55 Mile Bike Ride Towing Camping Trailer Against The Wind

Saturday, I finished a round trip bike/camping trip from Bettendorf Iowa
to Mississippi Palisades Park (Savanna IL).

Because of Rain conditions, I decided to ride the whole way from Thomson
IL to Bettendorf IA in one long day....

55 miles, including the bridge detour in Rock Island IL.

7 Hours in the saddle.

Generally a 5 to 10 MPH headwind slowing me down.

I ate a good breakfast (3 fresh eggs, 2 fresh hamburger patties and much
coffee) and packed up slowly, talking with people who were interested in
the idea of bike/camping with a child's trailer as the hauler of a
complete comfortable camping site.

Departed about 11:00 AM under nice skies which were beginning to look
dark and dismal on the Southwest horizon.

A few miles into the ride, there were initial twinges of calf muscle
cramps, as I had felt them the night before in getting out of the tent.

I stopped and drank a 12 oz can of "V 8 Vegetable Juice" which is just
loaded to the gills with 800 mg of Sodium and 700 mg of Potassium.
Rested 10 minutes, walked a couple of hundred yards with the bike and
trailer and got back on the bike.

That was the end of the muscle cramps for the trip... no more bother.

Rode to Fulton IL and stopped for my favorite lunch Broasted Chicken,
kind of similar to KFC. I used to absolutely love broasted chicken when
in college years ago. I omitted much of that wonderful crunchy crust on
the chicken breast and thigh. More V 8 juice instead of sweet soda pop.

Rode on to Albany IL and did some business in the Village Office. Then I
rode on.

Cordova IL - I took a scenic detour that some 60+ year old century
riding ladies had told me about. It swings around overlooking the
Mississippi River and a large region of expensive view homes in a lovely
wooded environment. The continuation takes you more or less through the
Cordova Nuclear Power Generation Station.

From there to Cordova proper and a rest stop at a portapotty with
water, shade, bike rack and a picnic table under shade.

Another can of V 8 Veggie Juice, some water and some dried fruit for snacks.

Chatetd 15 minutes with two young town boys who were interested in the
idea of bicycle camping.... and couldn't believe that I had tent,
sleeping bag, matress, field kitchen (stove, pots and pans, and more),
lights, tool kit, clothes for several days, electronic entertaiment
gadgets, a big book, extra shoes, rain clothing, and more all in that
little trailer.

On to Port Byron where I tried to call a friend and would treat him to
dinner at his favorite restaraunt in exchange for putting me and my
biking stuff in his truck and getting me home the last 20 miles. He
wasn't home.

On to Rapids City IA where I stopped at a bar which advertised "The Best
Hamburgers You Ever Et". It was an OK burger.... and far from the best.
However it was really slowly cooked, as were my favorite burgers at a
bar in Chicago 40 years ago.

On to Hampton IL, and here the rain kicked in real good. Managed to get
to a campground with a covered outdoor picnic area and stayed there for
a half an hour with some ladies and their children. Very cute children.

Put on the rain jacket and go on, and almost instantly the rain resumes.

The rain became pretty heavy and I stopped at a river landing in East
Moline IL. What could have been a dry spot wasn't. The upper landing
deck leaked rain everywhere, and it was almost as wet under the deck as
in the rain. After 29 minutes, the rain abated and the sky started to
look clear.

Off again to Moline IL and then Rock Island IL. The head wind had
finally begun to drop.

I managed to get across the Mississippi River at Rock Island Arsenal
several hours before they closed the bridge. They have been doing major
maintainance on many of the river bridges --- and they either close the
bride or close a land or close the bicycle access.

I crossed to Davenport IA and then took the bike trail upriver (and now,
finally, with the wind) a few miles up to Bettendorf IA and home.

I needed few snacks for power along the 55 mile route.

I did have two nice meals in sit down locations.

The V8 Veggie Juice gave lots of electrolytes that tasted good, and
seemed to wipe out a leg cramp episode. Even warm, V8 Juice tasted
pretty good.

I didn't measure my heart rate.

I didn't measure my calorie burning rate.

I stopped to take picture whenever I wanted.

