Touring - Weekend camping

I've been taking overnight camping trips for the last few years. Sometimes these are called S24O trips, although the term seems to me to be more convenient for Google searches.

Seems to be a little different than most touring. For me, it involves riding out on a Saturday, camping out in a state or county park and then coming back on Sunday.

Just wondering if others do this and what's different than multi-day touring? For example, I've settled on 4 small panniers with tent in the front and clothes/food in the back. Weight is 25-30 pounds including pannier weight.

Bike? I use a sport touring bike, a 2006 Bianchi Volpe, that has a truly ancient Zefal rear rack and a low-rider rack up front.

Tent? Use a Eureka Spitfire 2-man tent that I bought off eBay. Under 5 pounds. Great tent < $100.

Stove? I have an alcohol stove -- Trangia -- but often just travel without. Buy some sandwiches or something in an adjacent town.

Mileage? Due to my advanced age (58), I prefer to do 80 miles roundtrips. 40 miles seems like a nice outing. Around here, you get far enough out of town. Yet, my legs don't feel like rubber next day.

What have I learned? It's amazing how I've picked up new spots to camp in. My first experiences were in State parks that were crowded and noisy. But by looking around for more obscure campsites and also changing my pattern to do a Sunday/Monday trip, I've had pretty good success.

Got to say... if you are stuck at a desk job during the week, an overnight bike camping trip is hard to beat.

OK, so tell me... have you done any of these?

I take a lot of two day trips, though they usually run more along the lines of 30 to 36 hours. No desk for me, but after spending the week doing whatever I have to do, its still a nice break. Although I`ve taken dozens of weekend trips, I`ve never taken a long one- two 6-day rides were the most I`ve managed yet. I dream about it from time to time, but honestly I`m not sure I`d like a month or more on the road. Several years ago I took a 6 week unpaid leave of absense to wander around Mexico on busses. I had a great time, but about the half way point I started feeling like it was enough vacation. By the time the trip was over, I was decidedly homesick and actually looking forward to going back to work!

I do S24's occasionally. There's a nice campground on a lake 80 miles away. Roads are good and services convenient. I leave early and make it a fairly leisurely all day ride. One city, Texarkana, to pass through, but I've got that whipped. It's a circle tour, mostly rural.

I too am a huge fan of the Eureka Spitfire. Most bang for the buck out there. I'm not very big, so the Spitfire 1 fits me fine. My son uses the 2 on hunting trips.

I thought the S240 was a Volvo. If I'm taking a vehicle on an overnight camping trip, it will be a massive RV with all the bells and whistles.

All kidding aside, I'll occasionally head out after work on Friday, ride as far as I can along the C&O Towpath, and return the next morning. With campsites every 5-10 miles, no real planning is required. Great way leave work and the city behind.

Done several long (3-day) weekends from/to the house. Unfortunately, the campground of our favorite state park in the area is currently closed and may never re-open due to tree instability caused by years of river flooding. We would usually leave on Friday, pick up groceries about 10 flat miles from the campground and cook Friday night. During the day Saturday we would do day rides. Saturday night we would ride a trail about 7 miles to a town for dinner at a nice. local restaurant. I love such trips. Favorite weekend to go was Easter weekend. One year we had the entire campground to ourselves Saturday night. I wish there were more places to camp in my area within manageable riding distances.

I do it all the time.I cheat and take the late Friday metro train out of town and start from there.I've covered all of the areas within a 100 mile radius of my house in the last 35 years....a few times.....:) Think I'd go nuts if I couldn't get away.

I live in So Cal,so this time of year I just need front panniers,maybe 15 pounds at most.I have to ride 100 miles in all directions to "get away" from people.....Well except west...:)

I do it all the time.I cheat and take the late Friday metro train out of town and start from there.I've covered all of the areas within a 100 mile radius of my house in the last 35 years....a few times.....:) Think I'd go nuts if I couldn't get away.

I live in So Cal,so this time of year I just need front panniers,maybe 15 pounds at most.I have to ride 100 miles in all directions to "get away" from people.....Well except west...:)

Hi Booger1,
Do you mind posting some of your favorite So-Cal bike camping sites that you have accessed by bike?
Thanks...

Absolutely. LOVE weekenders. GREAT way to get out of town, gain a greater sense of place in your nearby world. I like getting to know the lay of the land, a good feel for the terrain anyplace I've lived, and weekend bike trips are great for that.

