GTD 2014 Practice Ride #1

With the Semester winding down and GTD 2014 only a couple of weeks away it was time to load up my BOB Trailer and Camelbak and set out on a Practice Ride.  My destination would be Palatka.  I got all my gear together, put it in ziploc bags and loaded it in my trailer.

After having Celeste take a pre ride picture I rode out of the neighborhood and headed north on 15th. About a half mile up the road I hit something that slashed my rear tire and brought my ride to a halt.

   
I walked my bike and trailer back to the house and changed out my rear wheel.  This eliminated a wobble that I noticed while walking back and it saved some time.

Due to lost time I decided to change my route.  Instead of going north to Hampton to catch the Lake Butler-Palatka Trail I would now go east through Melrose to Putnam Hall to catch the trail.  I set out and the ride was good.  There were a few issues with the gearing due to the new wheel but it worked well enough.

I arrived at the store on the corner of 100 and 26.  This is where I met Jeff and Nike from CA; they were on a 12,000 mile ride around the US and Canada.  This time I met 3 sweet American Born Chinese kids; their dad worked at the store.  They had all kinds of questions about my upcoming ride down the Mississippi River.  After chatting I crossed over 100 and started down the Trail.

I talked to Celeste; she was passing through Melrose.  The ride down the Trail was really nice but came to an end about 7 miles out of Palatka.

As I transitioned from the Trail to 100 I met Christian; a local. He provided me with more info re: the Trail and the paved sections.  As I was about to cross over 100 to the east bound bike lane Celeste passed by; waving as she passed.  I would meet her in Palatka.

The final 7 miles was quick; my average speed was between 16-18 mph.  I met up with Celeste and loaded my Gear in the car and the bike on the back.  It was a good Practice Ride.  My next one is to Ormond Beach and back.

This Ride allowed me to deal with equipment problems and problems with the weather.  I will be ordering new tires and a small rack for my BOB Trailer; this will allow me to carry more and access more things easier than if they were in my BOB Bag.

Rain

It's Good Friday and it is raining off and on.  The inclement weather reminds me to check the Weather Channel's 10 Day Forecast for Park Rapids, MN; the start of GTD 2014.  10 days from today the high will be 56 and the low 32.  In between the highs and lows will go up and down; ranging from 66 the highest high and 29 the lowest low.  There will be rain and snow on the 24th and 25th.

 

These conditions are acceptable and to be expected; not much different than my 2008 ride across Colorado in May.  I will be carrying 2 tarps with me; 1 for below and 1 for above my tent.  I will practice this set up in my back yard before leaving.  

In these final weeks it will be more about checking all my Gear before packing up.  I will be shipping my bike via FedEx to the Minneapolis LaQuinta where I will stay on May 4; Jordan will be looking out for it.  I will be breaking down my BOB Trailer, boxing it up and taking it on the plane with me along with my BOB Bag.

There is a lot of double checking that will go on these final 2 weeks; both Gear and Logistics. Looking forward to my GTD 2014 journey and all that God has in store for me along the way.