Mike from Iowa

I did a two day tour last week and rode from my home in Iowa City to my in-laws in Rock Island, Illinois, a trip I've wanted to do for years. I loaded up the '86 Raleigh Aleyska and left Thursday at noon. I took county roads and some gravel to a county park north of Muscatine, where I camped. Then on Friday I rode into Muscatine, then along the "Great River Road" to Davenport, and crossed the Mississippi River on Centennial Bridge. The Quad Cities River Bandits are in their final season of Class A ball. I saw them taking infield at their stadium next to the river as I crossed. I went about 40 miles on Thursday and 50 on Friday, a nice little trip. The bike did great as usual.

Loaded at the start

Camping along the Cedar River

River Bandits Stadium in lower left. Crossing the Mississippi

polymorphself 

Very good looking Alyeska. What’s the weight with racks and no bags?

thook

is that nessie out there on the lake? (second picture down )

Mike from Iowa

Ha!
.
That's the Cedar River, the level is very low right now and that was a large tree trunk. There were sandbars along there too.
As I rode along the Mississippi there were lots of herons and cranes that I passed.

ShannonM

I doubt the OP is concerned about weight...

Dude packed a barbecue.

That's gangster.

--Shannon

Mike from Iowa

i don't know. I'll check in the morning. I'd guess, with the racks, metal fenders, Brooks springer saddle, the carradice bag that's always on it with usual first aid and repair kit, and a half full growler bottle, It's slightly north of 40 lbs.

Mike from Iowa

I had to really think what you were talking about then it hit me! I took the camping picture after I had ridden over to the main RV part of the campground and bought firewood, which I packed on the front and rear racks to bring back. That's what you mean, right?

However I do put a small flat grill on top of my rear rack, sometimes campsites only have a fire ring but no cooking rack, so I do carry my own.

thook

sounds lovely i grew up near the mississippi in memphis. waaay southward from your perspective, of course, but such an ancient feeling water. lots of fun when i was a kid. the camping, the riverboats...all that stuff

Millstone

I have no idea how far it is and where (should look it up though ) but I really love these threads with photos.

And I like the look of the big canvas saddle bag. Where's it from/manufacturer?

nlerner

Well done! I did a solo overnight bikepacking trip about a month ago and realized that what I needed to bring for one night was pretty much what I would bring for five nights!

Narhay

This is really great. Thanks for the photos.

I've never done a bike tour but two days is a manageable distance and timeline.

trailmix

I love these little trips. Some people think touring has to be a 6 month voyage int the abyss but that isn’t realistic for many people. Touring is what you make it and it looks like the OP had a great time.

AeroGut

I think Shannon may have mistaken your chair for a grill?

Anyway, looks like a great campsite and it sounds like a wonderful trip.

spike48

Very nice! What average speed can a person maintain with that sort of load? I’ve never had more than a saddle bag or backpack so just curious.

bnewberry

Chair or grill, no big deal. The downtube mounted growler is what captured my eye!

52telecaster

Awesome trip and beautiful bike.

polymorphself 

Haha true! I know weight doesn't matter in these circumstances, but still interesting to see what the various tourers weigh when not packed down.

Dfrost 

With a touring load, expect you’ll be riding one gear lower than you would with a minimal load, maybe two gears with the OP’s full camping load. And the hills, or not, on your route will make a huge difference!

Better to ask what your miles/day will be. When my wife and I did our first credit card tour (no camping) we averaged 70 miles/day. But that was driven by the distance between hotels on the trip across the north edge of Washington State to Montana. And we were younger! When we CC toured in Europe on two occasions, 45-50 miles/day seemed much more pleasant and relaxed. There were lots more photo stops in France and Italy!

spike48

Thank you Dfrost.

3speedslow

Everybody should try this type of getaway, if possible.

Thanks for bringing it to us! Did the folks at the other end make a fuss over it?

Salamandrine 

Nice. Thanks for sharing. 2 day trips can be fun.

Is that a Hilleberg tent? Nice. 2 hoops is where it's at. The 80s were right. Pounding a couple stakes in is better than having a light breeze collapse your latest greatest high tech ultralight tent.

Mike from Iowa

That's a Carradice Nelson Longflap. I've had it 10 years. It used to be my bag on my daily commuter, it holds tools, first aid, rain gear, lunch and computer easily.

Mike from Iowa

That is so absolutely true. On day 1 there were no towns at all, so I carried lunch, dinner and next morning breakfast along with overnight gear. I could have kept going on a long trip with minimal restock of food.

Mike from Iowa

Day 1, 40 miles, with mostly cross winds my day averaged 12.5. Day 2, 50 miles, with mostly headwinds was 11.8.
I'm never a fast rider, 14.5 is about as fast as I go on a 20 mile ride.

Mike from Iowa

That was what I was expecting comments on!

Here's the deal, that frame has mounts for a bottle above and below the down tube, but with fenders, I can't use the below mounts. With only one bottle, I have to make it count. I also have been doing overnights in nearby primitive campgrounds with no potable water. That growler is plastic so it's pretty light.