Weekenders are the only way to stay sane...that and a bicycle.

Aaron :)

Different strokes, but weekend tours don't appeal to me at all. My shortest tours were in more like the 8 or 9 day range and I'd just as soon do day rides as tour if a tour was any shorter than that. In fact those tours seemed too short already. To be fair I will say that I have not tried shorter tours.

weekenders are the only way to stay sane...that, beer, and a bicycle.

Aaron :)

fify ;)

fify ;)

Works for me! :thumb:

Aaron :)

I too am a huge fan of the Eureka Spitfire. Most bang for the buck out there. I'm not very big, so the Spitfire 1 fits me fine. My son uses the 2 on hunting trips.
Yeah....I know. I picked up this tent on your recommendation a few years ago. It holds warmth pretty well in cold weather, keeps the rain out too. My only complaint was the tent pegs, which I replaced with a set of those MSR aluminum pegs.

I probably only need the solo tent though. Actually a bivy sac would probably work too. You don't need much housing since you are usually planning your trip with good weather.


Done several long (3-day) weekends from/to the house. Unfortunately, the campground of our favorite state park in the area is currently closed and may never re-open due to tree instability caused by years of river flooding. We would usually leave on Friday, pick up groceries about 10 flat miles from the campground and cook Friday night. During the day Saturday we would do day rides. Saturday night we would ride a trail about 7 miles to a town for dinner at a nice. local restaurant. I love such trips. Favorite weekend to go was Easter weekend. One year we had the entire campground to ourselves Saturday night. I wish there were more places to camp in my area within manageable riding distances.

After my first couple of years of weekenders, I felt a lot like you. I was bothered by the noise in state parks. And at one point I was ejected from a park because there weren't any sites left. Kind of depressing that they didn't have a hiker/biker policy.

However I kept looking. I found some pretty reasonable county parks which let me set up tent even if all the "sites" were taken up. (There's always a spot somewhere...) Also, I've run into wineries who have weekend open houses and offered a spot on their property... I suppose I would have to buy some wine :)

But the most important thing is to keep asking around. There are undoubtedly camping spots you never imagined existed just a short ride from your house.

No, I don't give a crap about camping, it's the cycling I like. If I'm only have a weekend I ride near home or get a hotel. I've camped way more than enough in my life. I'm over it. Plus that way I get to ride my road bike instead of my tank of a tour bike.

I camp on long tours b/c I can't afford to stay in hotels for a long trip and because I like the security of knowing I won't get stuck with no where to shelter over night.

Best tent stakes I have found are the Kelty No bendiums (http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___28099)

Aaron :)

My first tours were weekenders. We'd ride over the coast range, sleep on the beach and then ride back home. Those were some exhausting weekends.

For me it's a great excuse to get out of town, get some space, and be alone for a couple of days. I like people, I love my family, etc, but I need a lot of alone time, and weekenders are perfect.

I love the concept, but there aren't many good places to camp around here within an easy day's ride from my house. If I stretch the distance to 80-90 miles each way, I have quite a few more options but that would make for a long weekend. However, there are several large reservoirs in our area with campgrounds in the 40-60 mile range, but they don't provide the "wilderness experience" that I enjoy from camping. I rode to one of these lakes for a weekender back in May and had a great ride, but the camping was not so enjoyable. The people camping next to me had a loud radio blaring most of the time, a smoky campfire burning and left a generator running all night. My campsite was rocky and uneven, and a park ranger came by and scolded me for not pitching my tent on the "pad," which was not apparent by any stretch of the imagination.

BTW, where does the abbreviation S24 or S240 come from? It doesn't have any obvious references to me.

S24O = Sub 24hour Overnighter. Pretty sure Grant Peterson coined it, or at least brought it into common useage. He mentions it in one of the articles on the Riv website.

Now my question: why does it hurt my brain to read that term? I like the concept, but hate the name. Anybody else with me, or am I the Lone Jerk here?

S24O = Sub 24hour Overnighter. Pretty sure Grant Peterson coined it, or at least brought it into common useage. He mentions it in one of the articles on the Riv website.

Now my question: why does it hurt my brain to read that term? I like the concept, but hate the name. Anybody else with me, or am I the Lone Jerk here?

I'm right there. It's dumb.

