Overnight on the C&O Canal

(Or how to have fun even when plans go awry)

Well, I've had a strong urge to sleep outside and wake to fresh air and bird song for quite some time now, so I set my sights on an overnight cycle-camping trip on the C&O Canal this week. I'd had it in my head to load the bike and my gear up in my truck on Tuesday morning and head out to a spot fairly far out... at least mile 60 or so, out around Harper's Ferry, WV. Once I got there, I'd ride until I felt like stopping, and camp in one of the free hiker/biker sites which are about 5-10 miles apart on most of the canal. Then on Wednesday, I'd ride back to the truck and head home.

Then my truck failed the state inspection because of an exhaust leak. No problem, they said they could get it back to me no later than noon on Tuesday. Tuesday morning comes, with news that I am the lucky owner of a "California" Toyota, with a totally different system, which they're having trouble finding the parts for. At first I thought I'd just give up on the trip, but while I was out with Tybalt that morning, it was just too lovely a day to give up on it so easily. So I figured out Alternative Plan B - ride right from my door, up the W&OD rail trail, crossing over the Potomac River at Leesburg on White's Ferry. So that's where our story will begin.

White's Ferry is a small, privately owned operation that has a small, open ferry boat that chugs its way across the river, back and forth, all day long. It's pretty much the only way across the river upstream from the Beltway in this area, so it's suprisingly busy. You can see the ferry, the Gen. Jubal A. Early, in the picture to the left. The trip only takes a few minutes, and it's actually a pretty crossing on a nice day. And the weather was spectacular the whole time I was away. July in this area can be miserably humid, but not this week.

Once across the river, I was right at the canal, around mile post 36 of 184.5. But before hitting the trail, I needed to visit the small store and snack bar at the ferry landing, since I hadn't stocked up on bug repellent or food beforehand, and somehow missed the Safeway that I thought I would have passed on my way to the ferry. Just my luck... cash or checks only, and I had a whopping eight bucks with me. And the selection of food and other goods was mighty slim. I ended up getting some Chef Boyardee ravioli, figuring if all else failed, I could heat that up for dinner. Good thing I picked that up, as I encountered no other open stores along the way! I couldn't afford the bug repellent and the food, so I braced myself for a buggy night.

On the towpath, I quickly fell into a rhythm and began to really enjoy the ride. Up until that point, I really didn't feel like I was "away" yet, but once the tree canopy closed in, it felt a lot more like a getaway. And on top of it all, I got an early chance to do a good deed. No sooner had I gotten rolling on the canal, than I was passed by a large group of teenaged girls and their group leader, who called out "do you have a bike pump?" I said yes, and asked who needed it... they said "she's in back"... but the young lady was nowhere in sight. I rode on about another mile and a half before I finally came upon the girl walking her bike, and stopped to help. Imagine my surprise when it turned out she was from England, and here with some sort of camp activity group. Quick work with the bike pump and she was on her way, and I continued along my journey.

The towpath is really pretty all along its length, but I like it better the farther I get from DC. Fewer people, more trees, more critters. While I wasn't as far out as I'd hoped at the start, it was still beautiful. And there are lots of cool remnants of the heydey of the canal, such as the lock keeper's houses, and the recently restored Monocacy Aqueduct, both of which you can see below.


















The ride up was beautiful, with the sun slowly sinking in the sky, casting longer shadows through the trees. By the time I got up to Harper's Ferry, I was ready to call it a night. After an abortive attempt to get more food or some bug repellent in town (who knew everything closes at 6:00????), I set out for the next campsite, just two miles upriver. The only problem being that a group of kids and their two adult leaders and pile of canoes and gear had taken over the entire site! Looking at my mile-by-mile guide, it looked like the next site was about 13 miles further up, and light was fading fast, so I hopped back on the bike and rode pretty hard. Luckily for me, it turned out there was a campground a mere 7 miles up, at Antietam Creek Recreation area (mile 69ish). A bigger campground than I had planned on... I like the seclusion and lack of car access of the hiker/biker sites, but at this point, I was just ready to get off the bike and set up camp. It turned out to be a nice and quiet location, with very few other occupants, although one group had actually dragged a couch out to their campsite, as you can see to the right. Not really my style of "camping" but what the heck, we all have our ways.





