S24O Test Ride to Bainbridge Island!

Howdy Folks!

Exciting news! 1: I got to use the abbreve S24O in a blog post. And 2: Yesterday, we successfully loaded up our bikes with all 4 panniers (each) for the first time and camped at Fay Bainbridge State Park. This maiden voyage was joined by several of our good friends and was an excellent way to spend a Wednesday evening.

[For those that aren't in the know, S24O is an abbreve for "Sub-24-Hour-Overnight," a hip term for going on a quick overnight bike camping trip (usually leaving after work and getting back in time for work the next day). And abbreve (rhymes with sleeve) is an abbreviation for abbreviation. ]

The weather forecast looked dire, but I've lived in the Pacific Northwest long enough to have learned to never make plans around the weather. It turned out that the weather was great and worst part of the ride was getting through downtown in order to catch the ferry

The Downtown 2nd Ave bike lane during rush hour is a cross between the garbage compactor and
Death Star 'canyon' scenes from Star Wars

Robyn and our lovely bicycles on the ferry

When we got to the island, we stopped to pick up snacks and libations, then set off on the roughly 6 mile ride to the park. It turns out that riding with 4 rather loaded panniers makes one's bike a little heavy, but apart from the weight, everything handled fine. It's remarkably satisfying to carry everything you need with you on a bike, and after tinkering around with my front panniers for a couple weeks I am really starting to like them.

Arriving triumphantly 

Sunsets look better in person

maybe we went a little overboard on the libations...

We whiled away the hours sitting around the campfire, telling stories and drinking nearly all of our beverages. Fortunately Joe was the only one who had to work early in the morning and he decided to just show up a couple hours late.

We awoke to a bit of rain in the morning, but stayed cozy and dry in the tent. Mark's bivy sack had been visited by snails during the night and he retreated to the picnic shelter.

Robyn and all of our stuff. 

Sue, Mark, Emily and Robyn arriving back in the city

 S24Os are a great way to get out of the city for a night. I highly recommend Fay Bainbridge to anyone in the Seattle area wanting to give bike camping a try, or just to get out of the hustle and bustle and see some stars. It feels a lot more remote than just a short ferry trip and a six mile bike ride.

This was a perfect shakedown cruise for gear that we're thinking of bringing. With just 8 days until we leave, it's time to make some tough choices about what to bring and what to leave behind.

Thanks for the great evening, everyone! We'll miss you all.

-D