A Fall Bike Overnight

Monday we took another ride out to the local lake to spend the night. We left home shortly after lunch and arrived at the lake mid afternoon. I believe the trip is about 22 miles one way. It was a pleasant, uneventful ride there. What little wind there was, was at our backs. Nova rode her Salsa Journeyman and me my old Specialized Crossroads.

Once at the lake and after purchasing our permit and Oreos at the bait shop, we rode around the lake to our now usual camping spot. We brought our own beer (Blue Moon) this time wrapped in a freezer pack and stashed in a insulated soft sided lunch cooler-thing. We ate basically the same thing that we have the other times which was Knorr brand packaged rice and beans to which I add canned mixed veggies. Nova doesn’t like canned vegetables. Tortillas on the side, corn this time. This time I remembered to bring some of those small packets of Taco Bell hot sauce and salsa. Dinner was good.

While pedaling around the lake to our campground we passed a woman who asked if we were riding cross country. Every Time we’ve done this someone has asked us that same question. From what I’ve seen, people who tour or live on their bikes carry less gear than we do lol. I’ve gained even more respect for those people since we’ve done these overnights.

The daytime temperature was in the low 70s (Farenheit) and at night dropped to 47°. In addition to our cheap 40° sleeping bags we also brought along one other heavier sleeping bag. We each slept in one layer of clothing and our sleeping bags. Early morning when the temperature reached it’s lowest we were both slightly chilled so we opened up the heavier bag and laid it atop both of us. It was another rough night due to all the factors i’ve mentioned in previous posts. At least we weren’t sweating. We spent 12 hours in the tent and probably slept 2.

Come morning we made coffee and ate breakfast. I had my usual flour tortillas with peanut butter and Nova a blueberry bagel. We then broke camp and headed home. Previous times we’d stick around the lake for a bit and drink more coffee before leaving but it was still pretty chilly and we hoped to beat the increasing wind on our ride home. That didn’t happen as the wind was already 20some mph by the time we left. The lack of sleep and the wind made for an exhausting ride home.

So all in all another miserable night bike camping. Can’t wait to do it again.