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Sam has spent most every summer of his life in
the Keweenaw, residing at his family's cottage, near Copper
Harbor. He has a genuine love for the area,
its people, history, geology, all around natural beauty and of course,
Lake Superior.
After college, Sam
moved to Colorado and spent his first 5 entire years in
the Vail Valley (Avon most specifically) including
the summers. It was during this time that his love
for the sport of mountain biking blossumed, with the
abundance of sweet trails to ride
and participation in the local race series. During this
time living out west, Sam realized he had a strong
yearning to return to the Keweenaw and tried to figure out
a way to make a living here and thus is
ultimately how he wound up as the propritor of Keweenaw Adventure
Company. After doing the seasonal gig between spending winters in Colorado and summers in the Keweenaw
for a number of years, Sam is now a full-time, year
round resident of Copper Harbor. One of his other favorite
places to spend time is in the Canyonlands, near Moab, Utah
where he still tries to make an annual trip. 
Sam
graduated from Northwood University in Midland, Michigan
in 1992. He received a Bachelor's of Business
Administration Degree in Marketing and Management and an
Associate of Arts
Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. He became
the owner of Keweenaw Adventure Company in the Fall
of 1998 at the age of 30. He attended
Barnett Bicycle Institute (BBI) in Colorado Springs in 1999
to learn more about bicycle mechanics. He now has a
general understanding of mechanics, but considers himself to be more of
a wanna-be than a real mechanic. Sam is also certified
in Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and is active
with the Michigan Mountain Bike Association, the Copper Harbor Improvement (business)
Association, the Copper Harbor Trails Club and currently serves on the
Keweenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission. He was asked to
serve on a 10 month long Citizen's Advisory
Committee with the DNR to represent the interests of silent sports
and non-motorized trail development on the newly acquired
State land on Keweenaw Point in 2004..."it's really
all about the cause and the cause is the
trails!", says Sam.
Although Sam enjoys the great outdoors
from a variety of perspectives, his number one passion
is mountain biking. He tries to ride whenever possible and
also has spent 1000's of hours as a volunteer working
to establish the Copper Harbor Mountain Bike Trail System
over the years. He hopes that one day Copper Harbor will
be on the "mountain bike map" and may become known as
the "Moab of the Midwest" due to its unique terrain and
public access to the land. He has been the race director of
the annual Copper Harbor Fat Tire Festival, mountain bike
race since 1998. The race has gradually gained a reputation
for being one of the most challenging race courses in all
of the Midwest and riders now make the journey from literally all over
the country to compete in this fun-filled event.
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| cartoon by: Bobby Sutton |
When not behind the desk at the office, Sam may likely be
found instructing sea kayak lessons during the summer. He
has been active with the ACA (American Canoe
Association) and is certified as a "Basic" level Instructor. Most
of his paddling experience has been on Lake Superior including
many trips on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Isle Royale and
the Apostle Islands.
Winter means snow and
more importantly, FRESHIES!!! Nearby Mount Bohemia (opened in 2000) is the primary
reason that Sam now spends his winters in the
Keweenaw. Even after 11 winters of being a ski bum on
the slopes of Vail & Beaver Creek, he honestly feels that
his skiing experience is not too compromised due to
Bohemia's steep terrain, fantastic glade skiing, lack of
crowds, and consistent Lake effect POWDER!!! He also enjoys
cross country skiing, back-country ski touring and snowshoeing during the winter
and has been an active volunteer helping to maintain and
groom the Copper Harbor XC ski trails.
He normally works nights waiting tables and bartending so
his days a free for skiing.
Sam loves live music and tries to see shows whenever
possible. He's into a variety of music, but rock, folk,
bluegrass, reggae and blues are his favorites. Some of his
favorite bands include the String Cheese Incident, Widespread
Panic, the Del McCoury Band, Leftover Salmon, Bill Monroe,
Galactic, the Grateful Dead, the Funky Meters, Karl Denson's
Tiny Universe and local favorites such as Chasin' Steel, the
Blackflies, Mojo Perry and Steppin' In It. You will often hear
these tunes and more drifting through the streets of Copper
Harbor coming from the shop. Sam loves to get down and
boogie!
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