1st S24O o' '07

I took my fist S24O of the year last night. It was a resounding success in so many ways. Not much time to go on and on, so here's a list of the essentials:

• Hennessy Hammocks rule. My buddy Alex let me borrow his and I'm pretty much sold. There's some fuss factor in setting it up, but I think it's the kind of thing that becomes easier the more you do it. Why do they rule? A) Comfort comfort. Man alive. I slept the whole night, which never happens when I camp. That alone is the seller for me. B) Do not require flat, smooth spot, just a couple of trees. Trees are a dime a dozen around here, so are rocky, hard basalt surfaces. This makes stealth camping much easier. You don't need a "spot." You need a couple trees. C) Small and light. Fits in the bottom of my small pannier easily.


• RB-T was actually sold as a touring bike? Oh my god. I put a tiny load on the back of this thing and the front-end wobbled all over the road. No way for no hands on this. And don't think it's good for front loads. It's got the "dead zone" trail of about 55mm. I've tried it. As a tough go-fast, get around town, hit the occasional trial and maybe carry a small saddlebag bike: I've not ridden a better bike --but for even lightly loaded touring. Forget it.


• Once again, I have to say, Spokane is a flipping righteous place to ride. I rode through farm land, cool rock formations, many miles of dirt road through the reservation, up and down the zillion hills along the river, saw 3 dams, lots of deer... camped all alone in a perfect perfect amazing wonderful spot on the river. I love it.