[DVBC] Boo Hoo (Bike VA)

[Drew Knox]

On 1/10/07, Doug Bower <Bowerdou at verizon.net> wrote:
>
>  Good Going Guys!!! She was thinking about going….
>
>
> So, let me take a moment to describe the upside of group tours.
>
> Long ago in a time that is faraway we did more than 3,800 miles of
> self-contained touring. Since time wasn't a factor, we didn't need to
> carefully plan or pre-drive the routes or make hotel reservations. We would
> decide on a starting point then work out the details as we went along. This
> approach gives a tremendous sense of freedom and the continuous burden of
> having to procure necessities: food, drink, equipment repair, route turns,
> and camping sites. That overhead, plus the heavy touring gear, wears away
> the fun.
>
> Group tours like Bike Virginia fill the void. They pre-map the routes and
> arrange for layovers, usually at schools or parks or even campgrounds. The
> level of support varies. Usually, the more expensive the tour, the better
> the food. Unlike ToPA, you can take two big duffle bags of gear and still
> not have to carry it. Just throw it on a truck and have it appear at the
> next camping place (BTW, everyone has black bags. You won't believe how hard
> it can be to find yours, so take red.)
>
> You are free to ride as fast or slow as you want and leave as early or
> late as you wish. My friends are of a similar mindset, so we leave late and
> ride hard. After they drop me, I slow down and chat up people along the way
> and always feel good about the day's ride. Even on long, hard days, you can
> usually get to the campground by 3:00 where you grab your gear, tent up and
> shower, then hang out. Doug and I once spent an afternoon just visiting
> people with recumbents. Other times, the weather is so nice that we
> would explore the local towns or dawdle out on the road, slipping into
> nearby creeks for a cool down or going for a dip in the ocean (actually
> Woody was the only one who could brace for that).
>
> We've made many long-lasting friendships from tours like Bike Virginia and
> plan other tours together to renew our friendship.
>
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