Bike to camp with family

[Melalvai]

We packed as light as we could. The trailer still weighed more than the average grocery trip. Even though it was heavy we just could not leave behind my husband's calculus homework. Probably pushing 200 pounds. I think the trailer's designed to carry 75 pounds max.

The campground was 13 miles away, 5 miles in town, 8 miles on the trail. Once we got to the trail, Iain & Nell rode with the connector (the x2Cycle). Boy howdy they could fly! I'm the strongest rider (hence me pulling the trailer) and I was pushing to keep up with them.

Packed a little too light...no can opener and no matches. Borrowed matches from neighboring campers. MacGuyver'd the can open with a pocket knife. The ravioli came out quite shredded from the jagged edges of the can, but it didn't hurt the taste.

Needed one more blanket. It got a bit chilly, even with three of us. Our new tent wasn't cramped for 3 people, but not overly spacious. Nell's too big for her little sleeping bag, it's made for a 5 yr old and she is 12.

The campers on the other side had a wild party and blasted loud music until 3 a.m. We asked them to turn it down and ended up calling the cops when one drunk kid decided to come over and talk to US. That woke up Nell, who amazingly slept through the loud music for a couple hours. Campground host tried to get them to shut it down, arrival of cops had an effect...for a little while. Finally they turned it off and we slept for a couple hours.

The thing that really irks me is, the weather was PERFECT! If we'd driven, we probably would have packed up at midnight and gone home, just like a couple stormy campouts I remember over the years (one when I was 9 mth pregnant). There was no storm, it was cool but not cold, but the drunks had to spoil it all.

We left early and so did some of the drunks. I had a slight taste of revenge because I hogged the drive all the way up to the road just as they were leaving. They had to follow me at 4, 5, 6 mph. I made a point of being in the MIDDLE of the drive.

There is quite a hill going home. Takes me up to 30 mph going down, but I had to pull that trailer up it. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I did! I had to stand in the pedals, and I had some sore muscles. Coming to work today, just me & my bike & my usual gear, I felt so light and fast! My commute has an even better hill that I normally struggle up, but it felt oddly easy today.

[Tuckervill]

Sounds like a fun time, almost. I hate when people blare music in campgrounds. Don't they know they're out there to enjoy the outdoors? And they don't know how far their voices carry in the night.

It's always easy to get revenge, though, by being loud right by their tent at 6:30 a.m. when I wake up!

You've got me thinking, that's for sure. We always need a second car when we go camping (but I usually take stuff needed by a big group like a tarp to hang up for shade). Now I'm wondering where we could go close by with our gear in the dog trailer?

Karen