Third Coast Adventure Hub
Off-the-beaten-path destinations, small adventure ideas, and gear for those yearning to breathe the big air around the incomparable coastline of Lake Michigan. Delivered FREE once a week.
The Sweet Long Ride!
We'll keep it short and sweet this week, Fellow Travelers! All you have to do is get yourself and your bike to the trail, and ride. Because, given the whims of Chicago weather, there's no time to lose. Open roads on the way to Harrinton Beach SP Today I thought we'd take a little break from the regularly scheduled format, and dive into this glo-riooo-us fall weather with some nice long bike rides. There’s always the North Branch Trail or the Lakefront, and sometimes the Des Plaines River...
Tunnel of Trees & $1,000,000 Sunsets
After this technicolor weekend itinerary, you may need to spend a little time in monochrome recovery room. But, don't worry, you'll get your chance. Because winter, with it's much more demure palette, is not too far away, so you might as well drink your fill of the warm side of the rainbow while the going is good. Fellow Travelers, I don't know how it happened, but it's fall. And, while in other parts of the globe each of the seasons gets roughly a quarter of the year, not so in the Midwest....
Overnight Bikepacking Adventure
Spending the night in a hammock with temperatures hovering around freezing? Definitely use the bathroom before you crawl in, and hope that nature will not issue a call in the middle of the night 😬. Fellow Travelers, If you ever wanted to try "bikepacking", there's probably never a better season to do it than the one right in front of us. What is bikepacking? It's like backpacking, only the gear is strapped to the bike, and not to your back. It differs from traditional bike touring in that it...
In Defense of Sitting
Some say that sitting is the new smoking. I say they're doing it wrong. On the shore of a Great Lake, surrounded by rustling pines, with a cozy fire flickering at your feet, there's no more health-promoting (in)activity. Photo from one of my many inspirations: minivelo_t.a Fellow Travelers, Have you tried to get a campsite reservation this summer? Booked solid. And honestly, do you really want to jockey for the last available site, probably the one wedged behind the dump station, wait in line...
Sit among the trees
Can we sit still long enough to tune into a story told not in words, but in layers? An old-growth forest and a sleepy, mature river current have been around much, much longer than the human generation that wanted to brand nature with its initials. For better or worse, our folly is now part of the forest history. Fellow Travelers, Welcome to the week that marks the exit of Summer (even though, technically, it's still around for a bit), and the settling into the sobering post-Labor Day...
Run away to an island...
If it's good enough for a king, it's plenty good enough for you! Surrounded by azure-blue water, secluded beaches, nightly sunset pageantry, misty twilights and lakeside feasts, you can't help but feel like royalty. It takes a while to get your "island legs", Fellow Travelers. But once you do, who wants to go back to the mainland? Islands are magical: self-contained little snippets of land, where the locals have a special kind of grit, and must learn to interact and tolerate each other's...
Into the Wilderness
This former logging and sand-mining site is home to the protected piping plover, and the only US Wilderness Area in lower MI And now, you can camp here among the 4000 year old dunes, with heart-stopping views, picture-perfect sunsets, and the night sky that doesn't quit. Image credit: Ryan Maurer People "out west" are spoiled, Fellow Travelers. The land there is thick with pockets of wilderness, and you can hardly help snagging the edge of one on your way to the Safeway for a carton of eggs....
The Medicinal Day Trip
Enjoy better sleep, reduced mental fatigue, less inflammation, improved focus, and sharper memory with this one simple tactic! It is scientifically proven that a well-executed daytrip is pure medicine for maintaining peak physical and mental health. Make it a regular part of your wellness routine. Here's how to do it right. Steep blow outs at Grand Mere SP, Stevensville, MI Ah!... a daytrip, Fellow Travelers, is as simple as adventure gets. When you find yourself with a short stretch of time...
Lake Michigan Bike Camping Tour
A self-supported, car-free bike-camping mini-tour. Wow! That's a lot of hyphens! Whether you're a beginner looking to dip your toe in the bike touring waters, or a touring veteran in search of a short getaway, we've got a plan for Lake Michigan camping for you! Image credit: Cycling UK Hello, Fellow Travelers! Don't be fooled by the back-to-school (more hyphens!) extravanganza going on in all the megamalls and online. We are actually currently smack dab in the middle of the middle week of...
Duneland Playground
Towering dunes, fire-spitting smokestacks and technicolor sunsets! Welcome to Indiana Dunes, where heavy industry is never fully out of sight, creating a stark and dystopian background to the exuberance of nature that flourishes in this region. Hello, Fellow Travelers! It's fitting that one of the entry points from Chicago into Indiana's Duneland region is the stretch of highway that bisects Wolf Lake. This lake sits like a shiny patch of hope on land ravaged by relentless human activity. In...
Off-the-beaten-path destinations, small adventure ideas, and gear for those yearning to breathe the big air around the incomparable coastline of Lake Michigan. Delivered FREE once a week.