Human powered sports, travel, and adventure.
Neal
Ten years ago, I hiked from Endovalley to Chasm Falls twice during winter visits to Rocky Mountain National Park. Both times, as I trudged through snow and gazed up at the serpentine road carved into the mountainside, I thought the same thing: “Someday I’m going to ride my bike up this thing.” On July 22, …
George was the guy that all my cycling friends wanted to be when they grew up. George was a phenomenal athlete. Besides cycling, George was a national caliber runner and world class Nordic skier. He was an alternate member of the US Olympic ski team. George was the first person to encourage me when I …
Once upon a time, I was lean, focused, and fit. In 1983, I weighed 153 pounds with 4% body fat. This was after an extensive medically supervised training program after my “accident.” Let’s be precise: it was no accident. We need to stop calling collisions “accidents.” My team of doctors and trainers wanted to get …
Bicycling has been a significant part of my life. My first bike was a Western Auto Buzz Bike Eliminator, which was my birthday present when I turned eight. On my thirteenth birthday, I got my first ten-speed, a Graco GBX 1000. Both of those bikes opened a new world for me to explore. At first, …
Who is the Castelli Spettacolo RoS Glove For? As an avid cyclist for over 40 years, I have tried countless winter cycling gloves in search of the perfect combination of warmth, dexterity, and comfort. Finding a good glove for cycling in Northern Michigan can be challenging! After four years of using the Castelli Spettacolo RoS …
Power Island is located six miles north of Traverse City, Michigan in West Grand Traverse Bay. While it lies only one mile offshore from the Old Mission peninsula, kayaking to Power Island is a three-mile paddle from the DNR boat launch at Bowers Harbor to the island itself. Once owned by Henry Ford, and known …
The Castelli Lightness 2 Glove is ideal for those transitional days when you need a Goldilocks solution-It’s just right! The Castelli Lightness 2 glove is a lightweight glove intended for those days when winter gloves are too warm and half-finger gloves are too cold. I live and ride in Northern Michigan, so this glove is …
Symposiums are a great way to learn kayaking skills. Taught by experienced paddlers, typically, ACA or BCU certified coaches; one can learn an incredible amount of useful information in a fun, safe, hands-on environment. 2026 WMCKA Symposium Memorial Day Weekend YMCA Camp Pendalouan, Montague, MI Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium Grand Marais, MI July …
If you want to keep your bicycle water bottles and hydration bladders sanitary, and tasting and smelling fresh, then you need to clean them regularly. This article shows you how to remove that funky smell from your favorite water bottle using Bottle Bright Natural Cleaning Tablets without using harsh chemicals or bleach, leaving them squeaky clean! …
About the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail is a 27-mile bicycle and multi-use trail that connects the small towns of Empire, Glen Arbor and ends at Bohemian Road (CR-669). and M-22. It roughly parallels the Lake Michigan shoreline and offers panoramic views of the lake and glimpses into their past. …
About the Huron Sunrise Trail The Huron Sunrise Trail is a bicycling and multi-use trail that runs from Rogers City to the 40 Mile Point Light in Presque Isle County. It’s about 11 miles long and it follows an old railway line for most of its route, which makes it great for bicycling as well …
Back in the late 1990s, Bianchi was one of the first bike companies to offer a complete single-speed mountain bike. Earlier, Bianchi offered a few variations of this bike. In 2001, Bianchi finally offered a celeste model, so I snagged one up! I owned and rode the Bianchi C.U.S.S., which represented this early entry …
Introducing the Otso Waheela C The Otso Waheela C is extremely versatile. It’s a bike that can easily handle gravel rides as well as single track and is equally adept as a road bike. While it is a billed as a gravel bike, I prefer to consider it an all-road bike as it has proven …
Piers Gorge Hiking Trail The Piers Gorge hiking trail is short, only about a mile and a half, making for a 3 mile out and back hike. Piers Gorge, located on the Michigan-Wisconsin border, is formed by the Menominee River. The name is derived from the waterfalls that jut out across the river like …
Learn about electricity options for van campers for part-time and full-time van life explained in simple, easy to understand terms. When traveling or camping in your minivan, you will almost certainly need some sort of electricity supply. Cell phones, cameras, laptop computers, are the most common items that need power. Or perhaps you have more …