2024 - Just a Bit of Touring

During the last week of June, I completed a 3-day “mini” bicycle tour, with 3 days of riding and 2 overnights on the road.  My bike was loaded with all the gear I needed for camping, including fixing meals.  Along with a sleeping bag and tent on my bike, I also had a cookstove, utensils, and  food for a couple of days.  After starting from my driveway, my overnight stops were planned for a state park and a state recreation area. While the destinations and routes were by no means epic, it was a fun getaway, despite some annoying tire issues cutting the final day short.

My Trek 920 - tour ready

My last tour had been in 2022, riding for 4 days along the east shore of Lake Michigan. Prior to that, I had been able to manage a weekend or longer trip almost every year for almost 5 years, but I missed in 2023 due to a bunch of life stuff that just happened. This would also be my first bicycle tour since I retired; so while I was not bound by vacation days, I still had to work this trip into a schedule that accommodated all those things that come up, including holidays, travel to visit grandkids, and all that other life stuff.  My original plan was for 4 days and 3 nights; however, some unexpected dental work ended up cutting the 4th day; otherwise, the trip would have been delayed a month. And in some regards, this was a bonus trip, since I had a 5-day supported trip, DALMAC, coming up at the end of August.

After a 2-year gap, pulling my gear together for this trip took a little longer than I expected.  Everything had been put away after the last trip with the intent of being ready for a quick turnaround. But since that trip, I had rebuilt our garage storage space, and that had involved moving and repacking things, including my camping gear.  I had also accumulated some new gear, and that had never been mixed in with the existing gear it replaced.

Besides my new gear, I was also trying to be more “critter” aware in my packing and camping habits. I wanted to take better precautions against the squirrels and raccoons typical of Midwest campgrounds, and the possibility of trips in bear territory on future adventures.  One of the items I added was a small Bear Vault canister for overnight food storage, and an assortment of odor-proof food storage bags, basically heavy-duty Ziploc bags.  This included a large bag for food picked up during the day, and a smaller bag for snacks that would be accessible from my handlebar bag. I also had bags for my chapstick, sunscreen, travel shampoo, and toothpaste, all things that can attract animals.  I am probably not perfect yet, but I am improving.  

I was not going to do laundry on a 3-day trip, so I had packed riding 2 sets of riding clothing, along with in-camp clothing.  I also packed a rain jacket and a convertible jacket/vest.  With the expected temperatures,  I did not pack any cool/cold weather gear.  I know from experience that my packing at home for the first day is never quite as well organized as it will after the first night on the road. While you are packing at home, there is a tendency for that “one last item” to end up in a less than ideal location in your packs. Once you leave home, your load is final, making it easier to put everything in its place for the days ahead.

A well balanced breakfast is essential!

For this short trip, I had my 3 dinners and 2 breakfasts packed, along with an assortment of snack bars, and a couple of days of hydration drink mix.  I would pick up fresh fruit each day, and I would eat lunch on the road.  I still live by my 3 meals on the bike rule, so I have a snack food to make a fair lunch; however, my planned route had plenty of meal opportunities in the various towns along the way.  

Along with the Bear Vault and odor-proof food bags, I had some other new gear to try.  Since my last trip, I had received a new JetBoil stove with a self-igniter for Christmas. It’s a nice convenience, though I still have matches packed.  For my USB rechargeable bike lights, Wahoo Bolt and other tech, I had a new Anker USB-C/A high-speed charger, matched up with a BioLite USB C/A 10,000 mAmp power bank.  This combination was 1/2 pound lighter than my older charger and pair of smaller power banks, and actually had more charging ports and a full day of back-up power.  Other new gear included a replacement for my failed sleeping pad, a sleeping bag liner, and a new camp clothes line solution. (A future blog will cover gear in more detail and my on-tour recharging strategy.)

Keeping cool with a shade break.

For my route, a bike club friend had tipped me off to Summit Lake State Park, an easy 60ish miles from my home for my first night out.  I had not really heard of it before, and the riding there was easy, starting from home on the Monon Trail, then heading east on the Midland Trace through Noblesville.   From Summit Lake, for day 2, I would then have a short run north to pick up the Cardinal Green Way, for a long day that would end at the Mississenewa Lake State Recreation Area.  It’s a great destination I have biked to many times before. With 300+ campsites, you are not likely to be turned away.  For Day 3 from Mississenewa, it was just 10 miles west to the Nickel Plate Trail, and then a straight run south through Kokomo on a mix of trail and county grid roads.  

I wrapped up most of my packing the afternoon and evening before departure.  As I went to bed, the weather forecast looked great for the days ahead.  I was looking forward to good nights’ sleep and an early start.

Look for Part 2 soon.

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