Great writeup, John, thanks! I can't believe that there's no water at
Swain's Lock. Next time you can try some of the campgrounds further up the
canal. I haven't camped there but have ridden past them. Cheers, Steve
On Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 12:12:46 AM UTC-4, John Stowe wrote:
>
> With my wife out of town for the week last week, to break up the full-time
> childcare marathon I decided to declare a camping trip for me and my 3
> ("and a half!") year old son. The weather and open schedule lined up to set
> off Thursday afternoon. We camped with him last summer on a road trip, so
> he remembered and was excited about sleeping in a tent etc., but this was
> the first S24O (and first bike camping trip) either of us had been on. With
> the child seat blocking the rear rack, I was grateful for the carrying
> capacity of my Pass & Stow rack up front. Warm weather meant we could
> lighten the load by skipping sleeping bags.
>
> <https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8863/28155868190_476c28ed47_z.jpg>
>
>
> In the morning my passenger got a surprise gift of binoculars which
> successfully kept him occupied on a long ride for him, over 2 hours of
> riding plus breaks. It was a Very Hot Day, 90+, though not as humid as DC
> can sometimes be. The first 8 miles (of 24), from Alexandria to Georgetown
> on the Mount Vernon Trail, is part of my old commute and a route I still
> ride several times a week - it was interesting to take it at a much slower
> pace than usual (though not reduced effort!). Fortunately we left early
> enough that we didn't get caught up in tangles of commuter traffic, so I
> didn't have to do much regaining my momentum. The climb up to the Key
> Bridge has a very steep bit which actually forced me into "granny gear" - a
> rarity in our fairly flat surroundings. I was glad for the foresight of
> including 24/32 gearing when I was selecting components 4 years ago!
>
> The shade on the C&O Canal towpath helped with the heat considerably, and
> the change in scenery made things more interesting for both of us. We took
> a couple of 'nature breaks' and snack/water stops and slowed down a few
> times to check out birds and fish in the canal. My Sam Hillborne handled
> the packed dirt/stone towpath quite well, with the front/back loading much
> closer to evenly balanced than I've gotten used to with my son in his rear
> seat. I wondered if the 35mm Schwalbe Delta Cruisers I have on it for city
> riding might not be wide enough for the load + dirt, but they did fine - if
> we were doing a multi-day trip, though, something wider would be better. I
> was able to pin down a handling quirk I had felt a few times before with
> heavy front loads, when the steering would start to feel springy. I thought
> before that it was play in the rack, but the slightly rougher dirt surface
> didn't seem to bother it at all. The Pass & Stow is very solid. Instead the
> springiness I felt in large steering inputs seemed was due to twisting in
> the stem! The leverage of the wide Bosco Bullmoose bars combined with the
> inertia of the rack load gave me something to push against and wind it up -
> enough to see the twist in the bars relative to the rack. Next time I have
> a big load I will try adding some Irish Straps between the bars and the
> load/rack to see if they help firm things up.
>
> <https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8031/27822722073_c40da871f4_z.jpg>
>
>
> We got to the campsite (Swain's Lock, for those who know the C&O) about
> 7pm, just in time for dinner. We brought spaghetti, [no longer frozen]
> meatballs and sauce from home and cooked it on the Trangia. My previous
> attempt at using the Trangia was on a very windy beach at Nag's Head, NC,
> where I was burning through fuel faster than I could get water boiling.
> This time it was much more efficient, and actually got a bit too hot at the
> bottom. I had to pick some burned noodles off the pot later. Set up the
> tent while dinner cooked, and ready for bed just-like-that. Except: unlike
> most of the campgrounds, which have wells with hand pumps to provide water,
> this had a standpipe that was... turned off. A check on my smartphone
> revealed that it had been for some time. I had brought along a filter "just
> to be safe" with the well water and ended up using it to filter 6L of water
> straight from the Potomac. I was very dehydrated from the hot day and the
> effort, and did not plan for enough water carrying capacity - the nearest
> fresh water was a 5 mile round trip back down the canal to the Great Falls
> visitor center, and I would have had a hard time coaxing my now sleepy
> passenger back onto the bike. The overnight temperature didn't get much
> below 80, a bit hotter than I would have liked, but we managed with shirts
> off and a bedsheets from home. Between the heat, needing to rehydrate, and
> trying to work out comfortable sleeping positions (I had only been able to
> find one of our two sleeping pads - another one is on order!), it took a
> while to get settled. Oh, and there was a crisis because we forgot to bring
> the beloved stuffed dog, Ruff Ruff.
>
> <https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8601/28155853770_02dfde3291_z.jpg>
>
>
> There were some fishermen pulling their kayaks out of the water at the
> campsite (there is vehicle access there) and a couple of other bike campers
> setting up when we arrived. Dealing with my son, I didn't really get a
> chance to chat anyone up and ask about their trips. In the morning there
> were four additional hammocks - not sure when they showed up, sometime
> between 10am and midnight. They rose early and went out in boats, and a
> couple of the cyclists were off at first light as well. We were up pretty
> early too, oatmeal for breakfast then packing and heading home.
