How'd the C&O Canal ride go, ladies? Pictures?

[Zen]

You make it, I'll eat it.
Danger is one of my middle names.

[madscot13]

You make it, I'll eat it.
Danger is one of my middle names.

repeat Mo' Danger.

[7rider]

Hey DebW.
I identified that critter on your back at Jefferson Rock, in Harper's Ferry.
It was a Wheel Bug, a large type of Assassin bug.
Cool, but lucky we didn't touch it. They're good bugs, but they can bite!

[DebW]

I had an ASSASSIN BUG crawling up my back? Good thing I didn't wait for you to take its picture on my neck.

[7rider]

I had an ASSASSIN BUG crawling up my back? Good thing I didn't wait for you to take its picture on my neck.

Actually, I did. I just didn't load that one to Photobucket!

[withm]

As I enter the 3rd week of the cold from hell inbetween coughing fits I think of so many questions about this trip I don't know where to start....

In one of the pix of 2 tents, it looks like one is just a rain fly, not a full tent? Did you carry a full tent but just decide to put up the fly or is that what you depended on for the whole tent?

Did you camp alone when Zen took her break? Was it OK - (well I guess it was since you got back to tell about it) but how was it?

What kinds of things did you bring and never use? Would you stil bring them again for a 2nd trip?

Did you ride at night at all?

Did the campers cook all meals or go into "town" to eat with the muffins?

What was the best/most useful thing you brought along? Funniest? Biggest waste of space?

Bugs?

How crowded was it? Were you always in sight of other riders or a couple miles apart? Were the campsites crowded? Did you ever have to go on the the next camp because the 1st choice was full up?

Flat tires? Mechanical problems? Did your bikes get totally filthy and need to be hosed down before riding again?

I'm sure I'll think of more questions but this will give you all something to think about.

Martha

[7rider]

Well.....
Speaking as a muffin....I'll answer the non-camping questions...

* Did you camp alone when Zen took her break? Was it OK - (well I guess it was since you got back to tell about it) but how was it?

Okay. I lied. I'll throw an answer in here. DebW. camped alone one night, and then the mother hens she had in tow started getting worried about her out there all by her lonesome as we started to approach "civilization." So, she bunked up with us (mostly DB) for the remaining nights. C'mon, Deb....There's no shame! Plus, she could join us for dinner and b'fast that way. Much more social!

* What kinds of things did you bring and never use? Would you stil bring them again for a 2nd trip?

Too much food. A paperback book and magazines. A presta pressure guage. Too many clothes (had we known the Red Roof Inn in Williamsport had laundry facilities (such as they were), we could have brought half the clothes and a little bit of laundry detergent instead).
I'd definitely bring my Terry bolero again. And, depending on the season, I might consider a jacket with zip off sleeves. Some days, I couldn't tell if I wanted/needed a jacket, or if a vest would have sufficed.

* Did you ride at night at all?

Nope. Our goal was to make it to town/camp with plenty of daylight available.

* What was the best/most useful thing you brought along? Funniest? Biggest waste of space?

Most useful: the bike! Actually, light layers, probably.
Biggest waste of space was that stupid book I never touched.

* Bugs?

I didn't really notice bugs until Harpers Ferry. And then, when you stopped, the gnats were around your face in force. Didn't bite, but they...bugged the heck out of you!

* How crowded was it? Were you always in sight of other riders or a couple miles apart?

Not crowded at all...untill we hit Harpers Ferry and south. Further north, we'd go a ways without seeing anyone. You could always tell when you were approaching a town because you'd see another person. If it was a jogger or a dog walker, you knew you were REALLY close to town.

* Flat tires? Mechanical problems? Did your bikes get totally filthy and need to be hosed down before riding again?

I got the only flat tire of the group. Thank you. Thank you very much.
I also had the only crash of the group (not counting Zen's topple in downtown D.C.).
DB got stung by a bee.
It was dry, so the bikes only got dusty, and by Leesburg, my chain was squeaking for want of some lube. I think Deb was ready to pitch me into the drink if I didn't do something about it!

And that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

[DebW]

As I enter the 3rd week of the cold from hell inbetween coughing fits I think of so many questions about this trip I don't know where to start....

In one of the pix of 2 tents, it looks like one is just a rain fly, not a full tent? Did you carry a full tent but just decide to put up the fly or is that what you depended on for the whole tent?

Zen carried a full tent. I used a Silshelter, which is a rain fly shaped like a tent, or a floorless single-walled tent. I figured I didn't need bug protection in October (would have carried a bug screen to cover my face while sleeping if I did). The Silshelter weighs 14 oz, my poles about 2 oz, and a ground cloth of about 2 oz. The shelter worked quite well. I had lots of condensation inside it the first night, but awoke to fog so that was unavoidable. The 2nd night I had no condensation.

Did you camp alone when Zen took her break? Was it OK - (well I guess it was since you got back to tell about it) but how was it?

I camped alone one night. It was fine. No bears trying to get my food - I hung it well. There was something splashing in the river nearby after dark. I'm used to camping alone.

What kinds of things did you bring and never use? Would you stil bring them again for a 2nd trip?

I didn't get to use my new warm but lightweight Primaloft jacket because it was pretty warm the beginning of the week when I was camping. Would have used it later in the week if I had been camping then. I never used one of the 4 pairs of socks I brought. Otherwise I think I used everything except the 2nd alcohol stove and my comb which I never could find until I got home, and my rain pants. I came home with 3 1-person dinners due to less camping than planned. Ate almost all of my lunch food.

What was the best/most useful thing you brought along? Funniest? Biggest waste of space?

A small 8-9-10 open end wrench. I almost didn't bring this because it doesn't fit anything on my bike (4&5 mm allens cover everything on my bike) but it got used several times on Zen's bike and DB's bike for fender adjustments. The chain tool and fiberfix spokes didn't get used.

Bugs?

Mosquitoes bothered me at the 2nd campsite. They didn't bother me inside my tent, just while fixing dinner and the next morning.

How crowded was it? Were you always in sight of other riders or a couple miles apart? Were the campsites crowded? Did you ever have to go on the the next camp because the 1st choice was full up?

The 2nd night I avoided the campsite before town because it had no water and was already occupied by one person. The next campsite after town had water and was unoccupied, so I stayed there.

Flat tires? Mechanical problems? Did your bikes get totally filthy and need to be hosed down before riding again?

7rider's flat was a leaking patch and not a puncture. My bike came home filthy, but not nearly as bad as my canal ride in May when I was sloshing through mud puddles. We had dry trail all week, so only dust this time.

[madscot13]

thank you for the great information!

[Zen]

So, Mad, are you gonna be around for an outing next spring or fall?
I'm going back to the Paw Paw tunnel next year...

[madscot13]

you hungry for some tropical fruit? I'm not sure what will be going on next year. I'm living by the moment.

[DebW]

I finally got around to cleaning my bike this morning. Hadn't ridden it since I came home from the C&O trip. Took me 3 hours to clean the frame, chain, chainrings (disassembled them to clean between), etc and relube. Yeah, it was dirty. I haven't cleaned the wheels or repacked the hubs yet - just swapped wheels for now. Then I rode 14 miles to a meeting and rode home.

[Zen]

Ha!
I cleaned my bike today too.
But I just sprayed on some Simple Green then hosed it off. I'll do the real dirty work this week.

[7rider]

You're supposed to clean your bike??

[divingbiker]

You're supposed to clean your bike??

Hrumph, Miss "I cleaned the Buzz thoroughly the day after we got back". Took me till Tuesday night, (and since I don't know how to take the cassette off that of course didn't get done.)