Happy Feet

I am (loving it)!

In Jasper now for a couple of days before departure on VIA Rail back to Vancouver.

Lucked out with awesome weather over the Icefield Summit and have a lot of pics which I'll post in a trip report when I get back. It's been a great trip with mixed road, gravel and single track riding as well as hikes in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper.

Hope the elbow heals well. A two day trip sounds fun to me.. you can call it an s48o; big brother (or sister) of the s24o

indiana_jane

So glad to hear you're loving it! Can't wait to see the pictures. I had terrible weather for most of the time, including snow, but, then again, I went in May, so it's probably my own fault :-)

Paul J

We love to do overnights on our tandem and did a Reading PA to Ocean City NJ a couple of weeks ago. We ran the Schuylkill River Trail to Philly and then took the PATCO rail across the Ben Franklin Bridge and beyond Camden. We stayed over night in Voorhees NJ and then rode on to Ocean City the next day. 65 Miles day one and 55 day two.

We left with a little drizzle which created my first "Bad Captain" moment. Just east of Birdsboro the trail crosses the road where a trestle originally was, so you go down to road level and then steeply back up. I missed my downshift and when I grabbed the brakes the damp rims didn't hold and we rolled back with me dropping the Stoker. If you ride tandem you may have heard of the "Proper Method" of mounting the bike which has the captain gets on and the holds the bike as the stoker gets on and then the stoker just stays clipped in. My stoke rode the bike all the way to the ground. So we are a little over 10 miles into the ride and I've dropped my stoker. Fast forward 4 miles, and we have a flat tire which of course is the rear, so off comes the rear wheel we make the change, of course the bags have to come off to get the rear wheel back in and the humidity is 100% and drizzling. On goes the rear wheel and bags but I miss that the chain has come off the chain ring and we go to start and over we go with the stoker going down with the ship. So were are less the 15 miles into our ride and the captain is worried about a mutiny. :-) My wife is the best, this now has us at 200% increase of our total record of dropped stokers for the career of tandem riding. She did give me a little grumble about calling our daughter to come pick her up but away we went with no more issues.

We stayed on the trail which takes you along the river where we crossed the tracks onto Locust and took that around Rittenhouse Square to the 15th'16th Street PATCO station. Down and around the stairs and though the handicap gate and onto the train at about 3:20PM ahead of the 3:45PM cut-off for taking the tandem onto the train. We always get looks and comment about the bike and I usually have passenger tell me I can have the bike on the train. We always bring a copy of the letter from PATCO telling us it is ok. We got off the train at the Lindenwold station and rode the short distance to our overnight accommodation at the Voorhees Hotel which looks like it was a Hampton Inn before. The nice thing about this location it is just across the street from an Olive Garden which was good for dinner.

We took off at about 8:00AM on Saturday morning just as the rain started. We had a good run using Google maps which had us on quiet back roads most of the way. We ate lunch at the McDonald's in Egg Harbor City which was an OK stop with outside seating so we could stay with the bike. As I was moving the bike around to lean it against a wall the rear rack support popped-off as the fastener bolt came out somewhere just before the lunch stop. I'm glad that it is the same size as a water bottle bolt so an easy fix. We had one little section leaving Egg Harbor City which was a little heavy traffic but cars were respectfulness and we got through that with no drama. The route then took us back roads passed the Atlantic City Airport and on into Pleasantville where we turned south on a bike path just as it started to rain again which took us all the way to Somers Point and the bridge to Ocean City. We stay on 29th so we headed south on nicely marked bike way along Bay until we moved east to Have to the house.

Our biggest complain about New Jersey are the expansion joints every 50 feet which is murder for a stoker as it is hard to warn every time. We switched out our Gatorskins in 28c for Vittoria Voyagers in 32'c which we had the flat and I wasn't very impressed with the ride. they didn't seem to hold a line very well and seemed soft when riding at the 75 recommended max. I was experimenting with a pair of wider tires and will not use these going forward but probably buy the Gatorskins in 32c.

We ride a Bushnell steel tandem using Shimano 9 speed set-up, Ultegra shifters and front derailleur, XT rear with a Race Face crank with 53/39/28 chain rings and 11/34 rear cluster. Nashbar daytripper rear panniers and our regular a small trunk bag. We use a rechargeable flashing tail light at all times and a small front LED light during the rain which is battery powered.

This is our second time doing this trip and we have found it is a great way to start vacation as it helps me more quickly disconnect and when we arrive I've totally disconnected. We are considering doing a longer route going south out of Lancaster and into Delaware to Lewes and take the ferry to Cape May and up to OC. This would probably be 3 to 4 day ride for us as heading south in Lancaster County has some crazy hills before you get to Newark DE and the flatter terrain on to the coast. Not sure on hotels are as you get closer to the beach cities in June but something to explore.

