Every year our extended clan unites in a suitable bike-friendly location to hang out for a long weekend and tool around on two-wheelers. That provides fun for the kids, parents and grandparents alike. It’s pretty cool that I dig my in-laws, so this trip is something I generally look forward to.

This year we downscaled a bit and eschewed meeting in a “bike destination town,” usually meaning somewhere in SE Minnesota or across the river in Wisconsin. Instead, everyone elected to come north from Iowa to the SixOneTwo. Maybe we brag on our trails and easily accessible bike trips too much. All of a sudden we were put on the spot and had to come up with a plan.

A number of Minneapolis cyclists have discovered a spot west of the city – a quaint campground tucked away in Carver Park Reserve. We began making this destination a once or twice-a-year family trip a few seasons ago. The 25-mile voyage is almost entirely comprised of dedicated bike paths. The trail (an old rail bed) bee lines through dense canopy, marshy wetlands and prairie while passing through a few cool old towns that have been progressively sucked into the ‘burbs. But from the trail, you’d hardly know it. It’s very scenic, peaceful riding.

We pitched the idea to the family. They took the bait. A plan was hatched and the days crossed off until it was time to get into gear. Half the clan made it clear they weren’t into camping and opted to book a nearby hotel instead. We stuck to our guns and had no intention of missing the real adventure of our urban excursion – loading everything onto bikes and getting there under our own power.

Now, our immediate family situation has grown a bit since we last pulled this off. Specifically we have an extra kid and all her attendant trappings to add into the mix. But the last time we made this trip the Big Dummy hadn’t yet been introduced. Problem solved. Implying, perhaps, there’d never really been a problem in the first place, merely a misperception.

Basically we had two adult engines, four-year-old and one-year-old living cargo units, clothing, tent, sleeping bags and pads, as well as complete camp hardware for four. And all of it had to fit on two bikes. No issue. We had some room left over. Hell, I even packed a hammock, a rain tarp, two backpacking stoves with fuel AND threw in a 10” cast iron Dutch oven to flaunt the load hauling capabilities of my rig. Don’t forget the camp axe, a kite, extra shoes, swimming trunks and a couple of books.


Ready to roll ...

“The Rig” was my Dummy with Burley attached – a vehicle with combined length only 1 foot shorter than our aging Subaru wagon. This bike/trailer combo afforded accommodation for both kids at once (one in the trailer and one on the Snapdeck). I have a Nice Rack installed up front that held two lighter panniers (clothing, sleeping bag) and a rack-top trunk bag for quick access stuff like first aid, sunscreen and repair kit. Out back I mounted one Adventure Rack on the non-drive side for panniers (kitchen gear and sleeping bags) and the standard Freeloader on the drive side with a Wideloader to stabilize the tent and other gear bags we’d rearrange depending on necessary kid seating. The Wideloader also served to haul firewood once we hit camp.

Mom has a rear-mount child carrier on her bike. That allowed us to rotate kids for napping, or to give them a change of scenery when they got cranky. In order to keep a spot open I’d shuffle the forward pannier when needed allowing our oldest girl a perfect seat with generous leg room atop the deck. Her chair was augmented by a homemade backrest – three sleeping pads lashed lengthwise. The Dutch oven, diaper bag and some food and beer we picked up along the way fit perfectly in the back of the Burley. All Mom had to carry was two clothing bags in a BOB trailer and either a kid or a pannier in the rear kid seat. I could have fit it all on the Dummy, and would have done so if only for reasons of pure bravado. But she wanted to do her part. Plus she typically has a knack for keeping me from doing foolish things for no good reason.


Deluxe seating with a questionable view.

With all the gear loaded I have to admit I was a bit skeptical how enjoyable the ride would be. As I straddled the bike and gave our oldest daughter the cue to climb on, the weight on the front fork was what I noticed the most. But as soon as we pushed off into the alley and onto the street I had the same conclusion I always do when I load the Dummy in some funky new and crazy way – it can handle it. And not just handle it okay, but handle it in style. When we turned onto the open bike path I was also impressed with the speed I could carry. A slight, mostly favorable wind helped a bit, but I could easily crank the 200+lbs of kids and gear along at an average of 13-14mph. The look on other cyclists’ faces as we rang our bells and maneuvered the human-powered land train around them was priceless.

We made it to the campground without a hitch. Once camp was firmly staked down, the Dummy didn’t stay parked for long. I used it to take the kids and Mom for laps around the grounds, fetch water, tote wood and pedal 16 miles round trip to restock food and beverages halfway through the weekend. Other campers stared, many even commented and I was happy to discuss the bike with them. I’m sure more than a few were a little freaked out. Perhaps some even thought it was silly.

Convertible family van.

Then again lots of things never cease to amaze me when I spend a few nights at a drive-in campground. I am accustomed to and prefer backcountry experiences. But I am in love with camp life and the art of running a camp, so I’ll pursue those tasks in almost any spot where I can pitch a shelter, cook over and tend a fire. Everyone else around us might have had the impression they were camping, but few really seemed to embrace it. How can you when you center your existence around something as unnatural, technology-driven and wasteful as an automobile?

I’d rise early and get the kettle going. Inevitably a few cars would crank up, campers would drive out and 20 minutes later return with disposable coffee cups and donuts or fast food they’d fetched in town for breakfast. Our neighbors slept in their cars. The party across the way appeared to drive home for the night and return the following day to play cards and sit by the fire for a few hours before driving home again to a familiar bed. Everyone around us used their cars countless times per day for something or other.

Maybe I should lighten up. But I’d take a stab that these words don’t ring hollow among the Surly blog audience – plain and simple, there’s merit in creating an adventure for the sake of an adventure. And achieving that requires a moderate amount of challenge. Getting to a campground in a car is not a challenge (unless packing a trunk tends to freak you out). But getting the whole family there by bike presented some logistical speed bumps. In the end everything fit on the bikes. We belched no carbon into the atmosphere, got a little exercise and created an experience for the kids that was much more fun than being strapped into a car seat for an hour or so. Not only did everything get there aboard bikes, but everything we needed for the whole weekend could be obtained aboard the Dummy.

Human-powered self containment – that’s pretty sweet.