With my wife out of town for the week last week, to break up the full-time
childcare marathon I decided to declare a camping trip for me and my 3
("and a half!") year old son. The weather and open schedule lined up to set
off Thursday afternoon. We camped with him last summer on a road trip, so
he remembered and was excited about sleeping in a tent etc., but this was
the first S24O (and first bike camping trip) either of us had been on. With
the child seat blocking the rear rack, I was grateful for the carrying
capacity of my Pass & Stow rack up front. Warm weather meant we could
lighten the load by skipping sleeping bags.
<https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8863/28155868190_476c28ed47_z.jpg>
In the morning my passenger got a surprise gift of binoculars which
successfully kept him occupied on a long ride for him, over 2 hours of
riding plus breaks. It was a Very Hot Day, 90+, though not as humid as DC
can sometimes be. The first 8 miles (of 24), from Alexandria to Georgetown
on the Mount Vernon Trail, is part of my old commute and a route I still
ride several times a week - it was interesting to take it at a much slower
pace than usual (though not reduced effort!). Fortunately we left early
enough that we didn't get caught up in tangles of commuter traffic, so I
didn't have to do much regaining my momentum. The climb up to the Key
Bridge has a very steep bit which actually forced me into "granny gear" - a
rarity in our fairly flat surroundings. I was glad for the foresight of
including 24/32 gearing when I was selecting components 4 years ago!
The shade on the C&O Canal towpath helped with the heat considerably, and
the change in scenery made things more interesting for both of us. We took
a couple of 'nature breaks' and snack/water stops and slowed down a few
times to check out birds and fish in the canal. My Sam Hillborne handled
the packed dirt/stone towpath quite well, with the front/back loading much
closer to evenly balanced than I've gotten used to with my son in his rear
seat. I wondered if the 35mm Schwalbe Delta Cruisers I have on it for city
riding might not be wide enough for the load + dirt, but they did fine - if
we were doing a multi-day trip, though, something wider would be better. I
was able to pin down a handling quirk I had felt a few times before with
heavy front loads, when the steering would start to feel springy. I thought
before that it was play in the rack, but the slightly rougher dirt surface
didn't seem to bother it at all. The Pass & Stow is very solid. Instead the
springiness I felt in large steering inputs seemed was due to twisting in
the stem! The leverage of the wide Bosco Bullmoose bars combined with the
inertia of the rack load gave me something to push against and wind it up -
enough to see the twist in the bars relative to the rack. Next time I have
a big load I will try adding some Irish Straps between the bars and the
load/rack to see if they help firm things up.
<https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8031/27822722073_c40da871f4_z.jpg>
We got to the campsite (Swain's Lock, for those who know the C&O) about
7pm, just in time for dinner. We brought spaghetti, [no longer frozen]
meatballs and sauce from home and cooked it on the Trangia. My previous
attempt at using the Trangia was on a very windy beach at Nag's Head, NC,
where I was burning through fuel faster than I could get water boiling.
This time it was much more efficient, and actually got a bit too hot at the
bottom. I had to pick some burned noodles off the pot later. Set up the
tent while dinner cooked, and ready for bed just-like-that. Except: unlike
most of the campgrounds, which have wells with hand pumps to provide water,
this had a standpipe that was... turned off. A check on my smartphone
revealed that it had been for some time. I had brought along a filter "just
to be safe" with the well water and ended up using it to filter 6L of water
straight from the Potomac. I was very dehydrated from the hot day and the
effort, and did not plan for enough water carrying capacity - the nearest
fresh water was a 5 mile round trip back down the canal to the Great Falls
visitor center, and I would have had a hard time coaxing my now sleepy
passenger back onto the bike. The overnight temperature didn't get much
below 80, a bit hotter than I would have liked, but we managed with shirts
off and a bedsheets from home. Between the heat, needing to rehydrate, and
trying to work out comfortable sleeping positions (I had only been able to
find one of our two sleeping pads - another one is on order!), it took a
while to get settled. Oh, and there was a crisis because we forgot to bring
the beloved stuffed dog, Ruff Ruff.
<https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8601/28155853770_02dfde3291_z.jpg>
There were some fishermen pulling their kayaks out of the water at the
campsite (there is vehicle access there) and a couple of other bike campers
setting up when we arrived. Dealing with my son, I didn't really get a
chance to chat anyone up and ask about their trips. In the morning there
were four additional hammocks - not sure when they showed up, sometime
between 10am and midnight. They rose early and went out in boats, and a
couple of the cyclists were off at first light as well. We were up pretty
early too, oatmeal for breakfast then packing and heading home.
