Functional Touring

 Much in the fashion of how I appreciate functional use of a bicycle, it seems functional bike touring also suits my biases and tendencies. And just as there's the popular concept of fall touring, this fall has presented me with many chances to partake of my brand of functional touring, as well as use of my new-to-me used sleeping bag!

October 14th, Unity/Bensonwood/Tektoniks (really all the same company catering to different markets and preferences for kool spelling) held an open house of a home under construction about 30 miles north of Keene, NH, and after seeing one of their completed projects in Greenfield earlier this summer, the fake engineer in me was enticed to take a look under the skin with the nuts and bolts of their efficient designs exposed. Plus, it was a good excuse to ride north.

I left midday Thursday, reminding myself why I typically avoid the roller coaster of route 202, with the experience enhanced by carrying my light, but much heavier than nothing, touring kit. Maybe I'd sashay a little further west doing it again, but I was exceptionally pleased with my target for the first night: a lean to shelter on the New England Trail in the Warwick State Forest, and yes, I walked my bike in from the road to, I think, obey the mountain biking ban.Sweet home away from home!

After an excellent night's sleep, complete with babbling brook soundtrack, I started the cool morning in the warmest of ways I know, with an uphill hike to the fire tower, after the requisite breaking of my sunglasses while stashing my bike, of course. On my first functional bike tour in the fall of 2015, connecting with departed friends (from New England, not life! Nope, no zombie touring) out near Pittsburgh then down through various segments of Dixie for a southern turn around in Charleston, SC, I'd made the switch to open pedals and boots made for walking, and that's just what I did, taking pleasure in 360 degrees of view, including ye olde Mount Monadnock!

After my endothermic warm up, I WALKED down the New England Trail to the road and started my ramble north for a day's exploration of Keene, which I'd visited and ridden early enough last spring to still be riding, and even prepping to race. I like the town, and for lack of any better phrasing, I'll borrow a description from someone with a PhD in English that sent it in postal with, "It's got a good vibe."

When it comes to rail trail crossings of busy roads, Keene isn't messing about with mere at grade crosswalks!

On something of a side note down a disused corridor of my somewhat damaged brain, I used to know a few people who at least used to live in Keene, and while I didn't attempt to physically look them up, about 15 miles out of town, I did attempt to look up in my noggin for their names. Name memory has never been a strength, but at least now I have the bonified TBI excuse, so while there was no immediate recall, when I delved those reaches again a few hours later, once wandering in city limits, I had the not-slight victory of remembering all three full names from two decades plus ago, although in truth, two of them were married, so it's only two last names! Victory is a victory, none the less.

My next memory victory came when I immediately recognized my entry into the city park with officially sanctioned dirt jumps despite entry from the opposite end versus last spring, and I was even able to navigate to the jumps themselves much faster than my first attempt, although, unlike names, directions have always held more meaning and value to me. Also of value to me was the patch of woods on the edge of the park where I nestled into my sleeping bag that night. Yup, my camping is getting soft: first a roof and three walls, then next full portolet, potable water, trash, and even recycling facilities!

While Keene receives high marks for their in town bicycle infrastructure, not enhancing this excellent existing old road bed OUT of town seems an loss.

The next day was Saturday, the open house, and the 30 mile ride up there, on which I was able to enjoy the sylvan route 9 bypass I'd sussed out the prior day. And bonus again, I figured out to take the 33 mile route returning to Keene, not just for variety, but to avoid a somewhat massive climb on route 10 by sticking to the Ashuelot River on more peaceful back, water roads. That night finished back in Massachusetts at a location that shall remain unnamed on the chance I wasn't allowed to shelter in that gazebo from possible nocturnal rain. I'm pretty sure I still honored the gist of old Hippocrates old oath.

Then October 21st happened! That was the day of the Beastcoast trail race and my helping with set up in East Hampton at 6AM, a wee early for same day departure from Granby. Yay, I had another suitable excuse for an overnight bike mini tour back to the town where I'd fetched a bike earlier that week.

Three & a half decades later, I now have my version of Hardrock model just like the one my friend Steve, who started me riding really regularly and then racing!

East Hampton seemed to be my bike place that week. In addition to covering some ground for an early start to set up the start on Saturday, I was also able to do a damp, but not downpour, ride Friday to collect the 26x3.0 not-quite-fat snow tire whose ad on Craigslist I'd bookmarked a month earlier. Unpopular things remain for those like me who wait, and have questionable taste.

I mentioned my camping was getting soft. That night I was, with the rain, happily under a roof and this time four walls in a publicly accessible cabin that was NOT posted "Salem, don't sleep here!" Again, do no harm, and for a little roughing it, I had to ride to the race site for potable water source and outlet to charge my phone, and until the race promoter arrived with keys for an unlocked portolet. Hard times.

Oh, and I ran the race, although not at quickly as four other people: three are friends of mine (yay, rah, rah, go team!) and two of those were running only half distance as part of relay teams. Ok, also not as fast as the friend and winner of the longer two lap 50k race who caught me on his second lap after a two hour earlier start. Being caught was a huge bonus, not just for the motivation to pick up my pace and chat with a friend for a few minutes, but also because he pointed out the lions mane mushroom growing up the side of a tree. I grabbed a handful to stuff in a pouch under my water bottle and have sauteed a lovely treat the past few days!

Best prize of the race!

While lions mane is tasty, possible the best taste in my mouth was left by two separate comments. First, after a segue I failed to resist, I'd told my tire supplier on Friday of being hit by a car last year, eventually apologizing if I'd inundated him with my tale of woe. But no, he said, my story was happily heard, and he received at as an important reminder to take extra care when piloting a vehicle.

Second, at the race, I chatted with another runner I'd met and told my story a month or so ago. He'd previously commuted by bicycle while living in the Boston area, but in his current job at a nonprofit farm in Amherst, his biking, especially for functional purposes, had ceased as he now lives where he works. During our chat at the race this weekend, he told me how I'd rewritten his view of driving as the default mode of transportation, and while yes, he drives, he now makes it a conscious choice and is working to make more of his errands by bike. That's some work we can all appreciate, and it might literally make us breath a little easier!