Out Our Front Door Newsletter - March 2022

​Welcome to the 2022 Ride Release

The 2022 rides are live! Check them out and sign up here. 

We plan to sell out most or all rides this year, so it's  definitely best to sign up sooner than later. As of March 11, we have already sold 26 slots. ​

This year is gonna be something special. We are rolling with the usual line up of rides with a few exciting additions. We are launching the SWMI ride which will be a 5 day tour from Chicago up into South West Michigan, and we'll be doing a trip to Reinberg in Palatine in the summer as well as the winter. 

We also are bringing back the Youth Program thanks to a grant from the Skokie Community Foundation which we are sharing with Emily Oaks Nature Center. The focus will be to get disadvantaged youth from Skokie into nature and socializing after these rough couple years of social isolation. ​

The Raddest Crew in Town:
OOFD Volunteers

This organization will always be mainly volunteer run. Our volunteer guides range from brand-new fresh to having a handful of years under their belts as guides. They exude the OOFD values by being welcoming adventurous volunteers that educate. And we want to publicly express our gratitude and highlight their stunningness.

The 2022 Overnight Guide Crew was: Matt Mersch, Ben Blair, Anson Moran, Miles Talty, Emily Ransom, Sarah Thornton, Jose Terrazas, Breanna Bertacchi, Jordan Evangelista Ashley Huerta, Emma DeMilta, Jerod Powell, Lauren Fihe, Thomas Kehrer, Shawn McCrimmon, Kate Kliner, Matt Sheerin, Matt Weiss, Kyle Trebotich, Jen Stites, Jerome Hughes, Bradley Fisher, Sarah Anderson, Glenn Schneider, Hope Williams, Zach Schroeder, Rich Lytle, Delphine Labbe, Casey Herman, Nich Anderson, John Loesch, and Kim Messina. 

The 3 star volunteers of the year were Kat Leyh, Norah Webster, and Maggie Marek. 

That is 35 guides, many of which guided numerous rides, 23 in total: 9 adult overnights, 3 family overnights, 7 WTWTG rides, and 4 Adaptive rides including the huge overnight! They led over 226 folks out bike camping last year. 

Interested in joining this stellar crew? Fill out the Volunteer Form here and tell us why you believe in adventure and radical inclusivity. 

​A Note on 2022 Ride Pricing

We have always and always will provide rides at super affordable prices. We often get told by consultants, our own riders, even my dad, that we need to raise our prices. And if you look at our competitors, we are far and away the most affordable bike camping ticket out there considering everything we provide. A huge part of why we can do run rides so affordably is those folks mentioned above, our stellar volunteer crew!

We have increased our prices a little bit this year, partially to cover some of the increased costs of running the rides (for example, it will cost an extra $15 per person to enter the IN Dunes Nat'l Park this year) and partially to make OOFD as sustainable as possible. 

And for the Family Program, we are experimenting with a sliding scale ticket price. So you will see that this year, the base price for those rides are nearly the same as last year which basically covers the cost of the ride. And we have then given the option to pay a little more based on your financial situation, and your ability to help grow OOFD. That said, we have those "at cost" tickets available so that we can break down as many barriers as possible to get families out on bike camping adventures!

​The Adaptive Program 2021 Recap

The dream of the Adaptive Program was realized! 3 day trips culminating in a bike camping overnight at the South Shore Cultural Center. These events were another step towards more radical inclusivity as we welcomed 8 children with disabilities and their families along for the adventure!

Much gratitude to all the families that participated and the dozen or so OOFD volunteers that made this happen, most of all the visionary himself, board member Bradley Fisher. Also, big props to Liz Holley and the Chicago Park District for the space, staff, and camp gear needed to make it happen!

We hope to do an adaptive ride this year or at the very least, make our family and youth rides more inclusive to accommodate folks with a disability. ​

The Hootenanny Returns -
The Hideout 

Some special magic happened at Reed's Local in November 2019. The first ever Hootenanny Fundraiser was outstanding. If you were there, you know. 

Now imagine this. A bunch of excellent bike adventures and supporters, partying down at The Hideout for the Hootenanny Vol. 2. It's going down. The Hideout is opening just for us on that day: Sunday, April 10 from 3-6pm. Live music, drinks, raffle prizes, food, and great great company. Get your tickets and help spread the word!

​What You Can Do Now

1. Sign-up for an Adult or Family Overnight Ride
2. Monthly hang - Tuesday, 7:30pm, April. 5 at Winnemac Park (Damen and Foster)
3. Get Tickets for the Hootenanny at The Hideout - Sunday, April 10 

Parting Nug

This year is gonna be huge for OOFD. So if you have been thinking about trying a ride or getting involved as a volunteer, now is the time. We have some special things going on here with an incredible community of lovely adventurous folks.  

Beyond excited thinking about bike camping with y’all in the spring.
​
Much love,
Glenn and all of your OOFD pals