After a lovely and remarkably bug free evening, and a good night's sleep, I was all set the next morning to roll on back to DC. It was such a pretty day that I made what some would think was terrible time, as I kept stopping to look at things and take pictures and just enjoy being outside so much. The river above Harper's Ferry has a bunch of little islands and low, tree-shaded spots along the shore, and I just couldn't resist a short rest beside the river in one of them. The river exposes some amazing root systems along the banks, and I find them just fascinating.

I finally managed to have some good food in Brunswick, MD (mile post 55), at Beans In The Belfry, a cafe and coffee shop in an old church. I'd been there once before while riding the canal, so I knew there would be good food and good coffee. It's a really cute little town, and a fun cafe. All the stained glass windows are still intact and you can choose to sit in the choir loft is you choose. The turkey sandwich with cranberries on panini really hit the spot, since all I'd had to this point was that ravioli and some Clif bars (note to self, bring more than one flavor...).






















Fortified the time being, I continued down the trail, only to almost immediately encounter the most interesting bit of wildlife I saw on the trip... the snapping turtle you see to the left there. When I saw him in the middle of the trail in the distance, I assumed it was just a pile of horse poop, which you see fairly often along the trail. As I got closer though, I figured out what it was. He stayed pretty much stock still the whole time I watched and photographed him, which was fine by me. Those jaws and claws look pretty imposing, and I'd just as soon not find out how potent they are.

The rest of the trip went smoothly, with just a lot of pretty scenery to see and a gorgeous day with blue skies and puffy white clouds overhead. I spent a good long while at the Monocacy Aqueduct, which is an amazing structure and a great restoration job. Take a look at some of the photos in the link below if you want to see. I also stopped at the site of the Catoctin Creek Aqueduct, which collapsed in the 20s or 30s, but which they plan now to restore, funds permitting. The amazing thing about that project is that they've already retrieved many of the stones that had fallen into the stream, and have them piled up awaiting the beginning of work.

Ride's end found me in Georgetown, having dinner with a friend, which was a nice little treat after a long day riding. I rode about 62 miles on Tuesday, followed by 75 on Wednesday, with the bike loaded for camping. It wasn't too heavy a load, as it was only an overnight trip, but it was enough to make the bike feel noticeably heavier. I hadn't mounted a front rack on the bike yet, so all the weight was on the back, which is less than ideal, but that didn't detract from the fun I had. In fact, I have to say if there's a theme to the trip, it's that if you don't let setbacks get you down, you can still have a lot of fun when plans go awry.



This was the maiden voyage, touring-wise, for the Goshawk, and it did beautifully. I could really feel the benefit of the wider tires compared to my previous trips on my Miyata 1000.

More pictures are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43828356@N00/sets/72157621127732881/

July 4th on the Canal

I often find myself on the C&O Canal on holidays since I moved back East six and a half years ago. The explanation is pretty simple... I live in Virginia, and most of my family lives in Maryland, where I grew up. If you look at a map... or remember your Civil War history... or live near here... you will see that the Canal runs alongside the Potomac, which of course, is the boundary between the two states, so I cross over both of those whenever I journey over to see family, as I did today when I went to visit my mom.








On the way home, having no big plans for my July 4th evening, I decided to take a ride along the Canal before the sun went down. I'm glad I did... it was a gorgeous evening, the towpath wasn't very busy, and I saw something I've never seen before! I'm not 100% sure what was going on, but I have a pretty good idea I saw two snapping turtles engaged in a mating ritual of some kind. I was alerted to it by seeing two other folks stopped on the path, taking pictures of something in the water. When I stopped, there I saw the two turtles, seemingly engaged in a staring match. You can just make them out in the shadows below the leaves in the center of the frame. (Apologies for the photo quality... I didn't realize the camera was set to low resolution at the time.)






Moments later the two appeared to attack one another! There was a sudden splash and flailing of feet and they were rolling over and over, each seeming to try to climb over the other. From time to time one would rear its head up and let out a remarkably loud hiss. Then there would be a short interlude where they would simply place themselves belly to belly, and roll over and over. This activity went on for quite some time, with the two turtles alternately tussling and seeming to quietly hold one another, until finally one climbed on top of the other, positioned itself at right angles to the other, and they quietly drifted with the slight current in the Canal. Very odd... I've never seen anything like it... it was fascinating. Given the peaceful "ending" I suspect this was more mating ritual than fight, but there were times where it looked quite violent.



