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Featured Article
Bike Canoe Trailer: It's a Cinch!
May 31, 2009 - I've long wanted to create a simple trailer for towing a canoe behind a bike. A lot of times when I'm biking and I come across some tasty water I suddenly want to get paddling---especially when the waterway is going my way or when it's a shorter way to go my way. To me, the two joys fit together--the glide of a bike and the glide of a boat. ...  > Read Article
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The OYB Bag --The World's Only 6-Way Bag!
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Austrian Rucksack: light'n'snappy!
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"Silent Sports" Mag: Traverse City & Keweenaw, June 2009
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The Only Sea-Kayak Culture Video: "This is the Sea"
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From the Desk of OYB HQ... Up North News
Donate! Help the OYB cause...
June 27, 2009 - I've had several people recently ask how they can support the OYB cause. I've been relying on my offerings of great books'n'goodies that you can't hardly get anywhere else as being the best way. "Money for stuff" is the only way I can understand making a living. But I can accept that OYB *stuff* isn't right for everyone. Also, I don't want to ...  > Read Article

OYB has 1000+ Stories! --HEY!
June 23, 2009 - According to my stats, a couple weeks ago OYB sailed past the ONE THOUSAND stories mark! Actually, it's 1045 as of today. And, hey, I just checked the date of my first article posted to this particular incarnation of my website and it was in 2000. But this count only dates back to the start of my database-based website. OYB has been rockin'...  > Read Article

The OYB Bag --The World's Only 6-Way Bag!
June 16, 2009 - [$39, postpaid in US] The 6-Way OYB Bag is ready for action! Now available with extra options like top-straps, blinky-strap, waterproofing and snug-mount stick! Click on the PayPal button to the left under the picture and order away! The OYB Bag is 4"x7"x9" in size (4.1 liters, 250 cu in) and is the only bag that converts in a jiffy into ...
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Austrian Rucksack: light'n'snappy!
June 14, 2009 - [$48 postpaid in the USA.] MY BESTSELLING PACK IS BACK! These are super-rare packs and I just found a new stash of 20. They won't last long! Here's a sweet rucksack for those who like a classy vintage look. NOTE: I offer these rare'n'nifty items as a great way for you to support this equally rare'n'nifty outdoor culture web...
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Welcome to the HQ for Indy Michigan News, Stories, & Good Things to Buy!
March 29, 2009 - Hi! I'm Jeff Potter and I run this place. UpNorth is about the independent culture and adventure scenes in Michigan. It's a love-child of the national local culture media empire, OYB (Out Your Backdoor), and hooks back to the Motherlode for national topics. Now, everybody knows about Michigan's pro sports, car factories, golf, jetskis, real...  > Read Article

Hanging out the How-to Shingle!
December 03, 2008 - If anyone relatively near Williamston would like to learn how to have more fun---no matter what their current level---with XC skis, bikes, canoes, kayaks (rolling!), inline skates or the shooting sports, lemme know! I bet I could help give some uplift. In short order. For cheap. $20/hour, say. Kids, too. I'm hanging up my shingle!  > Read Article

Let's See Your Comments!
October 17, 2008 - Each of our OYB articles is followed by a "Reader Comments" section. If you have a reaction to the story or had a similar experience or a tip to pass on, please do! I had it set up so it didn't need a Log-In, but the spambots found it that day and loaded in random trash (who are these people?) so now you have to Log-In...as with any blog. OK, it...  > Read Article

Team OYB Road Trip: Cali or Bust!
June 02, 2009 - Adventure is our middle name. Our family is driving to California on June 6 on a road trip! (We hope to return by the 26th.) We'll visit my uncles in Hollywood and Reno plus friends in the Bay Area. And we'll see the sights along the way. We're not driving on freeways. (Exhausting! Numbing!) We'll search for nifty small town action h...  > Read Article

"Silent Sports" Mag: Traverse City & Keweenaw, June 2009
June 01, 2009 - [$5. SOLDOUT!] I just received the new issue of "Silent Sports" magazine. I also have ONE COPY to resell as a sample. First come, first served! You can get an easy taste of the mag this way. Then subscribe if ya like it! "Silent Sports" is the only magazine dedicated to a downhome approach to human powered sports out there. I'm pre...
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Vintage Road Event Near Detroit, July 11-12
May 27, 2009 - Come to the Bloomer Park International Velodrome in Rochester Hills, MI, this July 11 & 12 for the 1st Annual Americane' Vintage Track & Road Bike Festival. Check out: Two days of vintage track and road bike fun surrounded by national level pro track racing (NAS-TRACK International 3 Day). A quick summary of events: Vintage Swap Meet ...  > Read Article | Go to Website

The Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour: High Adventure Indeed
May 21, 2009 - Here's a report from an early-May classic bike tour in Minnesota. It's 85 miles over 2 days with a 100-rider limit. The official homepage: http://www.3speedtour.com. More pics: http://imageevent.com/abce/20093st Here's the Intro from their Homepage... This is, without question, the most memorable cycling event you'll find. Why? It's si...  > Read Article

NCT Trail Hike in Baldwin Springtime
May 21, 2009 - We went up north to Baldwin, to visit the trailer and take in the Blessing of the Bikes and do a hike, bike and canoe outing. As is our wont each spring. Last year I discovered a great local chunk of the North Country Trail. It's the portion that goes near Highland Lake which is near the major destination of Big Star Lake, a couple miles SW of t...  > Read Article

The 2009 Blessing of the Bikes, Baldwin
May 21, 2009 - We went up to Baldwin to see the 37th annual "Blessing of the Bikes" on May 16-17. About 10,000 motos show up and drive thru a parade set-up at the airport to have the local bishop bless them with good luck during this riding season. The family had never seen it in any detail. They concluded that all motorcycles look alike. Oh well! The...  > Read Article

My 5th Grade Field Trip to the Henry Ford Museum
May 20, 2009 - Last week I helped chaperone Henry's 5th grade two-day field trip to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. We had a great time. There were 41 kids, 17 parents, 2 teachers and a student teacher. An easy ratio. Parents like these places, too. Although when the deadline was approaching there weren't many parents and an emergency message we...  > Read Article

Here's a Quote...
"Ambrose Bierce said that whenever you see something true in the newspapers it is followed immediately by a correction and an apology. Which is why you so seldom see anything true in a newspaper."
Jack Saunders on the relevance of truth today, a la Bierce