278 – MOX

This weekend was the Midwest Outdoor Experience at Eastwood Metropark. It’s a combination expo, outdoor sports event and festival that takes place every year just a few miles from my house. MOX showcases many of the reasons I love living in this area, from mountain biking and hiking to kayaking and road cycling. This year, I volunteered to help out at the MVMBA booth, letting kids try out BMX and Strider bikes on little obstacle courses, and talking to their parents about the club.

A rack full of fun for the kiddos.

The weather didn’t exactly play along for the weekend, with scattered showers coming in throughout the weekend. But the crowds seemed unphased, and while I don’t have any official attendance numbers to compare to last year, it didn’t seem any less packed.

And the “cutest cyclist” award goes to…

I was slightly disappointed that they didn’t run the off-road 5k this year, which is a race I’ve run a few times before. Last year, it featured a category for dogs, and Max and I nearly won it, until I had some technical difficulties that put us behind. In the place of the 5k was a 12 hour endurance running event, that I had no interest in even attempting.

Hannah trying slacklining.

The number of different activities featured makes it fun for everybody. Sports you might not have even heard of, like orienteering and slacklining, had demonstrations and trials running all day. The DK Bikes stunt team was flying through the air all day, there was an Ultimate Air Dogs competition, paddleboarding, rock climbing… If you can do it outside, you could probably find it at MOX.

FRMP staff rescued this little guy.

Overall, the weekend was a success for all involved, despite the weather. MOX is one of the many reasons why I love living here, and I hope we managed to inspire a bunch more people to get out and live, and enjoy all the fun stuff the area has to offer.

People think I’m crazy when I say I love living here, but…