The rest of the ride was great as well... saw several Great Blue Herons, and near the end, quite a few deer. And geese, of course, geese. Those fuzzy little goslings I saw and wrote about a while back are now young adults, indistinguishable from their parents except for a slight difference in size. I enjoyed the usual vistas along the way, stopping now and then to take pictures. I find it fascinating how different it looks along the Canal, season to season.

All in all, a good way to celebrate the day.

Random Oddities

Today I ran into two, random, unrelated items that just struck me as worthy of comment.

The first I found when I was removing the bottom bracket on an old Givin/Proflex dual suspension mountain bike. The bike itself is a bit of an oddity, as you really don't see very many of them at all. I can only recall seeing two in the six years I've been working in bike shops, and I've never seen one outside of a shop. It's apparently from the early 90s, and was pretty hot stuff in its day. An odd looking machine, but I was surprised by how light it was, and how well it rode. Granted, noodling around a parking lot isn't an exhaustive test for a "dually". (I'll try to post pics of this bike if I remember to get a shot before the owner picks it up.)

The odd thing in removing the bottom bracket was the labelling on the cups that screw into the frame. As you can see in the picture to the left, they say "KSS SCHWEINFURT BSA 1.37"x24-68-TF-L". The "BSA 1.37x24-68" part simply refers to the threading standard used in the parts. I'm not sure what the TF stands for, but L probably means "left" since this is the left cup.

But the part that caught my eye was the first part... KSS SCHWEINFURT must mean that the assembly was made by KSS, in the German city of Schweinfurt, long known for ball bearing manufacturing... and for being the site of two major air battles during World War II. I remember hearing from my dad about the "Schweinfurt Raids" (Schweinfurt-Regensburg and Second Schweinfurt), and how so many American bombers were shot down or heavily damaged trying to destroy the ball bearing plants. The bomb group my dad was attached to flew both missions, and had a rough time both times, but especially on the second raid. My dad was stationed on the ground, and loaded the bombs both days, but I still remember him talking about how they waited and counted the returning planes. There were a lot missing on the second raid. It was all part of the attempt to wreck the war manufacturing plants of Nazi Germany, the success of which I believe is debated to this day. What isn't debated is how awful it was to fly those missions, and how many young men lost their lives flying them.

The second oddity of the day was much less serious. As we were getting ready to close up shop for the day, John called out to me "Do you want a frog?" To which I reasonably responded "Huh?!?!" "Out by the dumpster", he said... and sure enough, upon looking, I saw this large, cast frog sitting by the dumpster... or rather, one big frog with several small ones on top of it, as part of the casting. No doubt some sort of yard decoration... and since I have an affinity for amphibians that dates to my childhood, I did actuall pause and think about it. But no, I really don't need a large hunk of frog! Worth a picture though, don't you think? Odd, odd, odd.

A Fun Sighting in a Bike Rack

I saw a fun bike at my local Whole Foods last night, and just had to take some pictures and write about it.

What you see there is a classic DL-1 "roadster" bicycle from Raleigh (with my bike in the background, of course). These were the standard "utility" bikes for a long, long time in Britain... the bikes ridden to work and around town by the working class... including the folks who made the bikes. Sturdy, simple, and reliable, these bikes were designed to get you where you needed to go, in all weather, day or night. This particular one is a "ladie's" frame, with the dropped top tube for skirt clearance. I couldn't ascertain the age of it, but I'm guessing sometime in the 70s, which I believe was the last they were imported to the US.



Unlike the similar and more familiar Sports model (technically a "light roadster" but once known in the US as "English racers"...a misnomer if there ever was one), the DL-1 and similar bikes used "rod brakes"... instead of cables, the brakes are actuated by solid rods attached to the levers, as you can see in the photo to the right. You'll also notice that the brake shoes actually rub on the inner surface of the rim, to either side of the spokes, rather than on the side walls of the rim, as most brakes do.








