Overnight, and the always amazing Sun Harvest Adult Overnight.  Are you looking for a good first bike camping ride? Out Our Front Door’s got you!
A big part of our mission is to welcome and support folks that are new to bike camping. As we state in our Radical Inclusivity and Non-Discrimination Statement, “Regardless of your race, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, economic status, or even the types of bikes you ride, we want you rollin’ with us.”  Riders on Last Year's Ride to Valhalla in Door County Photo by Maggie Marek WelcomeY’all. The OOFD volunteers have been rocking this summer oh so well. It is mind blowing to think about all the adventures this rad crew of volunteers have helped plan, coordinate, and make happen. And always bringing that welcoming spirit and consistently pushing the org to be better, to smooth out our processes, and just generally be a more excellent version of what OOFD is and can be.
 Riders on the Great Confluence Ride at the Openlands/Lake Forest Lakeshore Preserve Photo by Ashley Lyons WelcomeIt’s August! And the adventures keep rolling. The epic and largest SWMI crew ever got all feral riding and living outside into SW Michigan a few weeks ago. The Great Confluence Ride was something magical as was the Family Overnight to Camp Shabonna. We mixed in 3 youth day rides in partnership with Greencorps Chicago, an Adult Day Ride to the Morton Arboretum, a Where the Wild Thing Grow Ride to Bill Jarvis Bird Sanctuary, tabled at Patagonia Mag Mile, and the ultimate cherry on top, our Adaptive bike camping trip in partnership with KEEN Chicago and the young athletes with disabilities that they serve.
 Graminoid Fen! By OOFD Volunteer and Guide David Stanford
After riding with OOFD for the past 5 years, this year has been my first year volunteering with them. I’ve been really excited about the Train O’ Lakes ride since hearing about it, since the Chain O’ Lakes state park is one of my favorites, and it’s always exciting to find a new bike route somewhere I’ve only ever driven. This route ended up being even more special because I got to help out doing some of the initial research to talk about the history of the places on the ride, specifically Wheaton, and it’s history as the home of the Chicago, Aurora, and Elgin interurban.  Riders leaving Central Beach on Battle to the Dunes Photo by Glenn Schneider WelcomeIt’s July! And I’m a couple days late getting our June newsletter out. Been all sorts of busy with all sorts of awesome bike adventures with and without OOFD this month. June had 9 different events, 6 of which were bike camping including the huge Battle to the Dunes (70+ folks) and the first Family Overnight of the year. 8 more events are coming in July including the big 5 day SWMI ride, a Where the Wild Things Grow Ride on the lakefront, and our Adaptive Program overnight in partnership with KEEN at Camp Sullivan. And of course, we’re ramping up for the big Flock Off the Block (100+ riders) event in early August.
 An OOFD rider on their e-bike on OOFD's 5 day SWMI bike camping trip Can I ride my e-bike on an OOFD adventure?! The answer is very likely yes.
Because, we push for radical inclusivity in all we do, and excluding ebikes and their riders just wouldn’t align with our #1 value of being welcoming. That said, there are really two main things for you to consider riding your e-bike on one of our rides: |
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"To immerse , educate, preserve & advance the history, culture, trails and native habitats of the Lower Lake Michigan Basin Area" Trail Series
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A Bike Camping + Nature Community for Chicago and the Lake Michigan Area
Founded in 2015. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
www.oofd.org
Founded in 2015. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
www.oofd.org