Erick L

Another short tour, this time 400km over 5 days in the Abitibi region (map). Still not sure why I picked that route. It's very flat and straight. I guess I wanted an isolated road, which turned out to have more traffic than expected. A little drizzle kept the dust down on the second day and traffic was much lower too. I camped in a town that was closed a few years ago. They took all the buildings out so there are streets and sidewalks but no houses. The most difficult was finding water. Most is stagnant or downriver from one or many beaver dams. I visited the southern part of the region by car afterwards and I should've stuck there for the bike tour. The roads are in good conditions and traffic isn't too high. I made a minute-long video consisting mostly of time-lapses in camp.

spinnered

Nice video! Very creative.

zoltani

Indeed.

Erik, what camera did you use?

Erick L

Nikon D5100. I bought it with star time-lapse in mind because it has a built-in intervalometer and is excellent at high ISO. It The stars were shot at f4 (wide open) and 3200 ISO but I could/should have gone to 6400 to get even more stars. There's a good intervalometer/remote made by "Pixel" on ebay and amazon that works with most camera with a remote cord port. The cable can be bought seperatly on ebay to use different cameras with different port. The zoom and tilt were done digitally with LR Timelapse. Awesome piece of software.

It's pretty easy to do. Just set things up and go to bed. Then return in the morning to find the lens has fogged up after a few minutes. There are a few things to check like using a slow enough shutter speed for a more natural effect and flickering due to small differences in exposure between shots. The software corrects this but only to a point. The best article I found so far is here.

I have a slightly longer video here (wasn't part of the bike tour). You can see the flickering because I had to shoot at f22 and the aperture never close the same. I'll add a ND filter to shoot at bigger aperture.

Trikin'

Tour's to Vancouver Island always feels like a world away (just 2hrs), so far I've been doing all my mini tours. This was the 3rd tour this summer (lot's for me) Nanaimo to Courtney, then Campbell R./Quadra Isl. then back to Denman and Hornby Islands. Averaged about 100K each day, since then we've been back to Hornby Island (5 day stay).........

aenlaasu

Finished another short tour last week. Just an overnighter that got cut short when my derailleur took a hard knock and started grinding.

The first day was great though I spent a lot of the time staring at my maps since most of the roads I'd planned to take were private and fenced off. Who knew? High winds brought on by the leftover of the hurricane that battered NY also seriously reduced my speed, endurance and mileage. My camping spot was less than ideal. A bit too exposed to the winds. I might have been better off camping near an old barn and piece of farm equipment that looked as if they'd not been used in a few years. I don't think anyone would have bothered me.

Spent the night shivering and made it to about lunch time before I damaged my bike. Sadly, I had no spare derailleur in my packs and no way to get to the nearest cycle shop. It had to be one of the few things I couldn't repair myself.

SteveA

For a summer vacation we toured around the Kentucky Bluegrass / Shalebelt region.

Some pics on Facebook (you don't need to be a Facebook member to view the photos here).

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...efdb98d&type=1

puppypilgrim

Machka,

I visited your website and read your love story. How wonderful!

Thank you for sharing.

Victor

uciflylow

We called it the cousins tour.

Two of my cousins, that are avid cyclist, and I just finnished a 4 day 3 night tour of Southern Illinois. We started from Ft. Massic state park on the Ohio river, rode country roads, the Tunnel Hill rails to trails bike path, and many gravel back roads. Climbed hill up to the Garden of the Gods in the Shawnee National forrest and made fast decents down. Talking to locals lead us to lots of good eats and a fresh water shrimp fest in Galconda IL as well as a great unadvertised camp ground. Great trip with great friends and kin. Lots of wild life, good food and good people, and great weather.

What more could you ask for with in a 2 hour drive of home? More time?

jodypitch

At approximately 31 miles of rough/overgrown gravel terrain, Farmersville to Ladonia TX on the Chaparral Trail offers a quick out and back, overnight MTB tour. A riding buddy and I tackled this trip on September 24/25, and enjoyed a fine adventure. Highlights included seeing small-town Texas up close (Farmersville, Meritt, Celeste, Wolfe City, and Ladonia), and a strong sense of pioneering, given the relatively overgrown state of much of the trail. Our overnight stay in Ladonia revealed an unexpected tiny gem of a town, with a few good restaurants, a great rustic lodge, and even a visit from the Mayor. We also got in a little fossil-hunting along the bed of the Sulphur River, less than 2 miles from Downtown Ladonia

During the planning stage, the first question was where to stay in Ladonia (not camping these days). A Google search turned up no nearby motels or B&B’s, but I came across Rick Barrett (barrett.rick@sbcglobal.net) and his Ladonia Log Lodge thru a Yahoo users group. This 7-bedroom lodge is located at the edge of Downtown Ladonia, and was absolutely perfect for our needs. Clean, rustic rooms, but with a fridge and cable TV for college football!