One thing that I noticed that sets this bike apart is that the drive train has been modified and modernized. Typically, a bike like this would have had the classic Sturmey-Archer AW three speed internally geared hub, a very reliable, durable hub. I've got a bike with one of those hubs that dates back to 1966, and it's still going strong, and two others that are from 1951, and should be perfectly fine after a disassembly, cleaning and lube. They're just that good. However, the gear range and number of options doens't really appeal to Americans these days, so this bike was updated with a seven speed SRAM Spectro S7 internally geared hub. More gears, slightly wider total range, and smoother steps between gears. I can understand why the change was made.... but the sentimental side of me wishes it still had the AW.



For a moment I wondered why the owner didn't also take the opportunity to upgrade the rims on the bike, while they were having the rear wheel rebuilt with the new hub. Then I remembered the brakes... you see, you need a rim designed for rod brakes if you're going to use rod brakes. So what's the deal with rod brakes? Well, cables stretch and can break, causing poor or no braking... the rods don't stretch, and it's hard to imagine a scenario in which they'd break. On the other hand, from what I've heard, none of the rod brakes offer stellar braking performance, so maybe it's not such a great thing. Then again, on a bike like this, you're not likely to be travelling at a high rate of speed, so perhaps it's less of an issue. I'll let you know when I finally get a chance to ride one!

Short, Fun, Retro Ride

I know, those of you who know me, or follow this blog, are thinking "isn't EVERY ride a Retro Ride for you Tim?" And yes, it's true, the vast majority of my many bikes are what one would call retro. But tonight was a step further that way. Not a huge step... I didn't hop on a penny-farthing in wool knickers or anything like that... but a little more retro or "classic", you might say, than usual. To start with, I rode the '73 chrome Schwinn Paramount. It's probably the bike I've tried the hardest to keep "original", since it came to me nearly completely equipped with original parts. And when it was time to accessorize it, I went with things that were period correct... the New Old Stock Schwinn Touring Saddlebag, the Bluemels Club Special fenders. And tonight, before my ride, I dug out a pair of Campagnolo Superleggera track pedals, with Christophe toe clips and ALE straps. Can you say "old school"? I've previously been riding the bike with modern "clipless" pedals, but have been wanting to go with something more traditional. The original pedals for this bike would be the more common "quill" version of the Campy SLs, and I have them, but with wide feet like mine, the track pedals work better. I used to ride with clips and straps all the time.. I only tried clipless in the late 90s, long after most "serious cyclists" had jumped on that bandwagon. I think what won me over to clipless in a big way was the advent of cycling sandals that can take the special cleat for the pedals. I have to admit, I love riding in those. But sometimes I like something different. I've got several bikes set up so I can use cycling shoes OR regular shoes, and a couple with plain ol' flat pedals, and at any given time, I generally have at least one bike with clips and straps. So tonight I decided to set up the Paramount that way, and I'm glad I did. It just felt right to be cruising along on a lovely warm evening before sunset, feet in toe clips, hands in gloves with cotton mesh backs and leather palms, sans helmet. Yes, you read that right... I rode without a helmet! I generally wear one, and pretty much always on the road, but tonight I was on a rail-trail and in the mood for the wind in my hair I guess. And it just completed the trip down memory lane in a way... to a simpler time, when I was younger and less aware of my mortality... when my best buddy and I would cruise the streets after dark, with neither helmets nor lights, in a quiet neighborhood on the edge of Baltimore. Back when a grand total of 10 or 12 or 15 "speeds" on a bike seemed an embarrassment of riches. When we didn't need to don our lycra, and our special sunglasses and our special shoes, and our head armor for a simple ride around the quiet streets. Tonight was like that... a quiet evening, soft light of the fading sun, only a few folks on the path... my old steel bike feeling so comfortable and right beneath me... non-cycling shoes in toe clips... wind in in my hair... five sprockets on my freewheel... shifters that don't click into each gear, and mounted on the down tube... and cotton tape under my palms. Beautiful night, beautiful ride. About the only thing missing would be to have some kind of mechanical odometer... can you say Huret Multito? (the old bike geeks just chuckled to themselves)

Stormy Night Ride

Last night, I opted to ride my bike to and from my yoga class, which I haven't done in a while. Getting there was pretty uneventful, but the ride home was amazing, as a thunderstorm had rolled in as class was winding up. The rain was just pouring down in sheets for much of my ride, making me grateful for my Burley rain jacket (sadly, Burley stopped making their excellent rain gear several years ago) and the light nylon "water shorts" I'd opted to wear. It also helped that I was wearing a pair of Teva Dozers on my feet, with thin wool socks for a little warmth. Regular shoes would have gotten waterlogged, so the sandals were a great choice.