I had time to talk to interesting people.

I lost a few pounds over the several days of the trip.


I had fun riding my bike, and so should most everyone else.

Except those "Performance" advocates.

jbuch wrote:
: Saturday, I finished a round trip bike/camping trip from Bettendorf
: Iowa
: to Mississippi Palisades Park (Savanna IL).
:
: Because of Rain conditions, I decided to ride the whole way from
: Thomson
: IL to Bettendorf IA in one long day....
:
: 55 miles, including the bridge detour in Rock Island IL.
:
: 7 Hours in the saddle.
:
: Generally a 5 to 10 MPH headwind slowing me down.
:
: I ate a good breakfast (3 fresh eggs, 2 fresh hamburger patties and
: much coffee) and packed up slowly, talking with people who were
: interested in the idea of bike/camping with a child's trailer as the
: hauler of a
: complete comfortable camping site.
:
: Departed about 11:00 AM under nice skies which were beginning to look
: dark and dismal on the Southwest horizon.
:
: A few miles into the ride, there were initial twinges of calf muscle
: cramps, as I had felt them the night before in getting out of the
: tent.
:
: I stopped and drank a 12 oz can of "V 8 Vegetable Juice" which is
: just loaded to the gills with 800 mg of Sodium and 700 mg of
: Potassium.
: Rested 10 minutes, walked a couple of hundred yards with the bike and
: trailer and got back on the bike.
:
: That was the end of the muscle cramps for the trip... no more bother.
:
: Rode to Fulton IL and stopped for my favorite lunch Broasted Chicken,
: kind of similar to KFC. I used to absolutely love broasted chicken
: when
: in college years ago. I omitted much of that wonderful crunchy
: crust on the chicken breast and thigh. More V 8 juice instead of
: sweet soda pop.
:
: Rode on to Albany IL and did some business in the Village Office.
: Then I rode on.
:
: Cordova IL - I took a scenic detour that some 60+ year old century
: riding ladies had told me about. It swings around overlooking the
: Mississippi River and a large region of expensive view homes in a
: lovely wooded environment. The continuation takes you more or less
: through the Cordova Nuclear Power Generation Station.
:
: From there to Cordova proper and a rest stop at a portapotty with
: water, shade, bike rack and a picnic table under shade.
:
: Another can of V 8 Veggie Juice, some water and some dried fruit for
: snacks.
:
: Chatetd 15 minutes with two young town boys who were interested in
: the
: idea of bicycle camping.... and couldn't believe that I had tent,
: sleeping bag, matress, field kitchen (stove, pots and pans, and
: more), lights, tool kit, clothes for several days, electronic
: entertaiment gadgets, a big book, extra shoes, rain clothing, and
: more all in that little trailer.
:
: On to Port Byron where I tried to call a friend and would treat him
: to dinner at his favorite restaraunt in exchange for putting me and
: my
: biking stuff in his truck and getting me home the last 20 miles. He
: wasn't home.
:
: On to Rapids City IA where I stopped at a bar which advertised "The
: Best Hamburgers You Ever Et". It was an OK burger.... and far from
: the best. However it was really slowly cooked, as were my favorite
: burgers at a
: bar in Chicago 40 years ago.
:
: On to Hampton IL, and here the rain kicked in real good. Managed to
: get
: to a campground with a covered outdoor picnic area and stayed there
: for
: a half an hour with some ladies and their children. Very cute
: children.
:
: Put on the rain jacket and go on, and almost instantly the rain
: resumes.
:
: The rain became pretty heavy and I stopped at a river landing in East
: Moline IL. What could have been a dry spot wasn't. The upper landing
: deck leaked rain everywhere, and it was almost as wet under the deck
: as
: in the rain. After 29 minutes, the rain abated and the sky started
: to
: look clear.
:
: Off again to Moline IL and then Rock Island IL. The head wind had
: finally begun to drop.
:
: I managed to get across the Mississippi River at Rock Island Arsenal
: several hours before they closed the bridge. They have been doing
: major maintainance on many of the river bridges --- and they either
: close the bride or close a land or close the bicycle access.
:
: I crossed to Davenport IA and then took the bike trail upriver (and
: now, finally, with the wind) a few miles up to Bettendorf IA and
: home.
:
: I needed few snacks for power along the 55 mile route.
:
: I did have two nice meals in sit down locations.
:
: The V8 Veggie Juice gave lots of electrolytes that tasted good, and
: seemed to wipe out a leg cramp episode. Even warm, V8 Juice tasted
: pretty good.
:
: I didn't measure my heart rate.
:
: I didn't measure my calorie burning rate.
:
: I stopped to take picture whenever I wanted.
:
: I had time to talk to interesting people.
:
: I lost a few pounds over the several days of the trip.
:
:
: I had fun riding my bike, and so should most everyone else.
:
: Except those "Performance" advocates.

