Bikepacking for reals!

My weekend plans changed last minute but I am lucky enough to have some awesomely adventurous friends, the kind who don't mind rainy weather when there's an opportunity to go bikepacking. Neil let me borrow his classic Bridgestone MTB-6. He had his Surly Pugsley loaded up but Ryan won the heavyweight division with custom Carsick Designs frame bags on his Moonlander (seriously, he was carrying canned food in there!).

My rig

Neil's rig

Ryan's rig

We met up with Monica and Brian of Carsick Designs who had organized the trip to Like Oroville. We parked at their friend, Gary's, house. Gary has bike trails in his backyard and rides them regularly. He led us across the dam and around the lake to our campsite, giving us our own tour and we went along.

There's finally water in there! (Photo by Ryan)

Photo by Monica

Thanks to the dam money, this trail is beautifully maintained.

The campsite was empty because of the weather. We set up camp and made a lovely fire to stay warm in the rain. Brian showed up a while later but Monica was sick and had to stay home.

Home for the night

If you pack in a saw, you need to use it.

Calm before the storm

It rained all night. My old tent was almost waterproof but my new survival blanket kept my sleeping bag warm and dry.

Packed back up with wet gear

Stream crossing! Photo by Ryan

My Cyclofemme crew

This was the first time in four years that I wasn't able to organize a Cyclofemme ride and it was Mother's Day without my kiddos so this was an amazing substitute.

Photo by Ryan

Tent and sleeping pad

I'm winning!

My tires are too skinny.

We stopped by Brian and Monica's shop where they create these amazing bags. Check them out: www.carsickdesigns.com

Monica's rig

I'm totally hooked! We rode about 30 miles and even climbed some good hills. I need way more mountain biking skills but I have some great bikepacking friends, the kind who peek back to make sure I haven't fallen off a cliff and don't mind my slow, careful speed, and especially ones who don't mind camping in the rain! Can't wait for our next adventure!