Ty0604

I finished my tour on Wednesday back in Missoula. 1,015 miles. Pebs ended up having knee issues and not doing much riding. Basically one day. She drove and met me at the campgrounds. I rode with all of my gear still though. I ran into a friend at Bannack State Park who was biking to Darby so I turned around and did 2 extra days back to Darby. Pebs then drove me back to Bannack to pick up the route. We spent 4 days at Signal Mountain Campground in Grand Teton National Park and did day rides out of there both north and south. Spent a week in West Yellowstone and did day/overnight rides out of there all over Yellowstone National Park. Not all of them are listed but the miles are included.

I took Gibbons Pass Road between Wisdom and Darby both times I headed north. The first time I was with my friend and blew the sidewall out of my rear tire after hitting a rock. We shimmed it with a dollar bill and made it into Darby without any issues. The second time I was alone and took it a lot slower. Pebs rental wouldn't make the drive. I ride on GatorSkins and I'd highly recommend Gibbons Pass for any East ---> West TransAm riders. I wouldn't take it going West ---> East as the climb might be too much. I wouldn't do it alone though. That was stupid of me. I had to go to Missoula to get a new bike tire. I called the bike shop in Hamilton and the first thing the lady asked me was "are you on tour?" and when I said "yes" she quoted me a price of $65 for my GatorSkin. It was $40 at REI in Missoula. I wonder how much she'd charged me if I wasn't on tour?

Also took Old Darby Rd between Darby and Hamilton going north. The road is completely wash-boarded and in rough shape. It's also really hilly compared to US 93. I wouldn't recommend this currently until it gets grated.

Originally I had planned to take Teton Pass into Idaho and bike through Driggs and Ashton back to West Yellowstone but a storm forced me to turn around and head back through Yellowstone instead.

On the way back to Wisdom from Twin Bridges I took the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway to Polaris and then through Wise River back to Wisdom. The route was beautiful but extremely hilly. Very little traffic and a lot of campgrounds along the way. I'd definitely do it again.

1. Missoula ---> Darby
2. Darby ---> Wisdom via Lost Trail/Chief Joseph Passes
3. Wisdom ---> Bannack State Park
4. Bannack State Park ---> Wisdom
5. Wisdom ---> Darby via Gibbons Pass
Jump back to Bannack State Park
6. Bannack State Park ---> Twin Bridges
7. Twin Bridges ---> Earthquake Lake
8. Earthquake Lake ---> Grant Village
9. Grant Village ---> Signal Mountain
10. Signal Mountain ---> Grant Village
11. Grant Village ---> West Yellowstone
12. West Yellowstone ---> Canyon Village
13. Canyon Village ---> West Yellowstone
14. West Yellowstone ---> Gardiner
15. Gardiner ---> West Yellowstone
16. West Yellowstone ---> Earthquake Lake
17. Earthquake Lake ---> Virginia City
18. Virginia City ---> Twin Bridges
19. Twin Bridges ---> Polaris
20. Polaris ---> Wisdom
21. Wisdom ---> Darby via Gibbons Pass
22. Darby ---> Missoula

Well that's a lot so sorry for the long post. I'm sure I left some stuff out. Happy to answer any questions anyone has!

indyfabz

Gibbons Pass west to east is worth the effort. In fact, based on what @BobG has said any my own experience, I would rather climb than descend the west slope. The only reason I didn't ride it again last year was because it had been raining in the Sula area since late afternoon the day before and had only stopped that morning. Wasn't interested in riding in a mud puddle.


Shame about Old Darby Rd. It was in very good shape when I rode it in '11, '14 and '16. Much better views than U.S. 93. The first two were on Old Darby. The third looking back while climbing the west side of Gibbons. The wide-ish angle of the lens makes that slope look more gentle than it is. Wipe out and go off the side there and you are toast.

Ty0604

Pebs and I drove Old Darby Rd on June 14 before we left and had intended on taking it when we headed south to Darby. When we drove it the road was fine. As we made our way out of Lolo that day (June 15) the skies opened up and it poured all the way to Hamilton so we stuck to US 93 after getting off the Bitterroot Trail instead of Old Darby Rd for the same reasons you avoided Gibbons last year. When I headed north back to Missoula I neglected to have Pebs drive it before I rode on it because it hadn't rained hard in several weeks so I assumed it was fine. (It's not)

I didn't take any photos of the road itself only the views, which were much better than US 93 as you mentioned. Still not worth the endless teeth chattering vibrations. My friend who lives in Darby said they grate it about twice a year.

As for Gibbons; Good to know. I think I'll try it west to east the next time I'm in the area. The break from traffic is definitely nice and the scenery is amazing. My reasoning to avoid it west to east was simply because of the steepness of it but I haven't done it that direction so shouldn't knock it before I try it.