Don't be stupid. Geez....

Roger Zoul wrote:
jbuch wrote:
: Saturday, I finished a round trip bike/camping trip from Bettendorf
: Iowa
: to Mississippi Palisades Park (Savanna IL).
:
: Because of Rain conditions, I decided to ride the whole way from
: Thomson
: IL to Bettendorf IA in one long day....
:
: 55 miles, including the bridge detour in Rock Island IL.
:
: 7 Hours in the saddle.
:
: Generally a 5 to 10 MPH headwind slowing me down.
:
: I ate a good breakfast (3 fresh eggs, 2 fresh hamburger patties and
: much coffee) and packed up slowly, talking with people who were
: interested in the idea of bike/camping with a child's trailer as the
: hauler of a
: complete comfortable camping site.
:
: Departed about 11:00 AM under nice skies which were beginning to look
: dark and dismal on the Southwest horizon.
:
: A few miles into the ride, there were initial twinges of calf muscle
: cramps, as I had felt them the night before in getting out of the
: tent.
:
: I stopped and drank a 12 oz can of "V 8 Vegetable Juice" which is
: just loaded to the gills with 800 mg of Sodium and 700 mg of
: Potassium.
: Rested 10 minutes, walked a couple of hundred yards with the bike and
: trailer and got back on the bike.
:
: That was the end of the muscle cramps for the trip... no more bother.
:
: Rode to Fulton IL and stopped for my favorite lunch Broasted Chicken,
: kind of similar to KFC. I used to absolutely love broasted chicken
: when
: in college years ago. I omitted much of that wonderful crunchy
: crust on the chicken breast and thigh. More V 8 juice instead of
: sweet soda pop.
:
: Rode on to Albany IL and did some business in the Village Office.
: Then I rode on.
:
: Cordova IL - I took a scenic detour that some 60+ year old century
: riding ladies had told me about. It swings around overlooking the
: Mississippi River and a large region of expensive view homes in a
: lovely wooded environment. The continuation takes you more or less
: through the Cordova Nuclear Power Generation Station.
:
: From there to Cordova proper and a rest stop at a portapotty with
: water, shade, bike rack and a picnic table under shade.
:
: Another can of V 8 Veggie Juice, some water and some dried fruit for
: snacks.
:
: Chatetd 15 minutes with two young town boys who were interested in
: the
: idea of bicycle camping.... and couldn't believe that I had tent,
: sleeping bag, matress, field kitchen (stove, pots and pans, and
: more), lights, tool kit, clothes for several days, electronic
: entertaiment gadgets, a big book, extra shoes, rain clothing, and
: more all in that little trailer.
:
: On to Port Byron where I tried to call a friend and would treat him
: to dinner at his favorite restaraunt in exchange for putting me and
: my
: biking stuff in his truck and getting me home the last 20 miles. He
: wasn't home.
:
: On to Rapids City IA where I stopped at a bar which advertised "The
: Best Hamburgers You Ever Et". It was an OK burger.... and far from
: the best. However it was really slowly cooked, as were my favorite
: burgers at a
: bar in Chicago 40 years ago.
:
: On to Hampton IL, and here the rain kicked in real good. Managed to
: get
: to a campground with a covered outdoor picnic area and stayed there
: for
: a half an hour with some ladies and their children. Very cute
: children.
:
: Put on the rain jacket and go on, and almost instantly the rain
: resumes.
:
: The rain became pretty heavy and I stopped at a river landing in East
: Moline IL. What could have been a dry spot wasn't. The upper landing
: deck leaked rain everywhere, and it was almost as wet under the deck
: as
: in the rain. After 29 minutes, the rain abated and the sky started
: to
: look clear.
:
: Off again to Moline IL and then Rock Island IL. The head wind had
: finally begun to drop.
:
: I managed to get across the Mississippi River at Rock Island Arsenal
: several hours before they closed the bridge. They have been doing
: major maintainance on many of the river bridges --- and they either
: close the bride or close a land or close the bicycle access.
:
: I crossed to Davenport IA and then took the bike trail upriver (and
: now, finally, with the wind) a few miles up to Bettendorf IA and
: home.
:
: I needed few snacks for power along the 55 mile route.
:
: I did have two nice meals in sit down locations.
:
: The V8 Veggie Juice gave lots of electrolytes that tasted good, and
: seemed to wipe out a leg cramp episode. Even warm, V8 Juice tasted
: pretty good.
:
: I didn't measure my heart rate.
:
: I didn't measure my calorie burning rate.
:
: I stopped to take picture whenever I wanted.
:
: I had time to talk to interesting people.
:
: I lost a few pounds over the several days of the trip.
:
:
: I had fun riding my bike, and so should most everyone else.
:
: Except those "Performance" advocates.

