Touring Practice

I've been thinking a lot about touring lately. I'm not sure why it fascinates me, but I find myself reading other blogs from people who are on the road (Crazy Guy on a Bike is a great place to start) and wishing it was me having the adventure.  

I was hoping that I would get a test run soon. The scouts are having the fall family campout at a site that is only twelve miles away. It's the perfect opportunity to load up the trailer and give it a shot. To prove to myself that I could do it, I did just that. I loaded up the camping gear (minus only food, the big camp stove, and my sleeping bag) and rode most of the way to the camp site yesterday.

The trailer pulled quite nicely with the full load. I still need to work out the squeaks and rattles, but it is mechanically sound. The biggest problem I need to solve is the aerodynamics. To contain the load, I used a large Sterilite bin. I loaded it sideways to evenly distribute the load, but I discovered that it acted like a big sail in that position. With it being a fairly windy day, I felt the drag. I spotted an older Airstream trailer on the ride and I think I was inspired.

There was one major mishap on the road. An older fellow was riding about 100 yards ahead of me and he tried to use a driveway to access the sidewalk. The transition wasn't smooth and he hit it at too steep an angle. His front tire washed out and he crashed. He was lying on the sidewalk, moaning in pain when I caught up to him. Another cyclist stopped to help, so I called for an ambulance. It was quite the scene by the time the ambulance and the fire truck arrived. The fellow is well known in the neighborhood, so quite a few people came over to check on him. He didn't have any scrapes or cuts, but he did act like he broke his shoulder.

The other cyclist was also from the neighborhood. He accompanied me on the last mile to my turnaround and told me a bit about the history of the area. He grew up baling hay and working with the cows for Mr. Gonzales, the namesake of the town. He watched it grow from a small country town to a thriving suburb of Baton Rouge. I'm sure he has some great stories to tell.

After a cold drink, I turned around to head back home. It was 12 miles down, and because of a missed turn, 13 miles back. The trip assured me that I could tour. I just need to tweak some of my equipment, lighten the load (a common problem among touring cyclists), and pick the right destination. Now if I can just talk my wife into coming along....