Riding Spain's caminos on a folding bicycle

Proving that an old Doug can learn a new trick, I just completed a 550-mile circuit of three of Spain’s caminos de Santiago on my foldable Brompton G Line bicycle.

I’ve previously hiked six of these ancient Catholic pilgrimage routes. This is the first time I’ve ridden one on a bike. The Brompton bike, which has 20-inch wheels and folds to fit in a large suitcase, is also new to me, and I confess to having harbored doubts that either I or the bike would be up to this adventure.

But I am happy to report that both me and the bike proved worthy. I had a great time. I was extremely pleased with the bike’s performance and am looking forward to the next adventure together. 

The loop I rode, which started and ended at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, included 44,193 feet of climbing. I opted to ride a loop because it was more convenient and less expensive for me to store the bike’s travel case in Santiago and start and end the ride there.

Brompton in its travel case

I tried to ride as much of the dirt and gravel on the camino hiking paths as reasonably possible.

But I had to walk (and/or carry) the bike through some of the dirt on the Sanabres route (first path south). Parts were too hard, or too steep, for me to ride.

Much of the dirt hiking path on the San Salvador route between Leon and Oviedo (north), was unridable, as I discovered, at least for me. After the first day of struggling on that one, I switched to paved alternatives.

The gravel on the Camino del Norte, the camino I took back from Navia to Santiago, however, was virtually all ridable, and I enjoyed every moment of this camino, except, perhaps, the one daylong ride in the rain.

Folded for the bus ride to Navia

I was pleasantly surprised by the Brompton’s performance. It was not quite as comfortable to ride as one of my full-sized touring bikes. But it had zero major mechanical issues during the 17 days of this adventure. (The frame hinge clamp screw had to be carefully monitored and re-tightened on several occasions, after wiggling loose on the rough terrain, I assume.) And it was a snap to fold and pack in its cover for a quick bus ride from Oviedo to Navia for the final leg of the adventure.

One modification I’m glad I made was to swap the G Line’s 54-cog standard chain ring for a 44 to give the bicycle lower gearing. With the 44, I still had to push the bike up some of the route’s steeper inclines. With the 54, I would have had to do a lot more walking.

I also was glad I converted the tires to tubeless, especially after I met another cyclist who complained that he got two flats in a single day with his tubed tires. I got zero. The fewer flats, the better, as far as I am concerned.

The caminos de Santiago are ancient Catholic pilgrimage routes that cross Spain and converge on the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of Saint James are said to be entombed.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of peregrinos, or pilgrims, hike one of these routes, citing religious, spiritual or other reasons.

I’ve now hiked six caminos and ridden three, and I believe that each transportation mode has its own merits and is worth experiencing.

Riders miss some of the camaraderie that ensues when hiking with the same group of people over a longer period of time.

But riders cover more ground more quickly and have the opportunity to meet a lot more people. I think it was easier than usual for me to meet people with the Brompton, because it attracted a lot of interest and comment. 

Great ride and good icebreaker. Five stars.

It's a wrap!

Circumnavigating Lake Tahoe

 

Happy to report that I completed my 13-day, 175-mile hike of the Tahoe Rim Trail.

 

The TRT, which circumnavigates the 191-square-mile Lake Tahoe, was mostly scenic, very well tended, and definitely worth doing, I thought.

 

But if the TRT is on your bucket list, be forewarned that it’s not for the faint-hearted. It circles the lake, which straddles the border between California and Nevada, via ridges atop the surrounding mountains, requiring more than 25,000 feet of climbing. In addition, the trail’s elevation ranges from just over 6,000 feet to 10,338 feet above sea level.

 

It’s also worth noting that there are a couple of extended dry sections on the trail. I carried 4.5 liters of water (10 extra pounds) to make it through one of those sections.(Thank goodness my backpack, with seven days of food and all of my camping gear, only weighed 25 pounds, making for a total load of 35 pounds with the water, or I would still be whining!)

 One of things I loved about this hike is that because it’s a loop it was a lot easier to plan than other wilderness hikes I’ve done.

 

I flew into the Reno airport from my home in northern Virginia, then took the Airporter bus ($32.75) into South Lake Tahoe.

 

Since I am a lowlander, I slept in the 6,237-feet-above-sea-level town for two nights to acclimate.

 

Then the next morning, I took the free #22 South Shore Transit bus to the South Kingsbury trailhead and started walking the trail clockwise.

 

I only resupplied once during this hike, in Tahoe City, which is roughly half way around. There I picked up a special delivery package I had sent to the post office.

 Another thing I loved about the TRT is that I was able to get a cell signal virtually every day from the trail’s ridges. I even had a nice phone conversation one evening with my girlfriend while sheltering in my tent during a hail storm.

