Labor Day Bike Camping

It's now almost Halloween, so I apologize for this very belated post about our We Go By Bike camping trip over Labor Day weekend! We can gaze at the sunny patches in these photos and sigh wistfully while the Oregonian rain patters on the windows outside. First of all, as I mentioned in a previous post, this Labor Day camping trip was going to be not only a first for the entire We Go By Bike family (contributors Katie and Fabi and our husbands and children), but also Fabi's family's first time bike camping. We excitedly got together for practice rides, meal planning, gear lists, etc.  The plan was as follows: Katie (me) and my son Alton meet up with Fabi and her daughter Dani in the morning on Friday and ride at a pretty slow pace to the campground: we would both be riding heavy-ish extended frame cargo bikes. My husband Andy meets up with Fabi's husband Gabe and their son Matthew after the workday is over on Friday, and the dads ride at a faster pace on lighter bikes to make it to the campground before it's too dark.  On the day of our ride, I got my bike and son all packed up, rode to a local park, and met up with Fabi and Dani to begin our trip. So far, so good....

It was more than a year ago on a prior bike camping trip that I debuted my homemade bike books--a thrifted picture book with a hole punched near its spine to fit a metal binder ring, which I tethered to the kiddo bike seat for drop-proof reading 'n riding.  Both Alton and Dani in their Yepp seats took advantage of my awesome invention.

Starting out so early in the day also gave us the chance to pause for wild blackberry breaks along the way.

After some cycling, water, cycling, stretching, water, blackberries, whining, and cycling, we made it! Almost 25 miles.

And of course, I immediately had to set up our tent so that whenever we wanted to crash that night, it was ready.

The kids kept busy playing with the copious gravel at the site...

...or having picnics (I believe the menu featured heavily in the Pirate's Booty genre).

Finally the dads arrived that night. From then on, it was bike + gear chaos.

But we had a good time. We went on some hikes and scavenger hunts.

Cooked some food, roasted some marshmallows, listened to coyotes howl at night, laughed our butts off around the campfire, and celebrated Andy's birthday!

And before we knew it, it was time to pack up those bikes again and head home. Can't wait to do it again soon!