An August of Bike Overnights

September 2, 2013

August 2013 was a month brimming with great stories on BikeOvernights.org. The August 12 post is by Matthew Woody, who decided (while on an escape in Colorado to beat the Midwest heat) that he would add a Bike Overnight to his list of things to do. His ride took place outside Fort Collins in the Creedmore Lakes area of the Roosevelt National Forest.

"After setting up my hammock," Matthew writes, "I spent quite a bit of time reading a book about a real adventurer, Roald Amundsen, whose exploits made my little jaunt seem like nothing."

Well, even Amundsen had to start somewhere, right?

The August 19 post, by U.K. resident Paul Capewell, is titled Milton Keynes to Fringford by Bike: A Cycling Microadventure.

"It all started with me moving to the reasonably bicycle-friendly city of Milton Keynes," Paul explains. "Then it was riding to and from work now and again. Then it was commuting by bike every day. And then I would read about cyclists on multi-day, multi-month cycle tours across Europe or the United States. And it would make me think: I want to give that a go … but in a bite-sized chunk first. And then I discovered some blogs with names like Bike Overnights and others discussing things called Microadventures. And I would lap up these accounts of simply bugging out by bike for one or two days."

So inspired was Paul that he finally set out on his own inaugural overnight. 

Finally, in the August 26 post, Katherine Heal writes about a quick trip she and a friend made from the university area of Seattle to Fort Ebey State Park on Whidbey Island.

"As a newbie to Washington state (two years)," Katherine writes, "I am amazed by the variety of cycling terrain available to explore here. Want mountains? You got 'em. Want valleys? You got 'em. Want islands? You got 'em. Want rollers? You got 'em. Want deserts? Well, you have to go over to the east side of the mountains, but you still got 'em. I know there are many other places in the world blessed with grand outdoor scenes, but this is the first place I’ve lived with such natural wonders just outside my door.

"One of my favorite places to camp for a bike overnight is Fort Ebey State Park on Whidbey Island. Located about 65 miles from Seattle, it really shows off the variety of Washington State. It has gorgeous sunsets over Puget Sound, mountain views, idyllic scenes, and quite a bit of off-road bicycle trail.

After reading about it, you just might give it a go and find that Fort Ebey is one of your favorite places for a Bike Overnight, too.

Top photo by Matthew Woody, center photo by Paul Capewell, bottom photo by Katherine Heal.

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MICHAEL McCOY compiles the organization's twice-monthly e-newsletter Bike Bits and organizes the Bike Overnights program. From March 2009 through January 2012, Mac wrote the weekly column Biking Without Borders.