We had ridden past the Great Falls overlook in the evening in the interest
of getting to the campsite and dinner, but stopped off in the morning. It
was very different from my previous visit there: earlier in the day, of
course, but the water was much lower. It made for a good "teaching moment,"
talking about the stripes left by the different water levels and looking at
the logs that had been deposited on various rocks far above the current
water level. We had several other lessons on the trip, about how locks work
and the various animals we saw along the way. Several herons were hanging
out on the rocks fishing for their breakfast, which made for good
entertainment for a while. The rocks protruding through the platform at the
overlook served as a playground to work off some kid energy before the ride
back, as did a stop in the Great Falls visitor center. I wasn't interested
in waiting around, but next time we'll aim to be there when we can go for a
ride on the canal boat. I did let myself get talked into buying a small
stuffed rabbit in the gift shop, who will be the "camping buddy" the next
time out (much more packable, and expendable, than the dog).
<https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8818/27822694323_aa9c726b4e_z.jpg>
When we set off again down the path, we saw that many more animals were
active in the morning than had been the previous night. Not all of the
sections of the canal still contain water, so there's an opportunity to see
some varied wildlife. I was hoping for a fox, which we didn't see, but
there were deer and a couple of mice and rabbits scurrying around. The
sections with water, though, were clearly lower than normal: at first I
thought I was seeing rocks sticking out of the water, then realized they
were moving - turtles! Mostly box turtles, but a couple of snapping turtles
as well - including a fairly big one, about a 20" long shell. I stopped
just to check out the big one, but because it was so exposed we got to see
it snap at a fish. Another "teachable moment": imagine if that was your
finger!
<https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8479/28360256291_27b969c056_z.jpg>
After the early breakfast and lengthy stop at Great Falls, I was all set to
stop in Georgetown for lunch before heading home, but my passenger was
asleep before we reached the beltway, about 8 miles into the 24 mile return
trip, so I forged on. The return trip along the C&O was downstream and
therefore downhill, but not as much easier as I hoped since the canal
sections turned out (of course, duh) to be flat. Maybe I was just more
aware, but I seemed to be getting more quizzical and amused looks once I
was back on the paved trail than I had the previous night. By the time we
got to National Airport I was grateful for the new water fountain on the
trail, and for the three stop signs between us and home. We were both "good
and tired" at the end of the trip and, judging by the enthusiastic
retellings to grandma, stuffed animals, and anyone else who would listen,
the trip was good and memorable as well.
(more) photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHskAi8DP7
Lessons learned:
- We got by with the 35mm tires because the trail was fairly dry and
packed. If the dirt were looser or wet I certainly would have wished for
wider tires. On a longer trip where picking the weather is harder, I would
feel better having wider tires. I could probably still manage if I didn't
have a kid on the back, which raises the stakes for a fall considerably.
- Water! I need to have more carrying capacity on the bike next time. While
there are opportunities to refill along the C&O, the heat and effort meant
I was blowing through my water faster than it could be refilled. Next time
- Pest control. My 3 year old needs further training on keeping the tent
zipped shut, especially after dark with a lantern inside. I killed 8 or so
nice juicy mosquitos that had feasted on us all night - we are finally over
(most of) the itching.
- Kids will be interested by whatever is in front of them, if you show a
modicum of interest as well. TV is mesmerizing, easy to ask for, and, at
times, a convenient temporary babysitter. No TV, just trees and bugs and
frogs and snapping turtles? That's great too. There were zero mentions of
TV or movie related topics (except for some humming of Star Wars), not even
a request to "see" my phone. Also, they will absorb whatever you tell them
and repeat it back nearly verbatim hours and days later.
- The TV may not be missed, but DO NOT forget the beloved stuffed animal!
This is as important as bringing food, perhaps even more important.
- The Sam Hillborne is a great bike. This trip was about as much as I've
asked of it, so far. The Trek cyclocross bike that was my previous
do-everything bike (and currently has snow tires on it...) is pretty decent
on its own and handled well the few times I've needed something *very*
responsive
under me (loose slushy snow alternating with rutted ice, quick evasive
maneuvers in traffic) but feels noodly and unstable with much lighter loads
and doesn't cruise as nicely, loaded or unloaded, as the Sam. And while I
haven't ridden it on singletrack, I don't get the sense that I'd actually
be unable to get past something on it that I could with the Trek (except
that usually it's loaded up a bit heavier, and wears stainless steel
fenders, and...). Over the past 4 years my Sam has done everything I've
asked of it and asked for more.
Bonus milestone: after a poorly-executed maneuver on my part necessitated a
rim replacement on the rear wheel I bought from this list when I built up
my Sam, I can now say that I built the entire bike, down to the last bolt
(nipple). This was the first major ride on the new wheel and it is now
sufficiently dusty that it already "looks right"!
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