Sunday, March 9, 2008

Alternatives to PALM

As many of you know, PALM filled very quickly this year, and we have turned away a large number of potential riders. I think that PALM is a fairly unique ride in that we keep most of our daily distances to a maximum of about 50 miles, and we try to have a ride that appeals to a wide variety of ages and abilities. However, there are other rides in Michigan and our surrounding states that you might decide to try as an alternative to PALM. I will list some of them in this blog entry, and you can get details by checking out the web sites. As far as I can determine, these rides are not filled as of today (March 9).

The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure. www.goba.com. June 14-21, a 7 day loop ride. From what I have been told, this ride attracts the same variety of participants as PALM does. This year's route starts in Lorain County, southwest of Cleveland and follows roads down to the Mansfield area. Each year GOBA follows a different route, and this year's will be fairly hilly. The 7 days include 5 riding days of 45-60 miles each, with 2 layover days that include optional loop rides or alternate activities. The ride limit is 3000, and the fee does not include meals. GOBA has an excellent web site, with lots of details about the ride and an excellent rider handbook.

Across Ohio Bicycle Adventure (XOBA). July 19-26. www.outdoor-pursuits.org/xoba/ This year's route follows the Underground Railroad route from Cincinatti to Sandusky. 50 - 71 miles per day.

TRIRI. Ride across rural Indiana. June 22-28. www.triri.org. This year's route is in south central Indiana and has a rider limit of 500. The ride includes 3 days of 65 miles, and 3 layover days with optional loops.

Rides sponsored by the League of Michigan Bicyclists. www.lmb.org. The League sponsors several rides, including a weekend ride on May 31-June 1, and the Sunrise Adventure June 20-22. Their other 3 rides all have longer days and challenging hills.

If you want even more options, you can go to www.nbtda.com, and search for rides all over the country.

We sincerely hope that all of you find a biking adventure that you can enjoy in 2008. If you will not be on PALM this year, we also hope that you will be able to join us on PALM in 2009.

Ellie, PALM Mail Granny

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If you need to cancel from PALM and would like 100% of your money back right away, please send me an e-mail. I'd like to buy 2 spots from you. Plus your meals. Thank you, shadoe123@hotmail.com