I can’t believe that not only did we survive camping by bike, but that I would totally do it again.  I swear, I don’t even know me anymore!

We packed up the bikes Friday night in the hopes of getting out early on Saturday morning and therefore missing Saturday traffic.  I carried all of the camping gear and Jesse was to carry the food, clothes, kids, and the dog.  Of course, we were running behind schedule on Saturday morning–such is life with kids.  Keri and Robert came over to the house to get some photos and video for some projects the Florida Bicycle Association is working on (wonder what the neighbors must think) and it was about 10:30 AM before we were ready to head out.  Robert wisely suggested that we test out the bikes and, upon trying out my first turn, I promptly dropped my bike in my neighbor’s yard.  My bike was loaded with about 150 lbs of gear and it was much harder to handle than I expected.  I was already nervous about riding with such a large load, but dropping my bike put me even more on edge.  There was no turning back at this point, so off we went!

Keri was nice enough to ride the first leg with us so we didn’t have to think about the route–it really gave me a chance to focus on getting used to the haul without stressing about navigating at the same time.  The first leg was absolutely beautiful–full of small residential roads through envy-inducing neighborhoods.  There were several parts that were only accessible by bike and it was a wonderfully pleasant ride.  We stopped at a park a couple of miles in and let the girls play at the playground for a bit while the dog stretched her legs.  After the first stop, Keri headed on her way and we were left to fend for ourselves.

The second leg was, well, not fun.  We rode through another suburb of Orlando and we encountered a lot of angry drivers.  We had more honks and yells in those couple of miles than we have had in a year of riding around with the kids.  To make it worse, a lot of this leg was hilly and we were moving along at a shamefully slow pace.  After a particularly close call with a van, we finally pulled over to a shopping plaza parking lot in desperation.  We still had two of the worst roads ahead of us and panic was starting to set in.  We decided to break for lunch and try to regroup.  I was waiting in the parking lot with the girls while Jesse went to get lunch when a woman came up to me and asked if I was homeless.  I suppose the lantern hanging off the back of my bike did look a little strange.  The best part was that she completely did not seem to believe me when I told her no, that we were camping by bike.  I think that may have been more than she could process!

After lunch, we set out with a renewed dedication and decided to take it one road at a time.  The next two roads were every bit as horrible as we expected, but we survived and the rest of the trip was a breeze.  Rolling up to that park entrance was such a great sense of accomplishment for me–I can’t believe I actually did it!  The girls were so good the entire ride and the dog slept through most of it.   We had a great time camping and even got to swim in the springs (fall in Florida is a strange, strange thing).  One interesting surprise was that the park did not have food lockers and you aren’t allowed to hang anything from the trees.  Uh oh.  Our neighbor was nice enough to let us store our food in their car.  We also found that the stupid multi-burner stove that I had hauled all that way didn’t work – argh!!  The same neighbor was also nice enough to lend us a burner and let us promise to bring it back this week.  I love camping–it brings out the best in people!

The ride home was perfect!  After riding with a lopsided bike the whole way there, I was much more attuned to how to load my bike.  I paid more attention to how I packed my bike up and the ride was so much more stable.  We also had a better feel for the route and talked over some strategies for getting through the rough patches more effectively.

Pictures from the ride

Lessons Learned

• “Seems like” something you hauled before and “is like” something you hauled before are very different things!  I should have tested the bike out before getting on the road (Rodney, feel free to comment with a well-earned “I told you so”).  Though I have hauled quite a grocery load on my bike, this was way more weight than I had ever attempted.  I was so nervous about dropping my bike that it added an unnecessary element of stress to the ride.
• Be careful, but don’t be afraid to do what works.  We took sidewalks for part of the ride home.  We very rarely take the sidewalk because of the many risks, but this was one of those times that it was the best choice for us.  Hauling 150 lbs uphill on a two-lane road out in the sticks was just not the time to get dogmatic.
• Evaluate what you are packing.  I hauled an 8-person tent with a screen porch that fits both of our bikes, a queen size air mattress, and two camping chairs (among many other things).  You know what?  I would completely pack every single one of those things again.  If I am going to venture out into the woods with my two kids, I better be comfortable!  However, there were lots of small things we could have done without.  Like the stupid stove.  Think it over long and hard before you pack it because it will be long and hard to haul it.
• Plan stops.  Just like any long road trip, I think the stops were what kept the kids happy.  Just because you are going by bike doesn’t mean you can skip them.
• Time your ride.  We rode to the park at probably the height of Saturday traffic.  We timed our ride home during lower travel times, which of course means less conflict.
• Above all, have fun!!