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There is a Bike Overnight trip to Falls Lake this weekend, please email me if you'd like to ride along, jack @t bingshaus dot org.
What is it?This is a one-night bike camping trip. You load up your camping gear and food stuffs on your bike and we pedal over to Falls Lake and hang out for the evening.
Want more info on Bike Overnights? Check out these links:Adventure Cycling's new Bike Overnights site: http://bikeovernights.org/Rivendell Bicycle Works' S24O info:http://www.rivbike.com/article/bike_camping/bike_camping_vs_touringhttp://www.rivbike.com/article/bike_camping/a_kit_for_one_night_outPathLessPedaled Bike Overnight/S24O in Durham last Autumnhttp://pathlesspedaled.com/2010/09/durham-s24o/
Where and when does it start, and how long is the ride?The route to Falls Lake is 20-25 miles from Durham. We're going to have two starting locations in Durham (downtown and SoDu) and maybe one in Raleigh. We will roll out of Durham around 2:00, will ride at a mellow, conversational pace, will stop at a convenience store for water and stuff on the way there, and expect to roll into Falls Lake around 4:30-ish.
How much does it cost?Nothing. I got a group camping site at Falls Lake, and y'all are invited. The only thing I ask is that you let me know you're coming as there is a limit to the number of folks that can occupy a group camping site.
Who carries the gear? Is there a support vehicle?Nope, there are no support vehicles. This is a self-supported ride, we all carry our stuff on our bikes.
What should I bring?Anything you need to spend one night in a state park. For me, that's a tent, sleeping bag (although I probably won't use it in this heat), toiletries, a change of clothes, food, a magazine and maybe my frisbee.
For the ride out there, please be sure to bring ample water. We'll be stopping on the way, but still...
Yeah, what about food?With a trip this short, there are lots of food options. You can bring "traditional" camping food, stove and utensils. You can bring nothing and buy food at the convenience store we'll be visiting on the way to the campsite (just plan room for it on your bike). You can pack dinner and breakfast like you pack lunch for school or work. You can load up a bike trailer with the harvest of your neighbor's garden and make a ginormous salad for everyone (like Lee did last Autumn). You can place a take-out order with Kemp's Seafood and pick up on the way. I imagine you can probably even order subs or pizza if you wanted, but I don't know if Falls Lake is in anyone's delivery area.
Its worth noting that alcoholic beverages are NOT permitted at NC state parks.
I'll be bringing home-roasted coffee. You're welcome to some if you bring a small plastic filter cone and some #2 filters to make it with. You can find them at many groceries for a few bucks.
What will we be doing at the campground?Well, there's cooking and eating, undoubtedly some gear talk, probably some hanging out over by the water. There's a fire ring (but who knows if we'll bother to spark it up), there's plenty of room for frisbee and such. And, Tom Ed will be bringing his violin, so there's liable to be some music (I'm offering to carry another instrument or two, depending on size, if anyone wants to bring more music along - strapping it on my bike is about the only way I'll ever carry a tune...). Oh, and s'mores, there's gotta be s'mores.
More infoMaps: Google Maps | KML | GPX | TCXCue sheets: XLS | PDFFalls Lake State Park