Flapping Nostrils

[E.A.Y.]

An overnight hammock/recumbent trike expedition. November 2011

Link to YouTube video (in HD, no less!)

Gear list is at the end of the written report.

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Why did I do this little trip? I've always wanted to tour by bicycle and now I am the proud owner of a luscious orange (color is important) German-made recumbent tadpole tricycle.



Beals Point campground (Folsom Lake SRA) is about 13 miles from my house, quite useful for my first human-powered-vehicle overnight.

It took me an hour and a half to get to the campground and two and a half to get back. My average on the way out was 9 mph, and back was just over 5 mph. Yes, you saw that right. 5.2 mph. Oy.

Take a look at this little diagram for part of the reason:



RidewithGPS gives these stats for my outbound leg
Elevation: + 1089 / - 1814 ft
Start Elevation: 1189 ft
End Elevation: 486 ft
Minimum Elevation: 126 ft
Maximum Elevation: 1334 ft

and this for my return trip
Elevation: + 1783 / - 1070 ft

The other reason for my lethargic pace is that I'm pudgy and middle aged.

At noon I rolled out of the garage, down the driveway, shifted to my most grannyiest gear, and slogged up the STUPID hill in front of the house. Every from-the-door-tour will start this way so I ought to get used to it.

Then I got to fly down the first hill on the main road and attained 37.3 mph! That's the fastest yet I've coasted on this bike. Or any bike. Ever.
My nostrils flapped in the wind. Weird feeling.

I traveled primarily on roads (usually no bike lane but with a shoulder of varying quality) but used a bikepath over Folsom Crossing (the road/bridge replacing the old dam road across the American River just below Folsom Lake).

There are multiple construction projects all around Folsom Lake.



Sometimes Folsom Crossing is closed around noon for blasting or other exciting things. I timed it just right to have a nice break in the shade of the construction company's office parking lot (not that I was trying, but it worked out fine). No blasting was audible.



After Folsom Crossing, although I could have continued on the bike path to the campground, I chose instead to take Folsom Auburn Road, since I needed to pay my camping fee at the kiosk.
$25 for the off season, no biker discount.

I chose Site #1 since I was tired and wanted to set up camp and there were two trees Right There and I'd have plenty of 'campground TV' to watch since I was right off the main drag.



While I was setting up, I realized that I had packed neither climbing carabiners nor Dutch Clips for my hammock. No matter. I made it work anyway.
Unthreaded the straps from the hammock, wrapped them around the trees by threading one end through the other end's sewn loop, rethreaded hammock.
And I even remembered to take them off the trees the next morning!

I loafed around and read and people-watched. Had some tea.

I critter-watched (turkeys, squirrels, bicyclists)

Loafed some more and ate dinner (sandwich from the deli I'd stopped at on my way through Folsom).

Gathered some HUGE pinecones (sorry, forgot a pic of those) which helped my twig and small branch fire look Much Bigger than it was.



Finally crawled into my hammock (I had my Crowsnest 3/4 underquilt and Burrow top quilt) and read or listened to some podcasts.

Got up multiple times in the night (why did I have two cups of tea with dinner? I KNOW better!) Smelled a skunk one time.

Woke up for good at 6:30am and wandered around the lake shore for a while, then packed up and headed back.



Back over Folsom Crossing, then up all the hills I'd gleefully sailed down less than 24 hours before.

I whined a lot climbing up the hills, but I also had a chance to stop and admire the landscape. In a car I fly by at 55mph so I miss a lot.



Remember the 37.3 mph hill? Well, I had to go back up that. Ugh.

Arrived home 23 hours after I'd left, with way too many pics and video to process.

Gear thoughts:
I wore exercise shorts and a short sleeved golf shirt (wicking and very comfortable) on the way out, and lightweight wool (long sleeves and long pants) on the way back. Temps were in the mid to upper 60s on the way out and about 10 degrees cooler with more wind and not much sun on the way back.
If I had been riding into the afternoon on the way back, I would have stopped and switched back to the lighter clothes.

I tossed the Primaloft jacket in the bag on a whim, and I'm glad I had it along. I did not use the wool zipneck jersey or the booties or the fleece gloves. Or the rain pants.

It was nice and cool but not too cold at night: perfect for snuggling in the Burrow and also for having the tarp fairly high up. I'm glad I put the doors on the south west end, since that's where the early evening and early morning breezes were coming from.

My trike weighs 40 pounds (not something I can change) and my total gear weight (bags, food, water) was 29 pounds. 8 pounds of that was bike tools.

HP Velotechnik Scorpion full suspension trike.
9-32 semi custom cassette, 26-42-52 front, 155mm cranks, 20" wheels all around.

OES tarp with guy lines and 1 set doors, stakes
WBBB hammock
Burrow topquilt, Crowsnest underquilt, Gossamer Gear pad

Caldera cone w/ esbit stove, Ti pot/mug/spoon

Tea bags, milk, sugar
Food bars
Some sandwich from the grocery store along the way
Oatmeal packet
Couple of bananas

One pair exercise shorts and golf shirt, sports bra, socks, bike shoes
Helmet and ball cap
Wool zipneck jersey
Wool long underwear set and hat and fleece balaclava for sleeping. Booties.
Fleece gloves and wool socks
Homemade primaloft pullover
Rainpants, lightweight, for windblocking or light rain
Windbreaker, high viz

Pliers, allen wrenches and one Torx
Pocketknife
Master links and some spare chain, chain tool
3 tubes and mini pump w/ gauge
Tire levers, patch kit, boot
Gorilla tape and zip ties
Bike lock

Sunscreen, lipbalm
Toothpaste, brush, floss
1/4 bar of soap, deodorant
Toilet paper, hand sanitizer
Collapsible bucket
First aid kit
Bandana

Wallet
Notepad + pencil
Celphone and charger
Camera and spare batteries
Small tripod
Paperback and headlight and ipod

Water bottles
flag(s)
Arkel tailrider bag
Arkel RT-40 panniers, one lined w/ trashbag for clothes and hammock
Sea to Summit dry bag lined with trashbag for quilts
Boom pouch for camera, phone