The internet also revealed the presence of a few restaurants in Ladonia, but I could not have hoped for the quality we experienced. Dinner on Saturday night was at Fat Boy's BBQ (www.fatboysb-b-q.com). We arrived a little beat, but were revived by great ribs, brisket, and pulled pork, as well as the unique treat of fried corn-on-the-cob. But get there early---Fat Boy's closes at 5pm on Saturdays. It is also BYOB, but the local gas station can stock you in that department. Breakfast on Sunday was at Gloria's Kitchen, clearly a local institution. Even Ladonia Mayor Jan Cooper showed up---and she had heard a few intrepid cyclists were in town.

Be forewarned----some sections of the Chaparral Trail are woefully unkempt and overgrown. Still rideable though. There are plenty of ways to make this trip longer/more challenging, including riding the trail further along toward Paris. And yes, there are clearly a few man-made obstacles---trenches and mounds that deter use and basic maintenance. However, the locals to whom we spoke along the way were very friendly and enthusiastic, and some (including Mr. Barrett) even pledged to push their localities to improve the upkeep. Bottom line: The more we use the Chaparral Trail, the better it will get.

Rowan

Thanks Jody for your report. This is a style of touring we don't reported much on this forum, and it's something I like because of that pioneering feeling and small, unique and delightful discoveries that can be made along the way. I love many country people for their laid back and usually friendly nature.

forresterace

My brother and I had only done supported tours in the past, so this fall we decided to try a week long credit card tour. Two weeks ago we started at the western end of Lake Erie (just south of Windsor, Ontario) and rode along the full length of north shore of the lake to St Catherines, Ontario. We covered just under 500km in seven days and had a great time (except for the first four days of headwinds). We really enjoyed this style of touring and are already thinking of a route for a similar trip next summer.

-Doug

Rowan

Machka and I drove around some of the shores of the Great Lakes on a cross-country trip between Alberta and Boston in the mid-2000s. I have a particular fascination with the Edmund Fitzgerald wreck, and being in that area had me thinking that a circumnavigation of the lakes by bike would be an interesting extended bicycle tour.

Terry66

I've been a long time cyclist...road and mountain...but I really wanted to try touring so my friend and I planned to ride the GAP this past weekend. We were going to leave Thursday night and complete the 120+ miles in 2.5 days. Thursday morning, the weather forecast was temps in the 40s, 1/2 rain and wind of 25mph...at the last minute, we changed our plans and decided to ride 170 miles of the Katy trail through Missouri. Thanks to a late shuttle out, we had to start our ride in McBaine and lost about 30 miles of the trip. The first night we stayed in a hostel in Tebbets, Mo and the second night we camped in Augusta. Here are a few pics.

The trail was pretty much flat crushed limestone


A pic of my Vaya loaded down on the trail



Klondike Park


This little guy did not like me at all....


Our first night at the Hostel


Campsite on the second night


Our bikes at Oktoberfest in Hermann, Mo.


One of many steel bridges.


Yours truly having the best adventure ever

Bike Hermit

Rode from Portland, OR. back to Idaho last week. Glad I didn't try it this week since it has rained here everyday and is snowing on some of the passes. I posted a short journal on my blog.

Bekologist

video of a sub 24 hour tour out to the shore of lake superior on a recent trip


my apologies to those that do not like the traditional folk music as the soundtrack..

forresterace

No apologies necessary - I absolutely loved it. Very nicely done, difficult to do successfully in such a short piece.

Doug

Scottrod

Very Nice ! Beautiful area.

tourer78

Did this ride over two days on our new Bike fridays during a recent trip to the United states and Canada. Day 1 Soaked in the hot springs in Banff, Enjoyed terriffic scenery and weather during the ride and a great nights stay at the YHA in Lake Louise. Day 2 Cycled up to the Lake, hiked to the Lake agnes teahouse and flew back down the hill before packing it all away and heading off on the greyhound bus to our next stop. Highly Recommended and a very scenic way to spend a couple of days on the bikes. Happy travelling!!

Ready to roll in Banff


Banff Hot Springs


Waterfall along the way


Bow Valley Parkway (Lisa in bottom LH corner)


Bike @ Lake Louise


Lake Agnes teahouse...Yum!!

Machka 

What kind of snake is that?

We wouldn't get that close to one here!!

Machka 

That's a beautiful area. I've done a lot of cycling, hiking, travelling, and staying around that area ... and love it there.

Machka 

On the evening of Friday 14 October, Rowan and I drove up to a campground on the edge of Lake Hume, overlooking the dam in order to do a short hub-and-spoke tour in that area. We have been in the area before as the outer edge of other hub-and-spoke tours and randonnees, and we both cycled through the area many years ago, before we met. So we decided to go back to have a better look around.

And as we often do now, we took three bicycles.

Saturday 15 October - We chose the tandem to follow the Murray River out to Rutherglen on the Victoria side, and then cross over to the Riverina Highway on the NSW side ... 100 miles. It was a good ride, and went really quickly. The first quarter of the ride kept us occupied as we rode to and through Wodonga. The second quarter of the ride was pleasant and generally quiet. The third quarter was also quiet, but dragged a little bit. I wished the road were a bit closer to the river. And the fourth quarter kept us occupied getting through Albury, and dealing with the hills on the other side.

