Bicycle camping season is back on in Washington State!
Posted Apr 29, 2012, 8:06 PM UTC
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Nice Hillborne!
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I am jealous. I have to wait until finals week is over, and then I'm hitting the road. Beautiful bike btw.
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I did a 2,800 mile tour back in '07. Washington/Oregon were my absolute favorite parts! The camping areas were amazing, the roads were nice, and the people...well there is no other state that even compares to the people! A word of advice, avoid Iowa!
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Why avoid Iowa? I'm looking at moving there for school soon.
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I meant in terms of bicycling. Typical midwest drivers who think the road was paved specifically for them, little to no shoulder, and not much to look at as far as attractions go. Outside of bicycling Iowa is fine.
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Ah alright, I'm living in the Midwest now so I'm already used to that. Your description of drivers here is spot on, unfortunately.
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Going on tuesday to yellowstone, picked up an old steel trek mtb, should do great!
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I've been eyeing CL every day for a nice old mtb frame. Have fun, and don't forget to snap some photos for us.
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I came here to say I have that same tent.....
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Then you'll have to excuse the way I leisurely draped the fly over the top. I swear I actually set it up properly after the photo was taken.
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It's a wonderful idea. I've ridden back and forth over the north Cascades, and recommend it. As long as you love gorgeous scenery, but don't mind LOTS of hills. But for every up, there's a reward.
Tip: during bug season, stop at the tops of hills, not at the bottoms. During the long uphills, if there's no wind, you might acquire a fan club of interested insects. If you coast downhill at the tops for 100 meters, you lose the bugs, and can stop and rest for a few minutes. But if you stop to rest at the bottom, you start slow, and all the bugs will jump on and pester you all the way up.
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REI passage buddy!
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I wish I could do rides like that again now that I have the time. But I no longer have the endurance of my youth. Enjoy it for me, will ya?
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I've been thinking about doing this as well. We plan to ride roughly 50 miles south to Letchworth State park via the Genesee Greenway.
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Nice! I might steal that idea for myself.
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How do you like the twin top tube Sam? Notice any difference in between it and other single top tube frames you've ridden?
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I would have said no until yesterday when I finally gave this frame a camping load to deal with. Absolutely perfect the way it settled in and stayed (relatively) nimble, and quite predictable. To be fair, it has an "expanded" geometry and the headtube is so long that I'm not surprised they decided to throw another tube on there. The confusing thing is that it was offered as a single top tube version as well.
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Where in Washington ?
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Went from Seattle to Bremerton by ferry, then maybe 12 miles or so to Green Mountain horse camp. It's closed to cars until June 1st, so perfect excuse for a bicycle trip.
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Our bike club does a sub 24 trip up to green Mtn every summer. Ever heard of point83?
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I have not, but I'm all ears.
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I've ridden with .83 a few times. They can be a lot fun if you're looking to drink and ride with a bunch of rowdy kids.
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Seattle, here, as well. I love taking the ferry to Bremerton and camping on the Hood Canal during oyster season. Best breakfast ever is only 10 feet away. :)
It wasn't too cold in the morning, still? I've been debating for a couple weeks.
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Morning was fine, but I had wool from head to toe. I'd definitely like to hear more about camping spots on Hood Canal.
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I just starting getting in to touring last summer and I was doing a lot of what you're talking about (going out for the day, or going out for one night). Twice I went to Twanoh state park which is a 22 mile ride east from the Bremerton ferry. Also, their only good camping spot (on the water) is hiking & biking only so you're more apt to find it open. The downfall of the park, though, is the traffic on the road which you're close to. A lot of local yokels hoo-rah'ing it up on a Fri/Sat night and driving a round.
What I want to check out on my first trip this year is going to Iron Horse State Park, 42 miles to the east of Seattle. If you go down to Renton and jump on the cedar river trail it takes you most of the way there. It's just a tiny state park, but it's next to Wenatchee National Forest which is also free camping.
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This looks great. Anyone bike and camp on the east coast?
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what kind of bike is that?
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Rivendell Sam Hillborne
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Beat me to it! I'll say the extra tire clearance was essential for that trip. 38c front and rear made the difficult fire roads a little easier and puncture-free.
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I love how they look. I think if I was getting a touring bike it would be either that or a surly.
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For the money, it's hard to beat the LHT. I went with the Hillborne obviously, but the Surly was very strongly considered.
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Velo Orange Model 6. It's a Brooks copy, but quite nice. The first 50 or 60 miles were a little annoying, but it's broken in very well. I think it feels a little better for me than the B-17 overall. You can get into a very comfortable tuck with it.
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That would be so fun. I would love to do that one day.
It's easier to get into than you think. Just look up campsites on your areas (assuming US) DNR website and find the closest. Even if you just go there in the morning, setup and see how you fair through the afternoon then leave, it serves as a great test run for a real weekend camping trip.
It's easy if you have a bike that can take a little bit of load. I brought maybe 25lbs of stuff in all, including gear, food, and water. Shame it was just overnight, but I've got to work tomorrow.
Can I ask about your packing list? I'm planning to do an extended bike camping trip soon.
The saddlebag had: REI Passage 1 tent with footprint, Thermarest z-lite sleeping pad (on top), Thermarest pillow, REI 45 degree down sleeping bag (packs really small), Trangia cookset, bowl, campfire skewers, tool kit, tubes, wool baselayers (tops and bottoms), wool socks, hat, and lock. The bag in the front basket had: food, extra drinks, book, wallet, cell phone, flashlight, wool sweater, extra straps, lighter.
I think that's everything.
Trangias are the ultimate touring cookset. I've a 15 year old on that I got from my dad that is still going strong. Great little kit.
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/r/bicycletouring
Here is a list of gear commonly used on tours, you would just need to adapt it as you see fit.