>
> We had ridden past the Great Falls overlook in the evening in the interest
> of getting to the campsite and dinner, but stopped off in the morning. It
> was very different from my previous visit there: earlier in the day, of
> course, but the water was much lower. It made for a good "teaching moment,"
> talking about the stripes left by the different water levels and looking at
> the logs that had been deposited on various rocks far above the current
> water level. We had several other lessons on the trip, about how locks work
> and the various animals we saw along the way. Several herons were hanging
> out on the rocks fishing for their breakfast, which made for good
> entertainment for a while. The rocks protruding through the platform at the
> overlook served as a playground to work off some kid energy before the ride
> back, as did a stop in the Great Falls visitor center. I wasn't interested
> in waiting around, but next time we'll aim to be there when we can go for a
> ride on the canal boat. I did let myself get talked into buying a small
> stuffed rabbit in the gift shop, who will be the "camping buddy" the next
> time out (much more packable, and expendable, than the dog).
>
> <https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8818/27822694323_aa9c726b4e_z.jpg>
>
>
> When we set off again down the path, we saw that many more animals were
> active in the morning than had been the previous night. Not all of the
> sections of the canal still contain water, so there's an opportunity to see
> some varied wildlife. I was hoping for a fox, which we didn't see, but
> there were deer and a couple of mice and rabbits scurrying around. The
> sections with water, though, were clearly lower than normal: at first I
> thought I was seeing rocks sticking out of the water, then realized they
> were moving - turtles! Mostly box turtles, but a couple of snapping turtles
> as well - including a fairly big one, about a 20" long shell. I stopped
> just to check out the big one, but because it was so exposed we got to see
> it snap at a fish. Another "teachable moment": imagine if that was your
> finger!
>
> <https://c4.staticflickr.com/9/8479/28360256291_27b969c056_z.jpg>
>
>
> After the early breakfast and lengthy stop at Great Falls, I was all set
> to stop in Georgetown for lunch before heading home, but my passenger was
> asleep before we reached the beltway, about 8 miles into the 24 mile return
> trip, so I forged on. The return trip along the C&O was downstream and
> therefore downhill, but not as much easier as I hoped since the canal
> sections turned out (of course, duh) to be flat. Maybe I was just more
> aware, but I seemed to be getting more quizzical and amused looks once I
> was back on the paved trail than I had the previous night. By the time we
> got to National Airport I was grateful for the new water fountain on the
> trail, and for the three stop signs between us and home. We were both "good
> and tired" at the end of the trip and, judging by the enthusiastic
> retellings to grandma, stuffed animals, and anyone else who would listen,
> the trip was good and memorable as well.
>
> (more) photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHskAi8DP7
>
> Lessons learned:
> - We got by with the 35mm tires because the trail was fairly dry and
> packed. If the dirt were looser or wet I certainly would have wished for
> wider tires. On a longer trip where picking the weather is harder, I would
> feel better having wider tires. I could probably still manage if I didn't
> have a kid on the back, which raises the stakes for a fall considerably.
> - Water! I need to have more carrying capacity on the bike next time.
> While there are opportunities to refill along the C&O, the heat and effort
> meant I was blowing through my water faster than it could be refilled. Next
> time
> - Pest control. My 3 year old needs further training on keeping the tent
> zipped shut, especially after dark with a lantern inside. I killed 8 or so
> nice juicy mosquitos that had feasted on us all night - we are finally over
> (most of) the itching.
> - Kids will be interested by whatever is in front of them, if you show a
> modicum of interest as well. TV is mesmerizing, easy to ask for, and, at
> times, a convenient temporary babysitter. No TV, just trees and bugs and
> frogs and snapping turtles? That's great too. There were zero mentions of
> TV or movie related topics (except for some humming of Star Wars), not even
> a request to "see" my phone. Also, they will absorb whatever you tell them
> and repeat it back nearly verbatim hours and days later.
> - The TV may not be missed, but DO NOT forget the beloved stuffed animal!
> This is as important as bringing food, perhaps even more important.
> - The Sam Hillborne is a great bike. This trip was about as much as I've
> asked of it, so far. The Trek cyclocross bike that was my previous
> do-everything bike (and currently has snow tires on it...) is pretty decent
> on its own and handled well the few times I've needed something *very*
> responsive
> under me (loose slushy snow alternating with rutted ice, quick evasive
> maneuvers in traffic) but feels noodly and unstable with much lighter loads
> and doesn't cruise as nicely, loaded or unloaded, as the Sam. And while I
> haven't ridden it on singletrack, I don't get the sense that I'd actually
> be unable to get past something on it that I could with the Trek (except
> that usually it's loaded up a bit heavier, and wears stainless steel
> fenders, and...). Over the past 4 years my Sam has done everything I've
> asked of it and asked for more.
>
> Bonus milestone: after a poorly-executed maneuver on my part necessitated
> a rim replacement on the rear wheel I bought from this list when I built up
> my Sam, I can now say that I built the entire bike, down to the last bolt
> (nipple). This was the first major ride on the new wheel and it is now
> sufficiently dusty that it already "looks right"!
>
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