 

One not-as-nice thing that was impossible not to notice on the trail is that there are clouds of mosquitoes in a few of the lower-lying areas near streams.

 

This marks the first time in my life that I have worn a mosquito head-net. But I was sure glad to have it, in addition to a small container of picaridin-based insect repellent.

 

When hiking this trail, it’s also important to keep in mind that mountain bikers are permitted to ride some trail sections. MTBers are supposed to yield the right of way to the hikers. But a few MTBers apparently haven’t gotten this message.

 When I finally arrived back at the South Kingsbury trailhead on the afternoon of day 13, I only had to wait a half hour to catch the #22 bus back into town. Very nice.

 

Some of the younger folks I met during my hike were doing the loop in as few as seven days (25 miles per day on average), or twice as fast as I was doing it.

 

I’m not sure I would want to go that fast, even if it was physically realistic for me.

 

My hiking and bicycle touring motto is the same: I’m not likely to get there first. But with any luck, and an occasional tail wind, I’ll get there eventually.

Jim and Deb, trail angels extraordinaire

 

 

LA's Sole Sisters

Brooklyn's Zasu

Water cache

Hail storm

Dog was pooped so he was carrying it out

Up by the bench

Shakedown for Spain

Joe, Doug and Dave, l-r

The best way to prepare for one big adventure is by doing another.

With that in mind, Dave, Joe and I rode our fully-loaded touring bikes around a 128-mile loop of mostly-gravel roads near the tiny town of Cass, W.V., earlier this summer.

The three-day shakedown ride, with 10,690 feet of sometimes-steep climbing, was not easy. The temperatures in the 80s and 90s and elevated humidity levels were uncomfortable at times.

But though we suffered one flat tire and a couple of minor stomach issues, all riders demonstrated that they we were up for a bigger challenge.

Sweet gravel

Spain’s 624-mile Via de la Plata pilgrimage route, which we are hoping to ride over 20 days this fall and are training for now, features some comparable terrain.

But the Via, though longer, should be easier in important ways. On the Via, we won’t have to carry camping gear or food because we’ll be sleeping and dining inside. The weather also should be a lot nicer in Spain in the fall.

Next stop: Sevilla! Si se puede!

Pinch flat

Had to push one section

Greenbrier River Trail site

Break time

Camp Allegheny start

For the birds

Nighthawk watch

When Marisol and I birdwatch near our northern Virginia home, we consider ourselves lucky if we see a single new bird species during an outing.

During a recent weeklong visit to Arizona, we added more than 100 new bird species to our first-time-viewed lists,  including such area trophies as the Elegant Trogon, the Red Phalarope and the Mexican Spotted Owl. 

Our success was partly due to timing: The early-May visit caught many species just as they were migrating to the north from their winter homes in Mexico and other points to the south.

We also benefited tremendously by participating in a guided trip sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History at its Southwestern Research Station near Portal, Arizona. The week-long birding tour in the Chiricahua Mountains was a fun learning experience for us that brought together ten enthusiastic birders from different states.

The station reminded me of a summer camp I attended as a child. Like the summer camp, the station has dormitories and a cafeteria. But unlike the summer camp, the station includes facilities for visiting research scientists and a feeding station that attracts a variety of hummingbirds.

The station’s accommodations were comfortable and the cooks provided great meals in a family setting. The station’s staffers were friendly and helpful. “I also enjoyed the camaraderie of our group, and I appreciated their willingness to share their knowledge,” Marisol said.

Feeding station

PD Hulce, the amiable veteran birder who led our group, not only was able to identify the birds we saw but also knew where to look for them. He led our group on numerous trips through various habitats in the area, including to a lake adjacent to a golf course in Willcox, AZ. 

Among the trip highlights for me were the early-morning hunts for warblers near their natural water sources in the mountain forests and an evening visit to observe nighthawks swooping over a pond seeking insects.

During our stay, we also visited several nearby feeding stations. At these sites, hosts attract birds with a variety of seeds, sections of oranges, peanut butter and grape jelly. Hummingbirds are fed a syrupy solution of sugar water.

At the stations, Marisol and I saw many new-for-us birds, including the colorful summer tanager, the black-headed bunting and the ladder-backed woodpecker. We loved being able to see so many new birds so quickly in this relaxed setting, but we both preferred the thrill and challenge of finding birds in their natural habitats along the forested mountainside roads and trails. 

We saw a lot. We learned a lot. And we had a lot of fun. Five stars.

Marisol, PD Hulce

Elegant Trogan, Photo: Tom Savage

Hooded oriole

Acorn woodpecker

Black-headed grosbeak

The Team; photo: Tom Savage

Author takes one for the team

Two additional photos by Tom Savage, a member of our group:

Nighthawk