Just Got Back from my First Bike Camping Trip!

Jul 22, 2017

Hi guys,

Big NSV: I went bike camping, aka bike packing, aka, on a mini overnight bike tour...something I only dreamed of doing 100 Lbs ago!

My bike's back panniers were fully loaded, plus I had a stack of stuff bungeed on top of them.  My front black carrier had a cooler bag full of food and drink inside, and my blue bike purse had all of my electronics and money.  The stuff added at least an extra 50 Lbs to my bike, so I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I did it!

Here I am, getting ready to go:

Isn't my bike loaded down, lol?

Here are more photos:

My lunch yesterday was yummy!  I bought one of those tuna snack kits, which comes with a tiny can of tuna with a pull top, plus 6 crackers, a napkin, and tiny spoon.  I don't normally eat crackers but I rode 20 km yesterday (and 20 back today) PLUS I swam laps in the lake for over an hour. I burned well over 2000 calories yesterday, and 1000 today (swimming is the best exercise). 

Supper was a precooked frozen beef burger made from extra lean ground beef, thawed in my cooler bag on my bike ride, and cooked (reheated) over an alcohol stove, which is completely hidden in this photo.  The alcohol stove is a cat food can with two rows of holes poked around the top rim.  Alcohol such as fondue fuel is poured into the can, and then when the fire is lit and the pot is placed on the can, the flames shoot out the holes and surround the cook pot.  It's very simple, free, and works, but would take forever to boil water.

As a precaution, I put the cat food can stove inside a large frying pan so that if the alcohol spilled, it would be contained and not burn the picnic table down :-).  I used rocks to weigh the thing down so the wind wouldn't knock it off the table.

After my swim I changed and then went back to the beach to get some shots of the sunset.  I even went for a few bike rides around the campground.

My tent is the perfect size to carry on the bike, but not the perfect size for me.  I may return it to get the next size up as it worked well in good weather but wouldn't work at all in rain as my head and toes touch both sides of the tent.  It is supposed to be 6 feet long, but isn't.

I had a great time except for a few mishaps. The first was foolishly leaving later than I had planned.  I woke up early on Friday, at 6 AM, to get an early start. Then I was told I couldnt' set up my tent until 1 so I decided to wait to leave and I ended up cycling in the hot afternoon sun.  I got badly sunburned and a touch of heat stroke.  I was fine while I road; hot, yes, but there was a wind which cooled me down so I didn't notice the sunburn at all. I was wearing sunscreen with 60 SPF but I guess that wasn't enough. 

Even though my bike was loaded and heavy, I was able to cycle up every hill with that load.  It made me remember how very hard it was to move when I was 100 Lbs heavier.  Anyway, I was fine until I got to the campground and got off my bike. As soon as I did, a wave of dizziness hit me.  I tried to sign in and pay for my site but the dizziness was so bad I had to sit.  The manager's husband brought me to a lawn chair in the shade and I had to sit there for half an hour, drinking water, before I could get past the dizziness.  My stomach also felt awful, like I had to either run to the toilet or be sick. I didn't have to do either, but it sure felt that way.  As I sat in the chair, I looked up and saw a squirrel peering over the side of the roof, looking down at me.  So cute!

The other mishap was also my fault.  My Dad helped me strap everything onto my bike rack and I watched him do it and felt confident I could do it too.  Nope.  On the way home, my mattress pad fell off and I didn't even notice.  I headed back out in my truck to retrace my route but it was gone.  Either someone picked it up or it bounced off the road into the grass...and it's in a green compression sack so perfectly camoflauged.  I am upset because it was expensive and I'm on a fixed income.  I definitely can't go bike camping again without getting a new one.

Other than those two things, though, I had a great time.  I met lots of interesting people.

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