Camping on the Sunset Strip

The First Night in My New Bed

Ahhhhhhh...my sleeping bag and pillow on my 20" wide mattress pad in my new tent. Yes, believe it or not, I DID sleep! Better yet, I got the tent set up without any help from the men folk. However, did you notice how light it is inside the tent? It is 5:10 am. I didn't use a flash on the camera. It wasn't daybreak. We thought we were smart setting up our tents where no one else from Bike VA was. It turns out they were the smart ones. We camped right underneath the parking lot lights at Pulaski High School. When I get home I am purchasing eye shades...and not the green accountant ones.

Step 2: The Camping

One of my biggest concerns has been my ability to ride self-supported. That means camping...and not in a cheap motel. Beins as I'm a planner I talked Howard into camping at Bike Virginia. Bike VA is a supported tour meaning that I could camp but wouldn't have to carry my gear on the bike. Doing a supported tour would let me see how I would handle cycling and then sleeping in a tent.

We were allowed to bring two suitcases. The blue one has my tent and camping gear in it; the black one has my clothes, toiletries and chromatic harmonicas. Please note which suitcase is bigger. See, I did pack light! I didn't even pack the flat iron :(. Life is tough. How will I sleep without my two pillows and my bubba???

Big Dad on Father's Day

My dad's devoted wife, Kathy, drove him down from PA to spend Father's Day with me. This is a picture of my dad Jim, my daughter Erin and my step-mom Kathy after we ate lunch at the Iron Horse Restaurant in Ashland, VA, the center of the (biking) universe.  (Ashland is where TransAmerica Bicycle Route 76 from the East/West intersects with TransAmerica Bicycle Route 1 from the North/South.)