Let's get campy

This last weekend The Mrs. and I had a date with the mountains. It was 10 - 15 degrees cooler and we really needed to do a training ride for the twenty four hours of booty. So we woke up Saturday morning and headed north to the New River State Park. The park has about fifty miles of converted rail line for biking, walking, and horseback riding. Of coarse when we arrived it was pouring rain and in our rush of the morning we had forgotten our rain jackets. So, we are now the proud owners of a pair of New River rain jackets. Which were not overly priced and quite nice. But still it was a little annoying, and of coarse by the time we got to our camp site and ready to ride there wasn't a cloud in the sky. No worries. The thing that makes the New River unique is that it is the only river that flows south to north and is thought to be the second oldest river in the world behind the Nile. Since the trail is based on an abandoned train route the inclines are very gentle. We set out about noon and planned to get about thirty miles in. It was beautiful. The temperature was about seventy eight and possibly cooler under the canopy. So it was pedal, pedal, pedal, watch out for that deer, pedal, pedal, lunch, pedal, ohh pretty, pedal, another deer, pedal. Thirty two miles later we were exhausted and ready for some relaxing. Unfortunately, it was now time to set up camp. Luckily, it wasn't too difficult. The trouble came when we were hungry. I am notorious for underestimating how long it takes for charcoal to get ready to cook over. And, although I was a Boyscout my outdoor fire making skills are a little lacking. Mostly because I refuse to use lighter fluid. I will be switching to wood next time. Not to mention the humidity makes newspaper almost fireproof. But, finally we got some fire and then it was time for brats and some potatoes we had pre roasted the night before along with ears of corn from the farm, it was quite a meal. To finish we did some smores. To drink we brought the greatest gift to campers, wine in a box. The stuff from Target is not bad, we tried the Cab-Shiraz. Finally it was time to sleep. We curled up on the air mattress and nodded off. It rained a little over night but nothing to worry about. The next morning I again tried to conquer fire with little success. Luckily, I could dig down into the coals to find sufficient heat for water to make coffee. While that heated I went for a little dip in the river. Sadly, we were not able to get a site right on the water but we were still very close. The river was exhilarating and was the perfect way to start a day. We got our coffee and then started to head out for another ride. We had planned to do another fifteen or so miles. As soon as I got on my bike, I realized that was not going to happen. I hurt in places I didn't know could hurt. We quickly re calibrated our expectations for the day. Just down the trail is the Shot Tower. The Shot Tower was as you might expect a tower used for making lead shot for muskets. We headed over there and checked it out. All together we rode five of our planned fifteen miles but still felt a sense of accomplishment. We loaded the truck and headed home. On the way home we had a discussion about my travel habits, I do not stop unless it is to pee, to remedy this we decided to check out one of the wineries you pass signs for on the highway. We picked Rag Apple Lassie in Boonville. It was about ten miles off the highway, which gave The Mrs. time to look them up and decide if it was worth it. By the time we got there we had decided it was and went in for a tasting. They happened to be having a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity and we got suckered into the tasting they were selling. So we tried five of their wines, none of which knocked my socks off but I did like one of their semi sweet red blends. The true highlight was the gentleman pouring, Walt. He was quite a character. With a never ending supply of wit and re-labeled cans. Purporting to be everything from skunk pate to possum wieners. It definitely made the whole excursion worth it. We picked up a couple of bottles for us and for gifts. Finally reaching home ready to collapse and dreading the next morning and work, we slept.