Washington/Idaho Redux - Lessons Learnt Vol 1

I had intended to write something like this on the evening I finished Washington, but that day had its own little exhausting drama. We are back at home to do some family things, some of which were planned for before this all started and some that were not. The point is family comes first, and always should.

Still, there has been down time to finish that last post for Montana and reflect on lessons learned.

1. Don't overthink the bike. I know I'm not doing this the way a true bike-packer would, so my point of view is probably a little less relevant than just about any other person traversing the country on a bicycle. That said, instead of bringing multiple bikes, which was a thought that I had entertained originally, I had every intention of bringing multiple wheel sets. Skinny road tires for riding pavement. Chunky gravel tires for riding, well....gravel. In practice I have found that gravel tires are plenty fast on pavement and the potential speed I might gain from running skinny 23-25mm road bike tires is negligible. So, I'm sticking with one set of rims and simplifying the spare tube/tire situation.

2. I'd planned on documenting the GART and riding all of it. I wanted to be an expert. I'm 'noping' right out of that because the point of the ride is to traverse the country, and see things, and enjoy the ride, and staying on the rail trail has proven to be unenjoyable....at points.

3. If you ride this route, skip as much of the Palouse to Cascades/John Wayne/Iron Horse trail as you want. I feel like it's torture on a rigid frame bike with 35mm tires. That said, I am old, chubby, and cranky and you might not be any of those things. As such, your opinion might be completely different, and that is fine. I happen to think this section of the GART needs some work/attention.

4. Conversely, the Olympic Discovery Trail and the Trail de Coeur d'Alenes are not to be missed by anyone who has a passion for the outdoors and who also happens to own a bicycle.

5. Preparation is worthwhile but is not an excuse to delay going/starting. Yeah, I took almost 18 months to build the van, but we left without some things ironed out and a couple of intended accessories that we MIGHT miss during the trip (an awning would have been nice). But for the most part we were probably 'ready' a month earlier as soon as the kitchen was finished. I think though that the point applies to people who might consider bike packing. Don't wait to get your gear perfect. Get out there and make mistakes and learn stuff near where you live. It will be far more informative than looking aty other people's solutions or shopping sites on the web.

6. Going slow is not only necessary, it's ideal. I'll have a further post about this in the near future. I've been thinking about this a lot while I'm turning the cranks and looking at the scenery. I try to give you the greatest hits in these posts, but I don't share everything. That said, I had an idealized idea of what my days were going to be like. I was going to average 15 mph, break a 60-mile day into 4 sessions, and get to camp with plenty of time an energy. Yeah....that ain't happening. In practical terms it seems that in 'easy' terrain I'm averaging 12mph and in hard terrain it's more like 8 or 9mph. And I'm still walking hills at the end of the day. Now that said, my endurance is solid, and I'm usually riding for 3 hours straight to where ever Bunny and I agree to as a lunch stop. So the day is more like....get out and ride somewhere, have lunch and take a 30 minute nap, and then get to the end point....and its usually taking 5.5 to 6 hours....or it feels that way. The slower pace not only helps me finish longer distances. It reminds me to stop when I see something that literally stops me in my tracks so I can share it with you.

7. Support is absolutely necessary....for me. We left Missoula 2 days ago after seeing the headquarters for Adventure Cycling Association. Seeing the bikes that are mounted on the walls in honor and seeing the weights those people carried just mystifies me. But more importantly, I am a social critter and I need my Bunny and my Poodle with me at the very least. So really this is just me pointing out that while I'm avoiding adding 30 extra pounds to my bike, what I'm really doing is protecting my psyche....cause I don't like to be alone when I'm not riding. The cycling time is great....but I need my peeps at the end of the day. I guess my over arching point is this. This is hard; don't make it harder if you aren't a solitary nomad.

   
   

   Love you Bunny!