ROAM Adventure Basecamp has Wi-Fi in their Scandinavian inspired trailside adventure cabins and they call it "Work from ROAM". I spent 3 days working from ROAM exploring the surrounding gravel and found 3 ways to maximize the adventure. Use code ROAMGravel25 for 25% OFF your weeknight stay during Sun-Thurs until Oct 20, 2023.
To learn more, head to the ROAM Adventure Basecamp website or follow them on Facebook and Instagram. This story is part of a paid partnership with ROAM Adventure Basecamp.
Living in the city, I was recently looking for an out-my-front door gravel adventure right in the heart of the Northwoods. I had been to ROAM Adventure Basecamp earlier in the year and noticed they had Wi-Fi and laptop charging stations and something they call "Work from ROAM".
I already work from home in my day job and thought it'd be incredible to work from one of ROAM's cabins during the work week, ride gravel out the front door before and after work, and not take any big chunks of vacation time to pull it off.
I invited my brother to join me for a Sunday - Tuesday trip and packed my laptop, gravel bike, and fat bike. Getting to live right on the gravel network for a few days felt really special so I planned to get up for early morning rides both days and evening dinner rides both nights.
We brought out camp chairs, set up the hammock, and stacked some fire wood to make ourselves at home. With weather in the mid-seventies and no mosquitoes the week we were there, we could spend just as much time hanging outside around the cabin as we did inside the cabin.
First, Let's Look at Gravel Routes Around ROAM
ROAM put together a fantastic library of routes that we aggregated into a gravel map. I used these as ideas to explore the area during several rides during my stay.
Our 3-day 'Work from ROAM' flew by way too fast. I tried to enjoy minute of being up there with early morning sunrise rides and into-the-night evening rides exploring the area eating at some of my favorite places.
Here were 3 things I highly recommend that made it an incredible time.
1. Love Mornings? Go Ride When the Sun Comes Up (The Woods & Water Feel Magical)
I love a good early bike ride. The air is peaceful and the lighting is beautiful. I wanted to get started around first light so I could make it to Lake Helane around sunrise at 5:45ish. The Lake Helane loop is short but really beautiful. It gave me plenty of time to get off my bike and walk around the lake. There were some hazy clouds, so I didn't end up catching the sunrise. But I was treated to a long beautiful shuffling of fog hovering over the lake which made it so hard to leave.
The next morning, I jumped on some single track at 6:15am. I also brought my fat bike to ROAM to give myself some options so I rolled down ROAM's gravel road to the start of the Seeley Pass trail. I'm not normally a single track guy (except fat biking in the winter) but it was such a fun way to wake up and start the day. I saw one other group of three riders but was otherwise alone in the woods. I rolled back to our cabin right at 7:45, opened my laptop, and started the work day feeling amazing.
2. Embrace The Woodsy Workspace
It was hard waiting around for end-of-workday to go hit the gravel but it sure helped to get to work from the woods. The cabins are pine-y and golden colored inside with huge windows that put your right in the trees.
The Wi-Fi also works great outside. We had temperatures in the 70s with no mosquitoes so we spent long quiet afternoons at the picnic table outside of our cabin as well as laptop-ing from the hammock. We were there for 2 nights including 2 work days and it was so hard to leave our forest office when it was time to go.
3. Use Evenings For Gravel Exploration With Dinner Stops
The cycling community's favorite dinner spots are within a short pedal from ROAM. We biked to Rivers Eatery in Cable for pizza the first night and the Sawmill Saloon the second night. Plus I had a little extra time before my brother finished work on night two, so I did a bonus solo gravel lap and explored the area including an old CCC dynamite shack I had heard about.
We wrapped up dinner and drinks both nights as the sun was getting low and enjoyed the peaceful rides back to ROAM. Back at the cabin, we started fires both nights and sat around in our camp chairs winding down for the day and looking forward to early rides the next day.
Want to Work From ROAM? Here's What You Need to Know
Wi-Fi at ROAM is super simple to connect to. It also works great outside. ROAM does not have normal 3-prong power outlets, only USB outlets. But they do have charging cables for PC and Mac but you will need to make sure that your charging cable disconnects from the power block. To charge your laptop, you'll need to plug the corresponding power core from ROAM directly into your power block. Alternatively, if you have a laptop charger with a USB wall charging end, then you can use that as well.
Plan Your Work From ROAM Trip With 25% OFF
To plan your trip head to ROAM Adventure Basecamp. Save money on weeknight stays and enjoy the trailside cabin adventure in the heart of the Northwoods gravel network. Use code ROAMGravel25 for 25% off your stay during Sun-Thurs until Oct 20, 2023.
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