New Trend Alert: Hipsters bathe at well pumps!

D and I went on our first bike camping excursion. It went fairly smoothly. We took it as a chance to test out our gear and wilderness survival skills.

Lessons Learned:

1. Hang your food even if you think there is no risk of bears eating it. I awoke to D saying, "Something is eating our food." As he pointed the flashlight towards the paneer, the animal tried to drag the paneer away with it. Neither of us ever saw the animal as we are both legally blind without contacts. We just saw the reflector slowly moving away from the other bags' reflectors. Only four peanut butter sandwiches were lost. However, all the next day, D lamented the four missing sandwiches.

2. Bring glasses if you are legally blind and need to see quickly in the middle of the night.

3. Bring a map. Like baking, even if you think it is simple and you have cooked the recipe a thousand times, it is easy to forget a step. We biked the C&O Canal, our destination Harper's Ferry. Supposedly some of my lady relatives founded it with their families. We missed it by 2 miles or so. Sounded simple, you just get on the trail and bike the whole way there. No detours. Nothing. What we didn't know was that there is a small town before Harper's Ferry, which we mistook for Harpers Ferry. This small town did have a nice ice cream shop which included kids running behind the counters and everyone chatted us up. Not getting to Harpers Ferry gives us something to look forward to next time...

4. Bathing in a water pump is amazing after a long day of biking.

5. If you are biking somewhere very humid, nothing dries at night so be prepared for moist biking clothes if you leave them out at night.

6. Items not included in the last list that should be: small bottle of contact solution; extra toilet paper; grocery sacks for dirty/wet clothes, shoes, etc; hand sanitizer.

Bike Touring

I got my bike back! They put a Surly fork on my little Aurora. It looks great and it is true that absence makes the heart grow fonder. I cannot wait to ride my bike after the flash flood advisories end.

JB and I are planning on doing a bike tour of the Adirondacks in late June. Below is a list of all the gear I am planning on bringing. If anyone has any suggests, please let me know...

Camping Gear
1. Tent
2. Sleeping bags
3. Tarp
4. MSR Stove Kit with fuel
5. Towel
6. Metal silverware
7. Waterproof matches
8. First Aid Kit
9. Camelbacks
10. Bug spray
11. Sunscreen
17. Scrubber for pots
18. Dish for person not using MSR
19. Coffee Mug (to share)
20. Tent cord for hanging food/tying down fly
21. Strainer
22. Sleeping pad

Bike Gear
1. Bike tool (JB)
2. Tire change: bike tire levers, patch kit, extra tube, bike pump
3. Bike Lights (front and rear)
4. Bike Lock

Clothes
1. Bike shorts (2)
2. Swim suit
3. Lightweight hat
4. Rain Gear
5. Wool Sweater
6. Long Underwear
7. Three pair of underwear
8. Jeans
9. Dress
10. Sandals
11. Gloves

Food
1. Trail Mix
2. Dry Hummus
3. Granola
4. Instant Milk
5. Coffee
6. Powdered Gatoraide or Tang

Changes to bike:
1. Bike Seat
2. Pedals with clips (L)
3. Bike shoes
4. Fenders (?)
5. Front racks and bags (L)

Misc.
1. Laundry detergent
2. Three pairs socks
3. Soap (dish washing/armpit washing/clothes washing)
4. Sunglasses
5. Camera
6. Cards
7. Tent cord for hanging food/tying down fly
8. Blister Kit
9. Ibuprofen
10. Toothpaste/toothbrush
11. Deodorant
12. Extra batteries

Camping: The Basics

I tried to go camping. Rule number one: Just because your dad climbed mountains a couple of decades ago doesn't mean you shouldn't help with the preparation. Rule number two: don't let your brother pack for you. Rule number three: bring sleeping bag on every camping trip.

So we tried. We really did. The roads were against us. The weather was against us. We camped one night, my dad and I, in a very small tent. Good times. Then we got a 100 dollar hotel room with the soft beds and fake rustic wood frames. Then we drove to Idaho to spend time in a nice warm house on a lake with the rest of the family.

Things I got from the trip: nostalgia, nostalgia, nostalgia and lots of time with my dad. Things my dad got from the trip: some kind of viral rash all over his neck. Things we both got from the trip: we need a list for next year. And here it is...

1. Tent
2. Sleeping bags
3. Tarp
4. MSR Stove Kit with fuel
5. Towel
6. Metal silverware
7. Leatherman or cheap rip off
8. Soap (dish washing/armpit washing)
9. Apples for lunch
10. Waterproof matches
11. First Aid Kit
12. Target Fruit Chocolate Trail Mix
13. Camelbacks
14. Bug spray
15. Sunscreen
16. Lightweight hat
17. Wind Shirt
18. Three pairs socks
19. Plan meals
20. Sunglasses
21. Camera
22. Eggs
23. Dry Hummus
24. Tortillas
25. Oil
26. Cards/Backgammon
27. Scrubber for pots
28. Dish for person not using MSR
29. Coffee Mug
30. Powdered Gatoraide or Tang
31. Beano but probably better Gas X
32. Plastic Panchos
33. Tent cord for hanging food/tying down fly
34. Blister Kit
35. Ibuprofen
36. Toothpaste/toothbrush
37. Deodorant

The end.