Well, it has been over 48 hours since we wrapped up our ride down the C&O Canal Towpath. Saturday was a day of travel. It seemed much longer than I expected...which may be due to the crazy traffic between Washington, DC and Richmond.
Looking back over the trip there are so many things I am thankful for.
* To begin with when we checked the weather Sunday evening before our ride started, there was something like a 40-60% chance of storms on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. (Which really helped my outlook on the whole trip) As it ends up, we only experienced one rain shower, a relatively brief thunderstorm that blew through after our second day of riding...after we had set up our tents and after we had swam in the Potomac river.
* With 10 bikes (which if my math is correct is 20 wheels/tires) traveling 184+ miles over what can basically be described as gravel paths (or, at least mostly gravel) I was surprised, and simply tickled, that we only had one flat...which was on our first day. i was expecting more.
* Even though these the kids on the trip were riding new bikes, I expected that we would have some type of mechanical issues...whether small or big. But nope...nothing. (OK, we had a couple that developed a little squeal, but only one brought it to me to look at and a little shot of lube into the rubber dust cover on rear wheel axle took care of that.
* We did not stop to look or read man of the historical sites. The kids seemed to be more focused on reaching the destination no matter how much we tried to help them find the joy in the journey. Plus, with 10 of us traveling, short stops were the things of fantasy...all stops typically took longer than expected.
Some general thoughts I had about my set up...
* This was my second trip on my bike...a Fuji Touring bike...the first was an overnight trip on the Natchez Trace Parkway from Nashville, TN down to Highway 50. It rode great then...and it did great this time. No issues at all. I'm really loving this bike.
* I think I want to look into getting some type of kick-stand. There are times/places we stopped where there was no tree or post to lean my bike over and I just didn't feel like laying it on the ground. (though I have done that...several times). Maybe the click stand?
* Packing my food may be the biggest "issue" I need to figure out. I may be over thinking it...but I need a better/easier way of doing this. Someone had suggested to me that I used odor proof zip-lock bags so I would not have to worry about critters or anything during the night. They aren't bad, but sometimes seem a little cumbersome to pack or get food out. Or, it may just be that I need to do more tours and just get used to it.
Well, I guess that about wraps it up. Thanks for joining me on this journey and hope to have another trip soon!
Looking back over the trip there are so many things I am thankful for.
* To begin with when we checked the weather Sunday evening before our ride started, there was something like a 40-60% chance of storms on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. (Which really helped my outlook on the whole trip) As it ends up, we only experienced one rain shower, a relatively brief thunderstorm that blew through after our second day of riding...after we had set up our tents and after we had swam in the Potomac river.
* With 10 bikes (which if my math is correct is 20 wheels/tires) traveling 184+ miles over what can basically be described as gravel paths (or, at least mostly gravel) I was surprised, and simply tickled, that we only had one flat...which was on our first day. i was expecting more.
* Even though these the kids on the trip were riding new bikes, I expected that we would have some type of mechanical issues...whether small or big. But nope...nothing. (OK, we had a couple that developed a little squeal, but only one brought it to me to look at and a little shot of lube into the rubber dust cover on rear wheel axle took care of that.
* We did not stop to look or read man of the historical sites. The kids seemed to be more focused on reaching the destination no matter how much we tried to help them find the joy in the journey. Plus, with 10 of us traveling, short stops were the things of fantasy...all stops typically took longer than expected.
Some general thoughts I had about my set up...
* This was my second trip on my bike...a Fuji Touring bike...the first was an overnight trip on the Natchez Trace Parkway from Nashville, TN down to Highway 50. It rode great then...and it did great this time. No issues at all. I'm really loving this bike.
* I think I want to look into getting some type of kick-stand. There are times/places we stopped where there was no tree or post to lean my bike over and I just didn't feel like laying it on the ground. (though I have done that...several times). Maybe the click stand?
* Packing my food may be the biggest "issue" I need to figure out. I may be over thinking it...but I need a better/easier way of doing this. Someone had suggested to me that I used odor proof zip-lock bags so I would not have to worry about critters or anything during the night. They aren't bad, but sometimes seem a little cumbersome to pack or get food out. Or, it may just be that I need to do more tours and just get used to it.
Well, I guess that about wraps it up. Thanks for joining me on this journey and hope to have another trip soon!
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| This is my riding buddy...Dill! (More on him in a separate post) |
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