It hurts your head because it's an obscure term invented for something that has a common name - an overnight trip. A bit pretentious to give a special name to something like this, as though you came up with the concept.

Now my question: why does it hurt my brain to read that term? I like the concept, but hate the name. Anybody else with me, or am I the Lone Jerk here?

Just me, but I find most of the content on the Rivendell site to be a bit like fingernails on a chalk board. I hate the name, but maybe it is at least partially due to my disdain for it's source.

FWIW: I am not even that crazy about the concept. Nothing wrong with it for those who enjoy it, but to me it has all of the appeal of camping in the back yard.

I enjoy weeklong bike trips and take at least one of them every year, but an overnight or long weekend tour is great for getting away when your time and funds are limited. Plus it's easier to rely on the weather when you just have 2-3 days to deal with. I've also been thinking more about taking some overnight tours where I stay in hotels rather than camp, which opens up a lot more possibilities for routes. With camping, you pretty much have to make your destination a park or national forest where there are campgrounds, and then hope you find an open site and have good weather. Around here, we've been having afternoon and evening thunderstorms almost every day for the past month, which makes camping a challenge. Plus, it doesn't cool off much at night and I have trouble sleeping outside when it's hot.

Some friends and I are spending 2 days riding the length of the New River Trail in SW Virginia next weekend. I had initially thought about camping but couldn't talk my friends into that, so we're staying at nearby hotel and riding from the midpoint of the trail to and end and back each day. We'll ride about 50 miles each day, eating lunch at the towns on either end, and have nice cool/dry hotel to stay in at night.

I have a theory about internet forums in general and the people that post are less than 10% of those that read. I think the vast majority here in touring would love the time to do an extended tour or even the ability to do such if they could find the time, but my guess is most are confined to weekends and long weekends and a once in a while week or two vacation. Those with family’s most likely use the vacation time as a family time and unless the whole family has a passion for bike touring I’m guessing they do something else. I know a young guy that just graduated college and had 3 months before med school and did a Trans American tour. I remember him saying at the age of 23 that he would have this one 3 month window and might not have the chance again until he retired. That’s how most people’s lives are now. The overnighter might be like kissing your sister, but I don’t hold that belief for most. Depending on where you live there can be some really great places not that far away. Everyone’s goal in camping is different I like remote primitive sites but many want to be around a lot of action. That’s part luck (good or bad) and part planning.

I am very envious of anyone that can do the long tours and I totally enjoy reading the journals. But I know you can have some great times within 100 miles of home and as someone posted above getting the mental refresh come Monday morning.

See the 2012 - Your Short Tours thread ...

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/795564-2012-Your-Short-Tours

I did my first, what the Adventure Cycling Assoc. calls "Bike Overnight" last fall. My trip report. (http://bikeovernights.org/post/my-first-bike-overnight) I put some 1.5"x26" slicks on my old Performance MTB with a Topeak rear rack and MTX trunk bag. Had a lot of fun doing a 26 mile out and back to a private campground. Not the most comfortable ride but I now have a Trek 520 which I started using to commute this past March. The next trip planned is an overnight on the High Bridge Rail-to-trail in Farmville, VA with a friend. (I am 61 and he is 67) We will park on the western end on a Saturday morning, ride the 31 miles to the state part on the other end. Oh yes, and stop for lunch each way at the local brew pub. Less to carry.

I'll take the train to Palmdale and go to:Red Rock Canyon,California Poppy Reserve,out by Edwards Air Force Base,out by Goldstone,El Mirage.There are some live testing grounds out there,but I'm not going to say exactly where,it's dangerous and the sentries are not real happy to see you,but it's GREAT FUN TO WATCH!

Take the train to Moorpark or Magic Mountain,ride through the valley to Oxnard or Santa Barbara,ride home.Leo Carillo,Sycamore Canyon,Carpinteria SB are south of Santa Barbara.El Capitan,Refugio and Gaviota SB are north of Santa Barbara.

Take the train to San Berdoo or Corona,go to Lake Elsinore,some casino if I'm feeling rich,Lake Piramid,Vail Lake,there's a county Campground a couple miles past Vail Lake,Palm Springs,By the city of Joshua Tree on the north side of the park there is a campground or 2.

Take the train to Oceanside and ride around east of there,I can't think of the campgrounds right at the moment but there are some indian lands back in there with camping,campgrounds around Palomar mountain.

