By Tom Held Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Apr 19, 2013 at 4:25 PM
Tom Held produces the blog, TheActivePursuit.com, powered by OnMilwaukee.com. The new Web site covers "silent sports," including running, biking, skiing and more.

Bunkie Miller woke one day this week with her mind spinning bike routes off the Milwaukee County Oak Leaf Trail to McGovern and Doctors Parks.

Both locations have been added as stops on the 2013 Oak Leaf Discovery Tour, compelling Miller to navigate and pedal more miles to replicate last year’s successful adventure – a group ride to collect all of the tour passport stamps in one day. She describes it: One day, two guys, four girls, six bikes, 14 stamps, 82 miles.

Miller can blame her recent fitful mornings on the Park People of Milwaukee County, the advocacy group that decided to build on the success of the inaugural Oak Leaf passport endeavor and expand it to new locations.

In 2012, the passport tour included 14 stamping stations in Milwaukee County parks - small kiosks with stamps that travelers inked into small, blue passport books. All of the stops were along the 115-mile Oak Leaf Trail, a combination of paved paths and roads that connect the county parks.

In 2013, the tour has 16 locations with stamps and eight stops with keywords to write into the booklet. Eight stamps, or a combination of at least five stamps and three keywords, qualifies tourists for prizes to be drawn at the Oak Leaf Discovery Tour Party, in Estabrook Park, on Oct. 13.

The new stamping stations include Washington Park, Boerner Botanical Gardens and the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin offices at 3618 W. Pierce St., along the Hank Aaron State Trail. Doctors and McGovern Parks are among the new locations where keywords will be found.

Expanding the discovery tour to include 24 stops expands on the original purpose: motivating people to explore the county parks, especially ones far-removed from their immediate neighborhood.

Miller, a city employee and east sider who moonlights at the Wheel & Sprocket store in Fox Point, explored Oakwood Park and the Root River Parkway for the first time on one of her tours last year. Her group found that Whitnall Park makes for an excellent lunch stop and the Wehr Nature Center requires a second visit for all of its 105 "things to do."

Of the 170 who turned in their stamped passports last year, most of them took a more leisurely approach to their explorations. A few even traveled via motorized scooters, and collected the stamps throughout the summer.

Others found the Discovery Tour to be the motivation they needed to become more active, and took short walks to each in the parks with the stamping stations.

"We want to push the wellness aspect of it," said Cheri Briscoe, a Parks People board member. "This gets people out doing exercise they might not do."

The booklets for the Oak Leaf Discovery Tour can be purchased for $4 each, three for $10 and 25 for $50, a deal that appeals to groups looking to launch their own passport group rides. They can be found at Milwaukee County Parks clubhouses and local bike shops.

Proceeds from the sales will be devoted to improving the signs along the Oak Leaf Trail.

"Hopefully, we’ll have a few more bucks to throw at it," said Jim Goulee, executive director of the Park People. "You get to some sections of the trail and there’s nothing around to give you any indication of where to go. The way-finding signage could benefit people long-term."

Join a ride: Miller led two Oak Leaf Discovery Tours in 2012, and leads shorter outings weekly from the Wheel & Sprocket store, 6940 N. Santa Monica Blvd. She will host a Bike with Bunkie Kick Off Party from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The first outdoor ride – 12 to 15 miles – is scheduled for April 30, starting at 5:30.

Tom Held Special to OnMilwaukee.com

Memories of running cross-country for the Slinger Owls motivated Tom Held to get his body moving again when he turned 30. Almost two decades later, he's still on the move. The 49-year-old bikes, runs and skis, and covers news for similarly active people as a freelance writer and blogger.

He spent 26 years as a daily news reporter, and applies that experience to dig out stories about athletes, races, endurance sports, fitness and self-propelled transportation. His work has appeared in Silent Sports Magazine, Wisconsin Trails and Cross-Country Skier.

Held lives in the Bay View neighborhood, where he counts being Dad to twin daughters part of his daily workout.