Naked camping with the strap-on

My wife and son spent Friday night with my in-laws, so I had a free pass to pack up a bike and ride out to the country for an overnight in the woods. Thursday's weather forecast predicted high temps around 35 Celsius (95F) on Friday and Saturday with high dew points, but I wasn't going to be deterred by the heat and humidity. Water, sunblock, well-chosen food and equipment, and a controlled riding pace would get me to my campsite and back home in good shape. I chose to ride my Pacer fixie (custom made with Karate Monkey track ends) more or less equipped as I ride it to and from the office on a regular basis: Platform pedals, front brake, 43t x 17t gearing, 700c x 28mm tires, Carradice saddle bag. By adding a small Jandd frame pack and strapping my sleeping bag and pad to the top of the saddle bag, I allowed myself plenty of room to carry enough gear to camp in comfort and safety for a couple of days. I like the concept of overnight bike camping without a trailer or racks. By just using strap-on bags, I can keep my rig light and the supply list very basic. With large panniers or a trailer, I'm more apt to carry more than I need simply because it's possible. My shelter of choice was the Hennessy Hammock. It is still one of my favorite lightweight pieces of equipment in the warmer months. I haven't perfected my cold-weather hammock camping technique, yet. But some new insulating accessories from Hennessy should allow me to use my hammock until the mercury drops below freezing. The biggest benefit of the hammock is the fact that I don't need flat, smooth, dry ground to set up my shelter. If I can find 2 solid anchors, usually trees or posts, that are 4-7 meters apart, I'm good to go. The hammock fly provides a place to cook out of the sun, rain, or snow, and it shelters any gear, including a bike, that won't go inside the hammock. I put most of my equipment in stuff sacks that I hang from the main hammock rope under the fly, so my bike is the only thing that stays on the ground. Rain and wet ground conditions are of little concern when using a hammock system. I'm using a beer can Esbit solid-fuel stove system for most of my camp cooking. I've built lots of alcohol stoves and solid-fuel stoves over the last few years, but this system from Ultralight Outfitters is currently my favorite for solo camping. I only need to boil water to rehydrate and heat my rations and brew my tea. No need to simmer, no need for a frying pan. Esbit tabs don't spill like alcohol can. And the flame is easier to blow out after the water is boiling, so you can save on fuel. The weather folks were right on target for a change. It was hot. Luckily, my campsite is near a lake, so I was able to go swimming a couple times to cool my core and wash off some of my trail stank. After my post-sunset swim, I decided to ditch the clothing altogether (except for my Keen water shoes) until I was ready to ride home on Saturday. The beauty of camping alone, away from anybody else, is that you can walk around naked without offending anyone or feeling self-conscious about your weird tan lines or giant dong. It's very freeing to hike, swim, and otherwise go about your camping routine with nothing on. One just has to be a little more careful around sharp brush, poisonous plants, and junk-seeking insects. -----

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The lovely and talented Ms. Bloggins and myself have had a bit of a rough week. Last friday we had to help our elderly golden retriever out of his pain and into the next world. He was about 13 and was having a lot of trouble standing up, walking, and had lost his appetite almost completely. We watched over the last year or so as his energy and vitality faded. I don't mind telling you it's left a big empty in the Fortress of Solitude and in our hearts. Murphy was without question the finest dog I have ever had the pleasure to know. All the usual stuff, of course; back in the day he ran trails while I rode, licked the knees of unsuspecting foreign dignitaries, listened when someone needed an ear, licked your face when you needed bucking up, ate stuff he wasn't supposed to and shed like mad. It's too hard to sum up my feelings about this dog in a way that does justice to him. If you've ever had a really good dog in your life you know what I mean. I feel grateful for the lessons of love, kindness, and patience I learned from him and I am truly honored to have been his custodian on this earth. Vaya con dios, old pal. You'll always be my dog. I'm getting all verklempt... -----

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CASSETTE COGS! It has come to my attention by my computer screen and by quite a few customers that we're out of many cassette-style cogs. To be exact, we're out of 14-18t and 20t cassette cogs right now. We've done a slight redesign on the tooth profile and this delayed production a bit. In actuality, it's totally my fault, you can blame me for these not being on your bike right now. But don't send hate mail, I can feel your bad vibes across the world and it hurts. We will have new cogs very soon, as in the next few weeks. No exact ETA yet, so please hang on patiently to whatever gear you're running right now. -----

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If anybody was worried about Snackey P, the new general manager of Surly, not being a good fit with the rest of us, he just announced that he could really go for a donut. Sov and I also expressed the desire to put donuts in our mouths. Without hesitation, Snackey was off to the bakery for a box of deep fried sugar love bombs. You see, with all these guys suffering at Le Tour and watching their slim figures, some of us cyclists have to make immeasurable sacrifices to assure the Lard, Flour, Colored Sprinkles and Refined Sugar Coalition of Earth is still maintaining itself. Snackey + donuts = happy Surly. -----

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Here's an interesting irony: I'm writing a wednesday night ride report even though I didn't actually go on the WNR last night. Why me? Well, Brauer just rolled in looking peckish. It's 4:30 in the afternoon. Sov and Nick are both scabbed and bruised and look like they slept in a squirrels' nest. And then there are the comments, sporadically arising between phone calls and extended periods of labored breathing, such as: "My ass still stinks. I can't believe it. I only ate eight of them." and "You wouldn't be able to smell it yet, it just happened." Stories keep bubbling up too, like EazyP.Z. riding over GO's bike after a failed top tube bike surf attempt, which GO escaped from without injury, landing on his feet like a cat. I am somehow both sorry and glad I didn't make it out last night. -----

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