There are alot of places to go around L.A. for overnighters,you just have a bit of a ride to get out of town.

I also do alot of stealth camping out in the high and low desert.

Some friends and I are spending 2 days riding the length of the New River Trail in SW Virginia next weekend. I had initially thought about camping but couldn't talk my friends into that, so we're staying at nearby hotel and riding from the midpoint of the trail to and end and back each day. We'll ride about 50 miles each day, eating lunch at the towns on either end, and have nice cool/dry hotel to stay in at night.

That's why I usually do my overnights alone. Not too many people have the bandwidth or the schedule to work quick trips in. But that's fine with me. The solitude is nothing to sneeze at.

I have done some hotel overnights, but actually prefer camping. I am enthralled with the lore of backpacking (spend a lot of the winter reading books like The Complete Walker (http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Walker-Colin-Fletcher/dp/0375703233)) and bike camping is very similar. It feels like more of an adventure too (and if you don't get it right, it can be pretty adventurous).

I've bike camped only once, and I had originally intended to make it an S24O. I prefer a quiet camping spot that gives at least an illusion of solitude, but since I live in metro Boston, I concluded that I would need to head well out of town. I didn't want to make cycling the main focus of the trip, however; so I decided to make it two nights at the same spot, and to take a train to my ride start.

(I took the commuter rail to Newburyport and rode 35 miles NW to Pawtuckaway State Park in NH. It's a lovely place, but it did not provide an illusion of solitude.)

If I can generalize from a single experience, I'd say that I want my trips to prioritize the camping, and the destination, over the journey. I want what's probably impossible: a quiet and relatively sparsely visited spot that is a fairly easy ride from an interesting town, preferably one with a decent brewpub.

I have just returned from a 2 month tour, this weekend I'm heading to Mt. Rainer for a 2 night trip on my Surly. If its on a bike and involves camping, how can you fail? Enjoy.

I'm a former backpacker myself but I'm getting soft in my older age. It's become harder and harder for me to sleep on the ground, and I have trouble sleeping when it's hot at night. I can deal with the ground issue with my new Neo-Air mattress, but will have to wait for the weather here to cool down before attempting any camping trips. As soon as it cools down, I'm going to try riding from Raleigh, NC, to the coast -- which is a 2-3 day trip depending on how hard I want to push myself. I would have to ride 80-90 miles/day to make it in two days, but it's pretty flat although wind can be an issue. There's a nice state park near the halfway point, but not many good options for camping if I spread the trip over 3 days.

Living in the SW corner of the US here leaves only north and east as directions to head for overnights.

The campground by Palomar Mountain is on the La Jolla Reservation (nowhere near La Jolla on the coast), and offers half price for cyclists. Another nice state park with hike&bike sites near San Bernadino is Silverwood Lake, though the Coaster and Metrolink Schedules make it tough to get to SB from San Diego early enough. During hot summer weekends, used to do many one-nighters up to San Clemente State Beach hike & bike, though it was common to have homeless people sneak in, it was a huge site and there was room for all. Now it's gone because of problems with mentally unstable homeless...it was definitely not a quiet, wilderness experience. For that, I'd often head up into the Cuyamaca mountains, the state park has two campgrounds with hot showers and a hike&bike policy that let you camp in the day-use picnic area (sometimes the kiosk attendant had to be educated about that). They are very quiet & deserted at night---or you could bike out a dirt road to one of the primitive camps even further out in the park. Sometimes I'd stay at both sites, then leave at daybreak Monday AM and make it back to SD in time for work (it's a big downhill).

Though I can't fit the departure times into my schedule, San Diego Transit also runs a minibus east into the mountains and into the desert every evening, with racks for two bikes, $10 for a complete one-way into the desert. Anza Borrego SP has developed campgrounds and free "stealth" camping, though stealth would not be needed.
During cooler months, one could make some great short tours involving riding back to SD from the deserts or mountains, or riding south from Borrego to Agua Caliente Hot Springs, camping there, and then catching the bus back to SD from Octotillo

I'd often head up into the Cuyamaca mountains, the state park has two campgrounds with hot showers and a hike&bike policy that let you camp in the day-use picnic area (sometimes the kiosk attendant had to be educated about that). They are very quiet & deserted at night---or you could bike out a dirt road to one of the primitive camps even further out in the park. Sometimes I'd stay at both sites, then leave at daybreak Monday AM and make it back to SD in time for work (it's a big downhill).


