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| My Peugeot St. Laurent, all packed and ready to go. |
Organized by Old Spokes Home, I finally was able to meet up with folks for the third edition of the Law Island Overnight adventure, on a Friday afternoon in May.
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| Our watercraft transfer: a canoe with electric motor, transported by e-bike! |
The beauty of this overnight: the end goal is to wild camp on
Law Island, a mere 10-mile bike ride from the Old North End of Burlington, which makes it accessible to novices - a perfect introductory excursion.
I could barely keep up with the canoe hauling crowd. I have a love-hate relationship with e-bikes (my husband calls them cheater-bikes). Lugging a boat is certainly justified grounds for electric assist, and yet when you ride at 15 mph - at least in my opinion - then even novices have a difficult time keeping up!
We convened at Airport Park, which was a welcome regrouping spot. Our leader, Eric, did a good job checking on everyone.
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| First-timers. Without racks on her bike, one lady used a large backpack. |
Since we had to leave our bike on the narrow causeway and with a high lake level, only a few trees were available for locking to. However, we were creative, using the canoe trailer plus basically piling bikes together with locks. It felt strange leaving my bike behind, but of course, we had to!
It was tricky loading the canoe with people and their gear, especially since the crossing was rough. With 40-degree water and heavy loads, the 10-minute ride was scary.
I thought these ladies were nuts and they were part of our group!
We all made it safely, however, and we enjoyed an evening around a fire. For some reason, after setting up my tent, I discovered I left my sleeping bag behind. I knew I would endure a sleepless night! I borrowed a lightweight jacket, and fortunately, I carried a bag liner and a fleece blanket that I'd planned to supplement my sleeping bag, so that helped. I survived mid-40s F.
The adventure, in spite of my hiccup, was a lot of fun. We saw a full moon rise, a bald eagle fly overhead, and the sunrise was beautiful shimmering on a calm lake, which made for a smooth crossing back to our bikes.
Would I do this trip again? You betcha.
Sounds like a fun but chilly outing. At first glance I thought you were going to shuttle the bikes to the island by canoe!
ReplyDeleteRandy, funny you should mention that. It wasn't until we were on the causeway and stopped, ready to disembark, when I realized we had to leave our bikes behind! So yes, it never occurred to me that we wouldn't bring our bikes with us!
DeleteThat looks like a fun trip for everyone.... Pleased that you survived your slightly chilly and sleepless night..
ReplyDeleteI thought Old Spokes was finished! I'm pleased to see it continues to thrive.
ReplyDeleteOld Spokes Home is very much thriving. They've expanded and moved into a larger space!
DeleteI adore the pink flamingo flotation! So much fun.
ReplyDeleteYou poor thing! A cold night would leave me sleepless too, I have no doubt. What a disappointing realization to make after your arrival and set up. :( Glad that you were still able to enjoy, regardless.
That looks like a very cool trip! I agree with your Husband on e assist Annie they are basically scooters, however if one should keep me on a bike in my dotage then so be it. Expecting novices to go 15 mph with loaded bikes is a bit much I might have had a quite word with the organizers - we don't all have bikes with motors dude ;-}
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