Don't be stupid. Geez....




Elite performance snob.... with no sense of humor!

:-)

Jim

jbuch wrote:
: Roger Zoul wrote:
: jbuch wrote:
: : Saturday, I finished a round trip bike/camping trip from
: : Bettendorf Iowa
: : to Mississippi Palisades Park (Savanna IL).
: :
: : Because of Rain conditions, I decided to ride the whole way from
: : Thomson
: : IL to Bettendorf IA in one long day....
: :
: : 55 miles, including the bridge detour in Rock Island IL.
: :
: : 7 Hours in the saddle.
: :
: : Generally a 5 to 10 MPH headwind slowing me down.
: :
: : I ate a good breakfast (3 fresh eggs, 2 fresh hamburger patties
: : and much coffee) and packed up slowly, talking with people who
: : were interested in the idea of bike/camping with a child's
: : trailer as the hauler of a
: : complete comfortable camping site.
: :
: : Departed about 11:00 AM under nice skies which were beginning to
: : look dark and dismal on the Southwest horizon.
: :
: : A few miles into the ride, there were initial twinges of calf
: : muscle cramps, as I had felt them the night before in getting
: : out of the tent.
: :
: : I stopped and drank a 12 oz can of "V 8 Vegetable Juice" which is
: : just loaded to the gills with 800 mg of Sodium and 700 mg of
: : Potassium.
: : Rested 10 minutes, walked a couple of hundred yards with the
: : bike and trailer and got back on the bike.
: :
: : That was the end of the muscle cramps for the trip... no more
: : bother.
: :
: : Rode to Fulton IL and stopped for my favorite lunch Broasted
: : Chicken, kind of similar to KFC. I used to absolutely love
: : broasted chicken when
: : in college years ago. I omitted much of that wonderful crunchy
: : crust on the chicken breast and thigh. More V 8 juice instead of
: : sweet soda pop.
: :
: : Rode on to Albany IL and did some business in the Village Office.
: : Then I rode on.
: :
: : Cordova IL - I took a scenic detour that some 60+ year old
: : century riding ladies had told me about. It swings around
: : overlooking the Mississippi River and a large region of
: : expensive view homes in a lovely wooded environment. The
: : continuation takes you more or less through the Cordova Nuclear
: : Power Generation Station.
: :
: : From there to Cordova proper and a rest stop at a portapotty with
: : water, shade, bike rack and a picnic table under shade.
: :
: : Another can of V 8 Veggie Juice, some water and some dried fruit
: : for snacks.
: :
: : Chatetd 15 minutes with two young town boys who were interested
: : in the
: : idea of bicycle camping.... and couldn't believe that I had tent,
: : sleeping bag, matress, field kitchen (stove, pots and pans, and
: : more), lights, tool kit, clothes for several days, electronic
: : entertaiment gadgets, a big book, extra shoes, rain clothing, and
: : more all in that little trailer.
: :
: : On to Port Byron where I tried to call a friend and would treat
: : him to dinner at his favorite restaraunt in exchange for putting
: : me and my
: : biking stuff in his truck and getting me home the last 20 miles.
: : He wasn't home.
: :
: : On to Rapids City IA where I stopped at a bar which advertised
: : "The Best Hamburgers You Ever Et". It was an OK burger.... and
: : far from the best. However it was really slowly cooked, as were
: : my favorite burgers at a
: : bar in Chicago 40 years ago.
: :
: : On to Hampton IL, and here the rain kicked in real good. Managed
: : to get
: : to a campground with a covered outdoor picnic area and stayed
: : there for