Any site where you separate the camp site from the car is usually pretty quiet. There are a few of those and they are generally golden.

I've never camped overnight where you head back to town and work on the same day. But there are two camping sites with 15 miles of town that I might try sometime... maybe shoot to arrive at work a little late. The thought of going from a campground to my cubicle on the same morning sounds delicious:)

Tomorrow I'm headed north west to a campground I've never visited before. This is a Sunday/Monday trip.. first one this year. This 100 mile roundtrip is a mixture of bike trail and county "blacktop" ... usually traffic is less than 750 cars per day ( and often quite a bit less). The weather has turned cooler, high 70s in the afternoon and nights are down to low 50s. So I'll have to bring some extra clothes to augment my lightweight sleeping bag. A wool hat is handy.

Not many have addressed the main question, which is how is a weekender different from a longer tour.

One big difference in my opinion is if you're really out there less than 24 hours, you never actually get a full day on the bike, just two half-days. One of the aspects I enjoy about touring is waking up at dawn in camp, spend a full day at your leisure on the bike, cycle until sunset and find a campsite, and repeat.

I tend to carry a little more stuff on a weekender. Or I should say I used to, because since I retired I don't do them anymore.

Also, I do not like to return via the same route I left home and will go to great lengths, including walking rutted two-tracks to connect a loop, or getting public transport on a one-way trip. Where I live, that often takes more than 24 hours, at least to make the trouble worthwhile.

PS: I just cycled NE Iowa on my Northern Tier tour. One of my favorite towns I visited on the whole trip was Elkader, IA. The river bluff country was beautiful and memorable, even in triple digit heat. Some pretty lousy roads, though, probably the worst I saw until I got to Maine.

Done several long (3-day) weekends from/to the house. Unfortunately, the campground of our favorite state park in the area is currently closed and may never re-open due to tree instability caused by years of river flooding. We would usually leave on Friday, pick up groceries about 10 flat miles from the campground and cook Friday night. During the day Saturday we would do day rides. Saturday night we would ride a trail about 7 miles to a town for dinner at a nice. local restaurant. I love such trips. Favorite weekend to go was Easter weekend. One year we had the entire campground to ourselves Saturday night. I wish there were more places to camp in my area within manageable riding distances.

I guess you are talking about Parvin? Really a shame what happened there.

There are several state parks in Jersey that offer camping, nearby food, and will give you the same flat ride.

Closest to Philly is Atsion State Park. Further and worth it is Bass River State Park. That park is 54 miles door to door for me from Cherry Hill. A little closer is camping at Bodine Field and along the Wading river. Bodine requires a mile slog down a dirt/sand road. Along RT 542 across from Crowley's Landing is a small state camping area. That's about 34 miles from the house. Finally, there is Belleplain, which is about 40 miles away, but hardest to reach due to road choices.

I guess you'd add about 10 miles to my mileage count as you are further west. Still, plenty of camping still available.

Ortcutt, where else have you tried in Southern Nh and northeast Ma. There should be some choices out there for you.

I do weekend trips several times a year and try to work in a week or longer trip in somewhere. I just came back from a weekend on Lake Michigan (http://simplecycle-marc.blogspot.com/2012/08/euphoric-weekend.html). I really never vary on the equipment (http://simplecycle-marc.blogspot.com/2011/04/bike-packing-101.html). The only possible variable would be the amount or nature of clothing, but I have found that 3 days worth is enough, if I take a longer trip than that, I will make a point of having lunch near a laundry.

Marc

I guess you are talking about Parvin? Really a shame what happened there.


Nope. Bull's Island on the Delaware River north of Stockton.

Riding to camp in the Pine Barrens doesn't interest me. I need some hills or I run the risk of falling asleep. Camped at Belleplain a long time ago. It was o.k., but steamy hot with no breeze and lots of skeeters. I might consider going back in the fall or spring. I can easily make it there from somewhere like Woodcrest or even from home if I want to ride through Camden. The GF and I rode to her parents' house in Avalon last year. Went right through that dump they call Woodbine.

Not many have addressed the main question, which is how is a weekender different from a longer tour.