The photos below are all of Gibbons. Taken with my GoPro so as in your case, the slope looks more gentle than it is. Except for the last photo, these were all taken in the area where you'd be unlikely to survive a crash off the side.

Ty0604

PS: I also recorded a 3 minute section of Gibbons Pass with my GoPro on the backside of the pass. I forgot my bike mount so it's a tad jumpy from me holding it but the stabilizer helped a lot.

indyfabz

I am glad PATCo let you take the tandem, but I am not too surprised. PATCo was the first mass transit system in the area to allow bikes. That was more than a decade ago. At first you had to get a permit, which was free. IIRC, this was done to assess demand. Once the large demand became evident, it did away with the permit requirement. For several years I rode my bike to 15th Street, took the train to Haddonfiled and then rode about 8 miles to my NJ office. Rarely were there any train delays. I always take PATCo from center city when I do tours to S. Jersey. I usually go to Lindenwold and then ride to Belleplain State Forest, where there is a nice campground. Sure beats riding through Camden. If you are down that way again and have the time, the Cape May County Zoo in/near Cape May Court House is worth a visit. There are bike racks to lock to and the zoo is free for everyone.

For next time, you might look for lodging in the Rehoboth area. (There is a limited amount of lodging in Lewes.) You can then ride from there to the ferry through Cape Henlopen State Park nearly all on roads with bike lanes and park trails, which are very nice. Two years ago I did an Easter weekend tour that included two nights of camping in the park. It's definitely worth a visit, especially on a bike. I had no idea it used to be a military base that primarily looked out for (and was prepared to fire upon) any Nazi subs trying to sneak into the bay. When the base became obsolete, it was donated to the state. It's wildly popular. If I tried to get a campsite on a weekend I would probably have to wait until September or maybe even October. Because of the trails, lots of people ride around the park. Despite it being early in the spring, I saw some dolphins in the water off one of the beaches. From the park's main entrance, the dock ferry is only a mile or two. Pods of dolphins are commonly seen from the ferry. They often swim right toward the boat and then dive under at the last second. The captain will usually announce their presence.

DropBarFan

I liked visiting Cape Henlopen SP. There's a couple of old lookout towers one can climb up & I went for a walk on the unused base roads (which IIRC was technically prohibited but nobody around to care). Surprised to see some Amish folk fishing at the pier, first time I ever saw Amish doing something other than work.

Paul J

Thanks for sharing your experiences. We are hoping to do the Lewes route next year.

BikeliciousBabe

As Ty mentioned I wasn't able to ride except for the first day and short rides in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. I've been having issues with my knee from gymnastics. I thought it was fine and it had been during my training rides before we left. I'm bummed but I was still able to drive along and enjoyed the trip

HobbesOnTour

I've recently started using a gps unit and discovered the Relive app. It's pretty cool!

This is my weekend trip

Friday: https://www.relive.cc/view/1098501863

Saturday: https://www.relive.cc/view/1098552590

Sunday: https://www.relive.cc/view/1098470368

Frank

Machka 

Any short tours coming up for the August long weekend?

Happy Feet

Leaving in a few minutes to head up the Coquihalla Hwy north to a gravel road that loops east to Princeton and then back through Manning Park for a 3-4 day trip.

Big hills, predicted heat wave and forest fire smoke.

indyfabz

What August long weekend would that be? My next log weekend is Labor Day weekend, which is the first weekend in September this year. Planning to do our local club's annual one day ride to Brooklyn. Scheduled to start a week long tour across PA (Erie to Philadelphia, with a foray into New York state to visit an old friend) on 9/16.

Machka 

This weekend.


In Canada.

jefnvk

Nope, we don't get that. Did sign up for a three day supported tour of Northern Michigan for the American September long weekend though!

saddlesores

shouldn't that be arbor day?


no tours for the time being. half my gear is in boxes on boats somewhere
in the south china sea.

last week was king's birthday, headed upcountry to go house shopping.
next week is mother's day, so must take the ladyfriend for ice cream
and chocolate cake.

next trip maybe in a month or so, maybe to vientiane....

Happy Feet

Hey, cell reception.

This weekend is BC Day for us in British Columbia. I took today off as well for a 4 day stint.

Rode up the Coquihalla to Larson Hill and then east on Kane Valley Rd. which is a high plateau gravel connector to the 5a or Kamloops/ Princeton Hwy.

Purdy beat after 112kms of up and then more up and down gravel but caught a break from the heat because of the smoke haze.

Camping at Kane Lake tonight. Max is using a Hennessy hammock and I'm in a Gortex Bivy.

Tomorrow it's south to Princeton and then up Copper Mine hill towards Manning Park.

