The North Shore Channel Trail was the first bike trail I ever rode in Chicago. While it’s not particularly long or interesting, it is pretty useful as a connector (and completely paved!). You may know it as the Skokie Sculpture Garden trail as it’s the trail that winds past all of the truly ugly sculptures north […]
Handle Bar Bags
I spent a lot of time researching the best bar bag and finally settled on Arkel’s small handle bar bag. While most of my other gear is Ortlieb, and they make a reasonable bar bag, Arkel ultimately won me over. Available in 2 sizes and 2 colors, Arkel is completely focused on utility and durability […]
Blackwell Forest Preserve
Blackwell is one of the closest and easiest rides out of regional campgrounds. Located immediately off the Prairie Path between Wheaton and Warrenville, it’s about a 35 mile ride from Logan Square. Perhaps because it is so close, it’s a site I go to every year. At $30 a night for non DuPage residents, […]
Channahon Park
If you’re from a small town like I am, you may be familiar with the tiny park that looks like someone’s front lawn. People camp there sometimes, but you’re not really sure why. Much to my chagrin, this is the most apt description of Channahon Park. I should have been suspicious about the complete […]
Rear Racks: Junk in Your Trunk
Getting a good rear rack is a great way to improve your bike camping and general riding/commuting experience. I’ve had a number of different racks, but Axiom is by far my favorite company for rear racks. I’ve had Axiom’s Journey on my Cross Check for about as long as I’ve had the bike, […]
The Illinois Prairie Path
The Illinois Prairie Path is a long stretch of path picking up in River Forest in the immediate west suburbs and stretching as far southwest as Aurora on one leg, and northwest to Elgin on the other. The trail experience varies greatly. I have yet to ride the entirely of the Aurora branch, so the […]
The Great Western Trail
I hesitate to tell you about this because much of what makes the Great Western Trail so great is how few people seem to know it exists. It’s the Illinois Prairie Path’s under-utilized northern brother. The trail is about 15 miles long, picking up near the old train station in Villa Park and dropping you […]
Burnidge Forest Preserve
Located just outside of Elgin, Burnidge Forest Preserve is a challenging, but approachable ride at a good price point. I like the ride out here a lot. The staff at this particular site are some of the nicest people I have encountered in the park ranger profession. The forest preserve itself is lovely. You’ll be […]
Get Yourself A Plan
The Very Beginning I started my camping adventure with a poll. I tweeted, facebooked, and emailed all of my friends and asked them to fill out my camping survey: Bike Camp Survey After gathering responses, I emailed all my friends with a couple of proposed dates. I strongly suggest setting dates at least 2 […]