One big difference in my opinion is if you're really out there less than 24 hours, you never actually get a full day on the bike, just two half-days. One of the aspects I enjoy about touring is waking up at dawn in camp, spend a full day at your leisure on the bike, cycle until sunset and find a campsite, and repeat.

That probably depends on how you do it. If you're really going for "sub 24 hours," then, yes, assuming at least 10 hours at camp leaves you less than 6 hours per day on the bike, but if you're willing to stretch the time limit, then there's no reason you can't spend a full day biking before setting up camp.


I tend to carry a little more stuff on a weekender. Or I should say I used to, because since I retired I don't do them anymore.

Also, I do not like to return via the same route I left home and will go to great lengths, including walking rutted two-tracks to connect a loop, or getting public transport on a one-way trip. Where I live, that often takes more than 24 hours, at least to make the trouble worthwhile.

Yes, returning the way you came is something I always avoid, even just puttering around town. And more stuff. With a longer trip, I feel like it's more about the biking, and camping is just because you have to sleep some time. A shorter trip seems to focus on the camping, so I'm more likely to bring items that I might enjoy having at the campground, secure in the knowledge that I will only have to carry it two days. That said, I like the camping aspect of touring, and my problem with most of bike trips is that I feel that camping is rushed: setting up camp while there's still light, eating, showering (if I'm lucky) then off to bed. I could do with a little more time around a campfire or reading a book to unwind. A nice S24O is nice because you can often spend more time lounging at the campground if you plan it right.

So it would seem logical that longer trips = more gear, I find that the only increase in gear is that I take one more set of clothes on longer trips and occasionally more clothes for different weather contingencies. But on a shorter trip, I take anything I might like to have, secure in the knowledge that I won't be carrying it far. Also on a shorter trip I often do not plan on a grocery store stop, and bring all my food with me in addition to almost all of the gear that I would take on a longer trip.

I'm a former backpacker myself but I'm getting soft in my older age. It's become harder and harder for me to sleep on the ground, and I have trouble sleeping when it's hot at night. I can deal with the ground issue with my new Neo-Air mattress, but will have to wait for the weather here to cool down before attempting any camping trips. As soon as it cools down, I'm going to try riding from Raleigh, NC, to the coast -- which is a 2-3 day trip depending on how hard I want to push myself. I would have to ride 80-90 miles/day to make it in two days, but it's pretty flat although wind can be an issue. There's a nice state park near the halfway point, but not many good options for camping if I spread the trip over 3 days.

I've dealt with the ground issue with a hammock. It has its challenges, too, but when it works, it's far more comfortable than the ground to me. I haven't had to pitch my hammock on the ground yet, but I've also had to get pretty creative a few times as well.

I've done the trip to the coast this summer and last and can share my campsites with you if you're interested. Took a different route both years, three nights both times, so I've got a number of options scoped out. Very few offer much in the way of seclusion/isolation from other campers, but some do.

I've also done a few local trips, too. If state parks are acceptable, we do have a good number that are within a days ride. I've also considered a train + bike trip to get out to the Uwharrie, which might offer more seclusion. I've never camped there, but it seems like it'd have potential.

Rowan and I did a lot of weekend cycletouring back in Australia. We'd try to go somewhere about once a month. For the most part, our style of weekend touring was hub-and-spoke. We'd drive out to a favourite place, or one we had not been to before, on a Friday night, then stay there Saturday and Sunday, and return on Monday (or sometimes Tuesday if we had an extra long weekend). On Saturday and Sunday (and sometimes Monday) we would ride in different directions to explore the area.

For the most part we would stay in the cabins located in the plentiful campgrounds around the state of Victoria. I'm also not a huge fan of camping, and most of the time the cabins were a good price, allowing us to stay indoors, sleep in a bed, keep our bicycles right there in the cabin with us, and have toilet facilities a few steps away.




You can see some of the write-ups of our (and other's) weekend tours in the Your Short Tours thread for this year and the last couple years. :)

2012 Your Short Tours - http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/795564-2012-Your-Short-Tours?highlight= (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/795564-2012-Your-Short-Tours?highlight=)

2011 Our Short Tours - http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/724593-2011-Our-Short-Tours?highlight= (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/724593-2011-Our-Short-Tours?highlight=)

I have just returned from a 2 month tour, this weekend I'm heading to Mt. Rainer for a 2 night trip on my Surly. If its on a bike and involves camping, how can you fail? Enjoy.

