By Daniel Leaderman - Click here for the original article at open.maryland.gov The scenic beauty of the Allegany County landscape isn’t what first drew Mandela Echefu to Cumberland, but it’s what led him to stay and launch a business. Now, he’s dedicating his life to...
It's Beginning to Look A lot like ...Winter Yes, its here, that time of the year when it takes a little more effort to roll out from under a warm blanket, when running into your car and heading out 5 minutes behind schedule is no longer feasible, and time most be...
The Arguement for Quality Here is the truth, I cant afford a lot of the things I sell (on a whim), I however own a few of those things. Most times I have to save in order to get it, and it has taken time for me to understand that I rarely loose when I spring for...
The Simple Story of the Leaves
What the leaves have to say as the season changes from Summer to Fall
Yellow, Amber, Green and Gold You can feel it now, that chill in the air, that extra reluctance to peel the blanket off when the alarm goes off. Even the sun delays its arrival every morning. Tis the season for love, the season for beauty, that time when we slow...
The Gems of Shoulder Season Early September is that time when we are all in flux, we are still buzzing off the highs of summer, but also yearning for the cool of Fall, the homely meals that come with the holidays and the times spent around the fire with a beverage in...
Just like that, it's almost over... It's August now, - the kids are prepping to head back to school, vacations are becoming memories and the season of the sun is winding down. Like most good things, it all seems to fly by too fast. The question though remains - does...
The Dog Days are Here... Have you ever wondered where the phrase "Dog Days of Summer" comes from? Some think it has to do with oppressive heat in the months of July and August, it doesnt. It comes from the fact that in this period the sun occupies the position in the...
Here comes the sun... It's that time of the year again, when true summer returns to the mountains. With warm temperatures, humid evenings, the smell of freshly cut grass and the return of the fireflies. It is also the time in which the rivers warm up, the trees are...
This article originally appeared in Blue Ridge Outdoors. Click here to see the original article. More beginners are exploring the outdoors. Let’s welcome them. I remember when I started educating myself on all things outdoors. It was before the proliferation of online...
Its official - Spring is here! As is customary in Western Maryland, we endured some frigid temperatures in April, a snow storm and some absolutely gorgeous days. However, the beauty is back in the mountains, the flowers and red buds are popping, the birds returning...
Every tour has those moments when all that could be said has been spoken, the laughs have been exhausted, the sights are redundant, and everyone settles into their own rhythm, their own thoughts. In this moment, we touch solitude in the midst of company and we permit ourselves to do what bike rides are great for — processing. It was at this time that I began to contemplate the irony of my current reality. Clad in spandex, I was riding a bicycle loaded with gear to allow me to sleep in the “bush,” as we call it back home where I’m from.
An Ode to the art and science of performance "Technique", such a beautiful word isn't it? One of those words with its phoneme actually matching its definition. I put it in the same class as svelte, cajole, succinct, all words that are unpretentious and in a sense very...
As only the third Black owner of a specialty outdoor shop in the U.S., Mandela Echefu went out in search of a mentor, and found one
Four explorers paving the way for a new outdoor industry speak in their own words
The Simple Story of the Leaves
What the leaves have to say as the season changes from Summer to Fall
From Allegany Magazine's January 2022 edition. Read the full article here. Reader Commentary One Year In… A Sleepy Charming Town and Touting the Truth that Self-Discovery Lies in the Outdoors One of Cumberland’s newer businesses reports on its first full year in...
This article originally appeared in the Cumberland Times-News, December 1st, 2021 CUMBERLAND — Tourism along the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage drove over $121 million in economic impact in 2019, according to a year-long analysis by Pittsburgh-based consulting firm...
Of all the perks of owning an outdoor adventure store, (being independently wealthy is not one), my favorite is probably helping people discover the healing that exists outdoors for the first time and a close second is probably meeting fun people with whom I can do...
Finally it had happened, it was 5:30am and the alarm went off, not like I needed it anyways! I had hardly slept all night, thinking about this trip. The destination- my second favorite trail in the world - Seneca Creek Wilderness area. With 6 of the most awesome...
This article originally appeared in Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine, September 6th, 2021 Rocky Gap State Park in the fall Situated among the Appalachian Plateau and Allegheny Mountains and bordered by the Potomac River, Allegany County is a scenic biking destination in...
This article was written by Brandon Glass and originally appeared in the Cumberland Times-News, April 23rd, 2021 Wheelzup Adventures held its grand opening Friday afternoon on the downtown Cumberland mall. The business will offer local tours, shuttles, bike rentals...
When we all think back to our young rambunctious day, memories of summer and the adventures we went or were taken on usually rise to the top. Many of the people who routinely visit and recreate in the outdoors have the benefit of having been taken outside by their...
Most times, we outdoorsy folk drool over the big things, shinny new wheels for our bikes, the latest AT bindings, the lightest and most technical backpack or that 2 person tent that only weighs 2lbs (if you have no idea what any of that is, it’s all good, you’re in...
The weather is breaking, we are seeing longer days, with the sun hanging higher in the sky and it’s rays dance lovingly on our faces. we long now to get outside, rather than cuddle up on the couch with a bowl of soup, binge watching the final seasons of the office,...
Every year around this time, when the days get longer and I begin to see more green than white on the ski slope, I begin to ponder what outdoor activity I like best. Biking was my first love, well the motorcycle was my first love, and then I got the hots for...
Welcome to this space, I’m glad you stopped in. For our very first post, we want to define what this space is going to be used for - everything. Sometimes the Wheelzup crew get’s a little heading and start to contemplate the basis of the universe - we do t feel...
This article originally appeared in Blue Ridge Outdoors. Click here to see the original article. The climate and demographics of snowsports are changing. Today’s world is changing, both in a literal and philosophical sense. Winter sports are a sector, grappling with...
Growth opportunities in ski patrol with minorities