Pics later of course...

DropBarFan

Heard about that on the US TV news, wow, not the conditions I'd expect in BC!

Happy Feet

Very strange conditions indeed.

Day 2 started at 7am and ended at 12:30am 224km's later.

Set off for 8 km's of gravel before hitting the 5a and then about 70km's down to Princeton for lunch by 1pm. Hot and smokey with some very fine ash in the air. After lunch we set out for Coppermine Hill on Hwy 3 and ground up that in pretty warm conditions. Made it to Manning Park Lodge at 6:30 totally gassed but after ice cream, chocolate milk and coffee we decided to carry on rather than ride 7km up a hill to a campsite that was probably full.

About 8km's later we hit Allison Pass and the fun began with about 60km's off downhill riding in the twilight and darkness, clocking over 70kph at one point. We rolled into Hope and crossed the bridge to the north side of the river but could not find a place to hang the hammock until we were half way to Agassiz where we found a gas line right of way to crash on.

The next day (today) we covered the last 80 odd KM's from there back to Abbotsford arriving at 1:30 pm.
Total distance: 419km's Total time: 54.5hr's (2.5 days).

The sun through the smoke at mid day:
P2190668 by dc460, on Flickr

Heading up the Coquihalla:
P2170623 by dc460, on Flickr

Max and I at the Great Bear snow shed:
P2170626 by dc460, on Flickr

Kane Valley Rd.
P2170635 by dc460, on Flickr

Cont...

Happy Feet

Cattle guards everywhere:
P2170634 by dc460, on Flickr

The road into camp:
P2170640 by dc460, on Flickr

Cows in the campsite:
20170804_192143[1] by dc460, on Flickr

Our campsite at Kane Lake (we were the only ones there):
P2170639 by dc460, on Flickr

The lake in the morning:
P2180644 by dc460, on Flickr

More free range cows:
P2180648 by dc460, on Flickr

Breaking camp in the morning of day 3:
P2190664 by dc460, on Flickr

snow_echo_NY

this looks wonderful.
on July 8-9 i rode in a short bike tour dubbed "micro tour" in which our LBS rides for one day to a campsite and then rides back.
photos and blog post here: https://718c.blogspot.com/2017/07/20...o-tour-03.html and the trip description here: 718tripsandtours.com/2017-microtour-3

Where did you go? we went to mountain lakes park, in north salem, NY
What did you see along the way? lots of trees, bodies of water: rivers and lakes and ponds, tunnels, shops, railroad tracks
Would you recommend the area? yes it was mostly on protected paths and the campsite was nice too.
What sort of accommodation did you use? it was a campground with port a potties and some shelters.
What kind of bicycle did you ride? i rode my commuter which is a light touring bike, the surly crosscheck
Did you learn anything new? nope i had done it before the previous October with the same group

What short tours do you have planned for 2017?
We'll be doing an introduction to touring by going to Staten Island and camping.




2016:
on Oct 1-2 i rode in a short bike tour dubbed "micro tour" in which our LBS rides for one day to a campsite and then rides back.
photos and blog post here: https://718c.blogspot.com/2016/10/mi...e-my-bags.html

Where did you go? we went to lake tiorati, in Bear Mountain Park, NY
What did you see along the way? lots of trees, bodies of water: rivers and lakes and ponds, trails, shops
Would you recommend the area? yes it was mostly on protected paths with some stops along 9W at the 9W market and Nyack - and the campsite was nice too. it was a beast to climb, had to walk part of it.
What sort of accommodation did you use? it was a campground with bathrooms and water facility and some picnic tables.
What kind of bicycle did you ride? i rode my commuter which is a light touring bike, the surly crosscheck
Did you learn anything new? yes it was my first tour ever! i enjoyed it greatly.

revcp 

Got in three short tours this summer.

First was June 1 -- 2. Rode from Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota USA) to Jay Cooke State Park to camp, then back home the next day. About 250 miles round trip.

Last week in July went with a friend on the MRT (Mississippi River Trail) up to Itasca State Park, east to Grand Rapids, back home. About 550 miles rt.

Over this past weekend took three days to go back up to Jay Cooke and home, this time with my 18 yo old son. Again, about 250 miles rt.

I'm getting my system sorted for a Twin Cities to Santa Fe to Yellowstone to Twin Cities tour in 2019.

Lively or Not

Tomorrow morning (this morning, technically) I'm off for a three-day tour. Leaving home in far NE Oklahoma and biking about 35 miles into the foothills of the Ozarks to Neosho, Missouri. After a night of primitive camping, I'll bike about 30 miles north to Carthage for an evening of campground camping. Then Friday back home 45 miles. Nothing too strenuous. Looking forward to some new and interesting country roads.