I honestly wasn't minding the rain so much... sure, at times it stung my face, and given the choice, I'd rather have not had rain, but I've ridden in downpours plenty of times before. On the other hand, I have to admit, the brilliant flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder, while not right overhead, were close enough to be unsettling after a while. So at my last possible opportunity before getting on the rail trail, where I'd have 3 or 4 miles without readily available shelter, I opted to get on the Metro rail system, and ride the few miles by train. Seems it was a good choice, because by the time the train arrived at Vienna, the storm had pretty much cleared to the east of town, meaning I probably would have had to ride right through it on the bike.

The ride from the Metro station home was a lovely contrast... cool, a bit breezy, but no rain, and the lightning was far off to my east. And the trail was alive with critters! I startled a number of deer, while others seemed singularly unimpressed by my presence. I wonder sometimes which is more odd to a deer... this silently moving creature with a glowing, bright white eye on the front and a red one on the rear... or the fact that I tend to say hello to them! Yeah, I talk to them. Call me weird... but I figure it might help prevent them from leaping in my path in panic. Of course, I could be completely wrong. The path was also alive with fireflies! They've just started coming out here in the last week or two, and it really makes night rides a joy to see the flash and glow of those tiny creatures flitting around. A single small frog or toad hopped his way across the trail in front of me... and then, just as I was leaving the woods, a bat swooped low over my head, bobbing and weaving after bugs.

All in all, worth every ounce of water that fell on me!

Making Your Bike YOURS Pt 3 (Mixte Makeover)

It's been a while since I've visited the topic of customizing your bike to suit you, but here's a project I've been involved with for a while that I just had to write about.

Back in the fall, thanks to this blog, I was contacted by a woman looking for a "mixte" style bicycle. Historically, a mixte was intended as a sort of "unisex" frame that would work for either men or women. The traditional design uses two thin tubes angling from the top of the head tube (where the steering bearings are) all the way to the rear dropouts which hold the rear axle. As I recall, the French first popularized the design, but just about every maker of bikes in the days of the old "ten speed" made some variation on the mixte concept. I've always really admired the design, and heck, here was a person looking for a classic steel bike, so I jumped at the chance to help.

Anyway, in short order, through luck and the help of a friend of mine who apparently spends entirely too much time looking at Craig's List, a mixte was found - a very nice 1986 Bridgestone 300, in a pretty rose color. Then the fun began. The owner brought the bike in for me to look at and assess, and give her some suggestions on fitting and accessorizing. Thus began a process that over the next few months transformed the bike into just the right bike for her... or at least we're well on the way to that!





The first order of business after determining that the bike was in fine mechanical shape, was to try to set the bike up to fit comfortably. In the simplest sense, that wasn't so hard... but "dialing in" the rider's position took a fair amount of time and several different attempts with handlebars. However, that's just the sort of project I enjoy, so it worked out fine, and the owner and I have become friends over the course of this project as well.



Originally, the bike came with what used to be known as "French style" handlebars, shown in the photo to the right, and in the inset above on the catalog page. It's hard to tell without the bike as a frame of reference (I didn't think to snap a photo before taking them off, dang it!), but they are a narrow, upright style of bar, which sweep forward from the stem, then angle slightly back to the grips. The rider's comments were that they felt narrow and low and too close in. Or at least, that was my interpretation. Sometimes it feels like you're speaking different languages while trying to sort out bike fit and feel!



