Saturday, May 24, 2008

Anxiously Awaiting the Departure


With only a little over 3 weeks left before the commencement of our bike trip, we decided it was time to post some pictures and tell you all what we have been doing in preparation for the trip. A few weeks back, the trio headed out for a 60 mile, fully-loaded trip to Chillicothe. Our intention was to camp in Chillicothe and then come back the next morning. Because of inclement weather (cold windy rain) we didn't make it all the way to Chillicothe; instead, we camped out at a state park about 14 miles southeast of Mcarthur called Lake Rupert. We are pictured (above) outside of Club Vinton, which is an illustrious watering hole about 7 miles west of Mcarthur. We were considerably enlivened after a beer and some pickled eggs. (Below: Luke and I setting up camp Further Below: the bike fully loaded behind Club Vinton)





This trip was our first attempt to ride distance with fully loaded panniers. It was certainly a lot of work, and highlighted the difficulty of riding with unwieldy loads through uncomfortable weather. However surprisingly difficult this dry run (or more appropriately wet run) seemed, it was a splendid time.

More, soon to come.
SAM

1 comment:

gah said...

Sam (Jake),
Congrats on the first test run - at least now you know what that 30-100 miles per day is going to feel like. Hopefully the summer sun will lighten your load some.
I've known some pretty good bikers who only made it as far as the Rockies - so your headed for the touring hall-of-fame with this trip.
We're looking forward to your arrival here in Denver, keep us posted!

Uncle Scott