: : a half an hour with some ladies and their children. Very cute
: : children.
: :
: : Put on the rain jacket and go on, and almost instantly the rain
: : resumes.
: :
: : The rain became pretty heavy and I stopped at a river landing in
: : East Moline IL. What could have been a dry spot wasn't. The
: : upper landing deck leaked rain everywhere, and it was almost as
: : wet under the deck as
: : in the rain. After 29 minutes, the rain abated and the sky
: : started to
: : look clear.
: :
: : Off again to Moline IL and then Rock Island IL. The head wind had
: : finally begun to drop.
: :
: : I managed to get across the Mississippi River at Rock Island
: : Arsenal several hours before they closed the bridge. They have
: : been doing major maintainance on many of the river bridges ---
: : and they either close the bride or close a land or close the
: : bicycle access.
: :
: : I crossed to Davenport IA and then took the bike trail upriver
: : (and now, finally, with the wind) a few miles up to Bettendorf
: : IA and home.
: :
: : I needed few snacks for power along the 55 mile route.
: :
: : I did have two nice meals in sit down locations.
: :
: : The V8 Veggie Juice gave lots of electrolytes that tasted good,
: : and seemed to wipe out a leg cramp episode. Even warm, V8 Juice
: : tasted pretty good.
: :
: : I didn't measure my heart rate.
: :
: : I didn't measure my calorie burning rate.
: :
: : I stopped to take picture whenever I wanted.
: :
: : I had time to talk to interesting people.
: :
: : I lost a few pounds over the several days of the trip.
: :
: :
: : I had fun riding my bike, and so should most everyone else.
: :
: : Except those "Performance" advocates.
:
: Don't be stupid. Geez....
:
:
:
:
: Elite performance snob.... with no sense of humor!
:
: :-)

Ah...so there was humor in your post. I'm no where near an elite
performance snob...but the fact is people get to define their own definition
of fun. Riding long and hard is fun to some...I'm sure I would have enjoyed
your kind of riding, too.

Roger Zoul wrote:


Ah...so there was humor in your post. I'm no where near an elite
performance snob...but the fact is people get to define their own definition
of fun. Riding long and hard is fun to some...I'm sure I would have enjoyed
your kind of riding, too.


Thank you for the observation above.


I can imagine, if I were 30 years younger, wanting to do the high
performance type of riding, and swaggering around being able to talk
about it.

There are many people here who could benifit from sustained modest
bicycling as their Low Carb exercise.

It would be good if we had more talking about the joys and ways of less
intense biking --- so as to help more people get reasonably fit and
healthier... as well as thinner.

I met a60+ year oldman at Harbor Freight, last evening, who told me that
he now loves bicycling because with biking, he has lost 30 lbs.

I told him the elements of how to ride comfortably all winter here in
Iowa without having to buy expensive winter biking clothes and gave him
several web sites to look at for more information.

His face broke into a large smile and he said something like "Hot Damn,
I'm going to do that!"

I'm quite sure that if I had told him about riding 60 miles on hilly
roads in 3 or so hours, he would have walked away.... and put his bike
away for the winter.

Damn it, I helped someone take a step towards a life goal he wants.

Make biking easy and fun..... not a heroic supreme effort.

Wwe should do more of that for our fellow dieters.

Jim