So the first thing we tried was a set of "trekking" or "butterfly" bars. These are a design that you don't see much in the US yet, but they are apparently popular in Europe, for touring as well as commuting. They give you multiple positions for your hands, like traditional road "drop" bars, but tend to put in you a more upright and comfortable position. You can see them wrapped in natural cork tape here on the bike... which in itself led to a pursuit of the perfect color of bar tape for a while! Some mechanics might have found that silly, but having agonized myself over such things, I understood. In this case, there was much anguish over the right color to both complement the honey Brooks saddle (um, yes, another sign of my influence... and no, I don't get a kickback from Brooks!), as well as the rose color of the bike itself. The owner went through a seemingly endless array of options, including several shades of tape (tan, maroon, green...) and even a lovely brown leather sewn-on wrap. Ironically, all the agony over bar wrap ultimately proved irrelevant, as you'll soon see.

Anyway, after riding with these bars for a while, the verdict was that while they were pretty comfortable and versatile, it wasn't a perfect fit, and they just "didn't look right" on the classic steel bike. There's always a balance to be found between form and function in most things, and bikes are no exception. Another person might have decided otherwise, but the owner really wanted a bar more in keeping with the aesthetics of the bike, while offering a comfortable riding position. She's a graphic designer, so the visual makes a big difference, and from my years of working with scenic designers, I knew not to argue.



Next up, we tried Nitto "moustache" bars, a personal favorite of mine. I like the look and feel of them, and find them really nice for a general purpose, knocking around kind of bike. Not as racy as drop bars, but more hand positions than a straight bar. And they look more in keeping with an older bike, I think. The problem here was they just never really felt comfortable for the rider, despite tweaking the position several times both vertically and horizontally. Honestly, I wasn't that suprised, as I know that moustache bars just don't work for some folk, particularly women. There's just something about the position they put you in that just doesn't agree with some. I should note, by the way, that here is where an "adjustable" stem comes in handy. Unlike more traditional rigid stems, this type is articulated such that you can adjust the angle and thus the reach as well as the height. Not the prettiest stems, but very practical when working out fit issues.



Finally, or at least to date (stay posted!), what we settled on is a traditional "North Road" style of bar, similar to what millions of classic old British three speeds used. In this case, it's a very nice, simple, affordable bar from Wald, one of the few US makers of bike parts that has been around a long, long time. They've been making baskets, bars, stems and other bits and pieces in Kentucky for ages now. And one ride with their model 8095 "touring" bar convinced the owner that these were the best choice so far. Pal Beth, of the bikelovejones blog, will appreciate this, as they are a favorite bar of hers. A little tweaking here and there, and it seems we've hit upon a winner. You can see the bike here in the penultimate setup, with the adjustable stem and original brake levers.

Speaking of brake levers, in an earlier experiment, I let my friend try out my Dahon Hon Solo, which has moustache bars and "reverse" brake levers, which plug into the end of the bars and point forward. She liked those right away, so along with selecting a more attractive, rigid stem based on the setup we had settled on with the adjustable, they completed the package. Well, completed it as far as riding position goes...

You see, there's more to making a bike "yours" than simply position. Based on some of my suggestions, this mixte is taking shape in other ways as well. You have probably noticed by now that in the later photos the bike now sports several features that clearly show my influence... notably the Brooks saddle, Carradice Pendle bag, and SKS fenders. What can I say? I know what I like, what works for me, and I will steer folks that way if I think it's the best choice for them. There are plenty of people that have come to me to ask my advice that I would never dream of putting on a Brooks or suggesting a Carradice, but when someone notices what I have done with my bikes, and asks about it, I know they are open to the idea. A starting point on this whole project was the owner taking a look at my bikes and getting a feel for the style I prefer, and she seemed to really "get" it. And so far, the saddle, bag, and fenders all seem to be working for her. Although she has been eyeing some Velo Orange fenders lately...

But there's more to be done still... with a desire to use the bike for transportation... shopping, errands, commuting... the question of luggage is still being explored. The Pendle bag is a great bag for a recreational day ride, with room for a lunch, patch kit, tools, and a few extra bits of clothes... but it's not really enough to tote groceries home, or a change of clothes for work. For that we're going to be looking into a rack and some bags of some sort, perhaps "grocery panniers" a simplified design of bag that hangs on either side of a rear rack. Or maybe soemthing in a stylish basket? A set of Basil bags, in their fun colors and designs? Hmmmm.... So many choices, so many fun options!

Stay tuned for future developments, and other "makeover" projects as they come along.

There she is, in all her glory!



A few more photos can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43828356@N00/sets/72157618985717292/