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bicycle touring U.P. Michigan

Empty Nest Adventures – Part One

October 9, 2020October 15, 2020 / Mark McGuire / 9 Comments

In August, our youngest child Jimmy left for UW-Madison.  After a quarter of a century of being full time parents with kids at home, my wife Sarah and I are now empty nesters.  We have no fall sporting events to attend.  The house is eerily quiet, the dishwasher takes three days for us to fill … Continue reading Empty Nest Adventures – Part One

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First Bikepacking adventure in the books! Spent two days on Kokopelli’s Trail, which runs 140 miles from Loma CO to Moab UT. Observations: (1) Bikepacking is hard and well named - it oftentimes feels like backpacking with a fully loaded bike that you get to push, pull, drag, and grunt up and over all kinds of obstacles; (2) Bikepacking has enough flowing trails, gorgeous downhill runs, and stop in your tracks moments of beauty to make the suffering well worth it; (3) if you’re ever feeling cocky in Colorado, a ridiculously fit athlete will magically appear to put you in your place; (4) bike chains that tangle themselves in your bike travel case rival a Rubik’s cube that may prove impossible to solve, especially after a few beers; and, (5) adventure travel is the best way to reconnect with a dear friend that you don’t get to see very often - hat tip to Michael Salat. #surlybikes
Walking adventures in Portugal, with an overnight layover (and cow traffic jam) in the Azores. Or as my kids sometimes call them, death marches in beautiful places.
Sept backpacking trip through the Collegiate Peaks wilderness - part of the Colorado Trail. My first backpacking trip in the Rockies did not disappoint! Very fortunate to share the trail with good friends who aren’t afraid to drink bourbon, among other things, at 11k feet.
The big gorilla outside of Orlando FL held a warning for us, but we did not listen. This was Day 7 of our attempt to bike unsupported across the state of Florida. The day Florida chewed us up and spit us out. We got run off the road, dead-ended by countless sidewalks, learned to fear school buses, and resorted to pushing our bikes through a massive orange grove to reach our campsite for the evening. If you want the full story, and how we escaped to end the trip on a high note, the full write up (in embarrassing detail) is on my website (markjmcguire.com). Sarah and I have had our share of misadventures, but this one takes the cake. #allcitycycles
Experiences in nature and wilderness should be open to everyone.
This past winter, my wife Sarah and I attempted a 10-day, self-contained bicycle ride across the state of Florida. I just finished a write up of part two of the ride over at markjmcguire.com. This was the calm before the storm. Wild beaches and sweeping live oaks, empty camp grounds, and rural ranch lands, with a strong hint of the danger that would make us abandon our route in the middle of Florida in the days to come. Pictured: Fort Matanzas Park, Hontoon Island Staye Park. #allcitycycles

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