Sunday 16 October - We chose our single bicycles and a hillier route along the shores of Lake Hume. We rode out to Tallangatta, then to Old Tallangatta, on the south side of the lake, on a larger highway, and then crossed over and rode the very quiet little roads on the north side of the lake.

It's beautiful along the lake with the tall, soft green hills dotted with trees, and the blue of the water.

The highway had decent shoulders most of the way which were much preferable to the very rocky and rough-looking rail trail. Tallangatta is a picturesque little town where we had something to eat. Old Tallangatta is the original site of the town. The town was moved in 1956 because of a fear it would be inundated with water because of the dam. And they were right. The lake is currently 99% full, and Old Tallangatta is completely under water.

On the north side of the lake, we rode 7 km before we encountered any vehicles at all, and even then, we only encountered a small handful. Very nice! The road was lovely, following the contours of the lake. But it did have two challenges ... 7 km of unexpected gravel in the middle (and we both flatted because of that section), and lots of hills. There was a lot of up and down and up and down, and up ...

But I enjoyed myself. It was nice to see an area I'd been through in 2004, and also ride a road I've never ridden before.

Monday 17 October - Drove home, stopping to do a little bit of shopping along the way, and did a short ride to stretch out our legs a bit.

Cycling along the Murray River ...


Taking the first break in ... Howlong?


The Hume dam, and view from where we were staying ...


The rail trail ... we opted to use the road!!


The highway around Lake Hume ...


The site of Old Tallangatta ... not the town on the far side ... the water in the middle covers Old Tallangatta ...


Checking the map at the top of the tallest climb on the gravel road ...


Rowan at the top of the tallest climb, with the road sloping down behind ...


Bellbridge - the bridge is about 1 km long ...

Bike Hermit

IMO Texas is full of "unexpected gems" and a great place to travel by bike. Texas Buckaroos
Austin to New Orleans

crashmo

Loving this thread.

Medic Zero

Short version: (longer post or link to my blog posts when I get time)

* From the train station** in Mount Vernon (Washington State), south to the Skagit State Wildlife area and then east into the hills to camp with friends for a few days and then to the NE back to Mount Vernon. First time bike-camping again after a 7 year hiatus off the bike. Very nice, good riding on pleasant country roads, a little light trail riding (fully loaded for tour mind you!) in the Wildlife Area and some birdwatching too. All my gear worked well, bike ran like a top. Satisfied, very happy (face hurt from smiling so much as I rode my laden bike away from the train station), re-addicted to touring!

* From the bus station (missed the train) in Olympia down to Lacey to renew my nursing license, back all the way across Oly to its NW tip to spend the night with friends. Next day about 85 miles from there to the ferry in Bremerton and then home from the ferry terminal. Tried to pack light and got it down to a single pannier (& minimalist camelback), but think I would prefer the load more balanced, and would like more room to portage home canned (jarred) items from roadside fruit stands. Got saddle sore on this one, and learned my denim shorts (baggy, black - not Daisy Dukes!) that I always wear riding (over my cycling bib) are unsuited for long rides. For 50 mile rides they've been fine, before I got to the 70 mile mark I discovered they had a rivet on the hip that was wearing a hole in me! Nice little abrasion at the belt-line. First time this year that I felt like I should be riding more (longer rides) to keep my rear-end tougher than the 7 miles each way to and from has work conditioned it. Looking forward to working in some longer day rides on my days off, got some more motivation for it!

* Sacramento to Clear Lake via Woodland, Winters, Lake Berryessa, Calistoga, to Kelseyville. Circa 145 miles that I spread over four days. One night at a friends (Woodland), one night camping (Lake Berryessa), one night in a hotel (Calistoga). Riding in the valley was nice, some of the mountainous stuff was great, some tough but rewarding, some unfit for cycling. Spent some miles walking up STEEP hills, sometimes with no shoulder on either side of the road and short sightlines for the fast moving cars on the twisty mountain roads. Won't be going there via that route again, and half convinced there isn't a good way for a bicycle to get to Kelseyville given how mountainous the area is. Rewarding trip, want to ride some parts of it more again sometime. Don't know how it would be getting there from the Calistoga side, but riding down from Berryessa to Calistoga was AWESOME! High speed twisty mountain road at 40-50 MPH while heavily laden for touring!

A few times I was happy that for my first "tour" outside of my home state was actually back to where I grew up and left 20 years ago. There were a few times where I knew I'd be checking the map more often, but I recognized or recalled much of the layout of the region. I'm REALLY hoping I can keep my 7 days on, 7 days off, schedule at work through next year so I can spend most of those days on 2-6 day bike camping trips while out of school for the summer.

* I'd still like to go from Kelso, Washington out to the Oregon coast (train to Kelso, spend the night with a friend, cycle to coast, camp with friends, catch a ride with them back to train station) before calling this years touring season to close, but it feels COLD out there to me already.


** Each trip began with an 8 mile ride from north Seattle, through traffic and over hilly terrain, fully loaded for touring to the train station. Always feels a little odd rolling with all my camping gear on the bike through my hometown, especially during commute times. Definitely get some odd looks, the presents that rode on the front deck for the early portions of it might have contributed to that though:




I, too, am loving this thread! Great idea!