Category: Idaho

Yes, I coined a new term; “A24O”- for “about 24 hours over-nighter”. The “S24O” or “sub 24 hour over-nighter” seems too extreme. Too much pressure to return home in less than 24 hours, especially from Boise where the distances to decent camping spots are greater than in some other shires.

We rolled out the front door at about 10 AM Saturday morning and by shear luck, even though it would be almost 100 degrees by the afternoon, there was a nice cloud cover most of the morning which even sprinkled a little rain. We followed the Boise Greenbelt out past Harris Ranch to Lucky Peak Dam. There is a four mile climb to the Hilltop store, which is open again (hope they can keep it going) and actually has a nice selection of beer, so there was no need to have lugged our adult beverages up that hill! A fast descent and a sharp right past the high bridge brings us to Spring Shores Marina. It’s another 5 1/2 miles of pavement before the road turns to dirt/gravel/sand which is severely washboarded in places by the almost steady (on the weekend anyway) traffic of recreationalites with their recreational vehicles.

Arrowrock Reservoir is bigger than I realized. We followed the road along the upper shoreline for about 14 miles to the upper end of the reservoir where the Middle Fork of the Boise River flows freely again. This is where the climate becomes more alpine too. Pine trees begin to replace the clumps of Black Locust growing at the lower, dryer elevations. Indeed, it seems a bona fide forest at Willow Creek Campground.

 

 

I’m still undecided about the best bike for this kind of trip. Most of the miles are on pavement but the unpaved sections can be sort of jarring and tiring. I rode my touring bike with 700x35c tires while Sky King rode her Bleriot with 650bx42mm Grand Bois Hetre tires, and neither one of us had any significant problems. The smooth tread tires were nice on the paved sections. Bikes with even more voluminous tires would flatten out the bumps a little on the unpaved sections and provide better traction I think. So there are compromises on a trip like this. We will be covering the same ground on the last day of the upcoming Ketchum to Boise ride and we both want fatter tires. Sky King will be buoyed by 26″x2.4″ Schwalbe tires on the Disc Trucker. The Surly Big Dummy has unexpectedly risen to the top of my own short list of off road touring bikes. The frame is designed to fit tires up to 2.5″ wide, even if tire selection in that size is a little bit limited. And the long wheel base distributes the weight of the rider and the load more evenly between the two wheels resulting in better traction and more stable handling….theoretically. The longer wheelbase undoubtedly would smooth out the chatter bumps on these gravel roads too. In more remote areas drinking water can be the major challenge to doing off road back-country rides fully self-supported. With its 200 pound load capacity, not including the rider, and its capacious bags the Big Dummy unlocks that conundrum. The only downside I can see is if the need arose for some bushwhacking or log hopping to get to that perfect campsite, but that is not a deal breaker.

Oops….. this post has encountered a bit of metaphorical sand and could easily slide over the bank into the weeds of B.R.O.C.D. (bike related obsessive compulsive disorder). Careful, just a little body english, don’t over correct…..right, back on form. So figure on a solid 5 hours to do this 40+ mile ride one way on a loaded bike. There is drinking water at Hilltop, at Spring Shores Marina and at the Willow Creek Campground. The campground is a no fee forest service facility with picnic tables and plenty of trees and good access to the river. The area is very popular on summer weekends and the auto traffic is heavy, especially on Sunday afternoon.

Asa thinks I’m an (expletive deleted) because I mock him for naming his bike Rocinante. But it’s just because the Bike Hermit is a rough, illiterate man. And because I’m jealous of him. He is leaving next month for a year long bike touring trip in Europe. He is twenty something. Actually I am not jealous, I simply hate him…..just kidding Asa.

There were three other bike touring novices on our trip around Lake Cascade this weekend. But every one of them represented!
A bout of dehydration resulting in nausea, headaches and chills for Paul prompted Scott to retrace the previous thirty miles in order to fetch a car for the rescue. Meanwhile we fed Paul ibuprofin and an electrolyte replacement drink…he actually recovered enough to put me in a spot of bother on the last day while trying to stay on his wheel. Scott met us at the second night’s camp and drove into town to buy beer and steaks! That’s what I call bike touring!

Exercise induced dehydration can actually be real problem when touring. According to Wikipedia- “Physiologically, dehydration, despite the name, does not simply mean loss of water, as water and solutes (mainly sodium) are usually lost in roughly equal quantities to how they exist in blood plasma” which means that simply drinking water can still result in dehydration if electrolytes are not also replaced. In fact, drinking too much water without replacing other nutrients can lead to hyponatremic dehydration, basically a low level of electrolytes, sodium in particular. Fruit juices, coconut water, sports drinks, milk, fruits and vegetables contain electrolytes. Fruit juices can contain a good deal of sugar which makes them more difficult for the body to digest and use. I prefer an electrolyte tablet that can be dropped into a water bottle because the tablets are small and easy to carry. Nuun brand tablets have no sugar and a little bit of effervescence, and they taste pretty good. Checking urine color can be an indicator of hydrated-ness, should be light, like lemonade, not dark, like apple juice.

The second night, we shared the full to overflowing campground with some very impressive RVs, pickup trucks and bass boats. At O Dark:30 in the morning a dozen diesel motors clattered to life and I extruded myself from my hammock to watch the start of the day’s bass tournament. After heating some water for coffee I wandered down to the boat ramp to watch the launch…all the boats were already in the water!…these guys have it down. The official’s boat was being circled by the school of bass boats as the lights on its mast changed from red to yellow to green. Then, in a display that would make any American (or OPEC member) proud, one by one the boats took off at 80 m.p.h. to their preferred fishin’ hole. They would fish and drive their boats really fast until 3 PM when the official weigh in took place. Almost wished I could’ve stayed.

It is well known that the Bike Hermit can be socially challenged. I enjoy being on my own and unknown in new to me places. But I’m finding that touring with other people can be rewarding. Something about it seems to bring out the best in a grumpy old man. I bear the discomfort and I realize that most of the others are committed to the well being of this little temporary micro-society we have formed. Feelings of sovereignty are put aside and group mindedness prevails…nobody wants to be the one who ruins the trip for the others. There is a tacit understanding that this is no place for competitive instincts.

Seeing how people solve the problem of carrying gear on the bike is instructive and entertaining too. From trailers to panniers to frame bags to wire baskets, there is no right or wrong way. This old hermit is looking forward to the next group tour!