Catastrophe and Triumph--My First Trip

So, almost everything changed in the plans for my after Turkey Day ride.

I wasn't able to get my friend's TNF tent because he had lent it out to someone else.  I changed destinations--twice.  Had a start-stop-start all over beginning.  And didn't sleep in a tent until the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Gear--

As I said, I couldn't get the 4-season tent I had planned on.  Since I still didn't have the funds to buy the tent I want this almost killed the trip long before it began, as there was no way I was going to try to camp in sub-freezing weather with my Hubba-Hubba.  The HH is a great tent when it's warm out, and one that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a cycling or backpacking tent, but it is almost all mesh.  My son and I spent the night in it once in February in Ohio, and while we were nice and toasty in our bags, the act of getting out of the bags in the morning was pure misery.




Room for Me and my Pack mule

Being the stubborn old fart that I am I came up with a compromise.  I used an Ozark Trail 9 x 7 tent that I had bought on a whim for car camping.  I used some velcro-tape and blue tarp material to close off the roof vents and whah-lah--4-season(?) tent.  Not ideal but it worked.  The tent weighs around 9 lbs so I was hauling the equivalent weight of the VE-25, although without the quality.  And, since it is a four-person tent there was room to put my Nomad inside.

Aside from the tent, the rest of my gear list was easy:  sleeping pad, sleeping bag, jetboil stove, clothes, food, medicines, bike maintenance, first-aid, etc. The bike performed as planned with no maintenance issues other than a lose kickstand bolt, and the trailer was the perfect little pack mule:  I will review it separately as it deserves its own post.

As for the route; well that changed before I got started, then again later.  Instead of going to Brown County State Park, I opted instead for a trip to Turkey Run State Park.  This decision grew out of a concern for my ability to climb hills towing a trailer full of gear.  Brown County is all hills, which makes it great for mountain biking, but also worried me in terms of my fitness.  Turkey Run however is in corn-country and the route to and from there is flat.  Since both parks are about the same distance from home (60ish miles) I decided I had better try flat ground for my maiden voyage.

So, Black Friday arrives.  I wake at 5 AM and leave the house at 6:30 fully confidant and excited about my trip.  I left early so I could ride in relatively low traffic until I cleared the city--this part of the plan worked perfectly, I had absolutely no problems with the idiocy I normally face when riding through Indianapolis.  The problems arose once I cleared the heavily populated part of my route.

You see, I had checked the weather, but not all of it.  All I was worried about was temperature, and precipitation.  Once I hit the wide open spaces of corn country I quickly discovered that my big enemy was not temperature or rain as I had the right clothing to protect me from both.  No--my big enemy was the wind.  10-20 mph headwinds gusting to 25-30 mph, to be precise.

I tried fighting the wind for quite a while, but they were unrelenting and brutal.  I had to get off my bike and walk for several stretches because the winds were pushing me back harder than I could pedal forward, or they were hitting me from the side pushing me off the bike.  My speed was averaging less than 5 mph.  After six hours and just over 30 miles I turned back, out of fear of being caught out after dark in unfamiliar territory in a 15 degree wind chill.

As I turned around I felt a horrible sense of defeat and was getting quite depressed, but the ride became a lot easier.  With 20 mph tailwinds I was able to coast for long stretches of road doing 10 mph with no effort other than sitting up and holding the handlebars; it was like sailing on a bike.  The thirty mile stretch that had taken 6 hours to cover one way took just over 2 hours the other.

During the two hour return trip I decided that I would try again with a different route, and destination.  So, after a few hours looking at maps (and wind forecasts) I opted for a ride to Mounds State Park which is only 45 miles from my back door.

This time things went great.

Once again I was up at 5 a.m., and out the door into the cold pre-dawn by 6:30. The route I chose kept me off of all the busy roads here in Indianapolis,  and on bike trails or country roads for most of the trip.  So, once I worked off the initial chill, the ride was quite pleasant.  The only city roads I really had to deal with were through Anderson, IN. 

I would like to take some time here talking about Anderson.  I was a little worried about going through the heart of this small city, due to its having a popular horse track and casino.  But I found out that my fears were extremely unfounded.  The drivers in Anderson were some of the most considerate that I have ever had the pleasure to ride around.  Despite my taking some of the major streets and going right by the local mall on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year, I had no problems with impatient or dangerous drivers.  In fact the drivers took great pains to give me room, and I never once felt like I was in danger.  Kudos to Anderson.

Camp Cold and Lonely

As for the park, it was an interesting place.  It is named for the 2,000 year old Native American earthworks which are at its center, and are quite interesting, as it s believed that they were for astronomical observances.  As it was quite cold and well beyond the 'normal' camping season I had the campgrounds to myself, except for a small herd of Whitetail Deer who roamed around the grounds taking no real interest in the lone guy sitting by his tent cooking dinner.  In the picture at right you can see just how deserted the campground was.  (My tent is the little blue dot left of center)  There was even a short bike trail around the small airport to the north of the park.  Once again--kudos to Anderson.

My Steed and Pack Mule

All in all this trip went as planned and served its intended purpose, which was to be a test of my equipment, my legs, and my heart.  In each case everything performed as well as or better than I had hoped.  And I am already planning my next excursion, as I am now quite hooked on this touring thing.

Next time though--I will pay very close attention to ALL of the forecast.