Ipsut creek campground?

We did that one last labor day, it was fantastic.

Once the weather cools in southeast Texas (halloween), I'll ride from Brookshire to Bellville then through Brenham up to Lake Somerville. It comes out to about 60 miles to the lake depending on where you camp. Camping at the lake is nice especially if I go during the week.

My favorite was a 4 day 3 night trip with my son in southern New Jersey. Great bonding experience. My story got published on Adventure cycling's Bikeovernights. By the seat of my pants

Ipsut creek campground?

We did that one last labor day, it was fantastic.

Washington state, talk about great weekend touring options from Puget Sound......

there is excellent quantity of quality destinations available to weekenders riding out of Pugetopolis. Have you ridden the Quilcene crossover yet, zoltani? A great weekend out of Seattle...

Grant Peterson's purpose in coining the term S240 was pretty specific. IMO.

He was trying to point the way forward for more people to get out on their bikes more often in a way that supported the "Rivendell" philosphy of bike usage.

Specifically, getting out of work, heading out on the bike, camping over, and heading back, with a bit of riding about, relaxing, having some wine with friends, etc.. you know, living.

Now, to me this counts as touring, but then; riding around, with a sandwich in a jersey pocket, seeing the sights counts as touring as well IMO.

I think the key is that the distances involved can't get too large. Otherwise time becomes too much of an issue to pull off an S240 in the sense that Grant has used the term. This means you need to have someplace nice to go within 15-20 Miles IMO.

I lean more towards long weekends/Six day trips, just because the time to get to the places I want to ride (and camp) takes more time than is practical within the constraints of an S240.

I started out doing exactly what Grant Peterson was getting at with the S240 however.

If state parks are acceptable, we do have a good number that are within a days ride. I've also considered a train + bike trip to get out to the Uwharrie, which might offer more seclusion. I've never camped there, but it seems like it'd have potential.
Sometime seclusion is the luck of the draw. Last Sunday I pulled into a county park 40 miles from my door and found... nobody home. Asked the caretaker if it was always like this and he said the previous 4 days had been "full up"
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Washington state, talk about great weekend touring options from Puget Sound......

there is excellent quantity of quality destinations available to weekenders riding out of Pugetopolis. Have you ridden the Quilcene crossover yet, zoltani? A great weekend out of Seattle...
When I first started looking for camping locations close by, I thought Iowa was pretty much wall-to-wall corn and beans fields.

However, I discovered that the rivers are frequently well treed and home to a number of parks. Problem is that here you really need to do your homework to find them, since there are federal, state and county parks with camping facilities. Several great ones have very primitive sites that require the camper to walk a distance... These are usually ideal for bike camping. Parks that have the RVs and tent campers in close proximity are usually pretty miserable though.

When I first started looking for camping locations close by, I thought Iowa was pretty much wall-to-wall corn and beans fields.

However, I discovered that the rivers are frequently well treed and home to a number of parks. Problem is that here you really need to do your homework to find them, since there are federal, state and county parks with camping facilities. Several great ones have very primitive sites that require the camper to walk a distance... These are usually ideal for bike camping. Parks that have the RVs and tent campers in close proximity are usually pretty miserable though.

No, no, don't get me wrong - there's plenty of places for me to camp round here, there's nothing BUT woods. and i've been to plenty places nearby that are quite beautiful. but it's really quite swampy in the hinterlands, makes it much less appealing.

i was just pining for the excellent weekend touring available in the Pacific NW.

Sometimes, when there's two roads out of town and they both lead you right into the swamp, your choices can become monotonous.

Is the Quilcene corssover you speak of the one you mentioned where you take a pass over in the olympics? I've yet to do that one, but was just thinking of it last weekend. Honestly I have not done much bike camping this year.

Several great ones have very primitive sites that require the camper to walk a distance... These are usually ideal for bike camping. Parks that have the RVs and tent campers in close proximity are usually pretty miserable though.

Walk! Forget it! ;)

We do have a park nearby that has float or hike in sites. My buddy and I went one weekend and the hike into the site was the most grueling part of the day. I might do it again, but I'd give a lot more thought to how I'm going to carry my gear all the way in to the camp area over some steep trails. Nothing makes you re-evaluate your packing decisions as much as having to take all your gear off the bike and carry it.