Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Guided Bicycle Tour




Even though I have now guided a bicycle tour I am still trying to wrap my mind around it. I try to put myself in the shoes of the guided. What could make this more adventurous for them? How can I provide a safe and yet Marco Polo like adventure in a guided tour?  I don't know all the answers but this is my experience. 

"Involvement"

Involvement is key. This may mean you have to carry a few extra items with you. For me that means I will be pulling the BOB trailer. I can usually tote a few more items in the BOB. In this case it was just some obsidian and some flint knapping tools in addition to some jewelry making items. With this were able to make some very nice obsidian arrowhead necklaces. This served as a perfect foreshadowing of what was to come in a few days when we would make atlatls and darts with what was provided by the mountain. 

"Exploring"

What is interesting and unique about the area you will be touring?
There is lots of speculation about this rock carving. Most people believe it is from the Escalante expedition when the Spanish first entered this area. Others believe it is a petroglyph from a local native american tribe and others believe it is much older. It is unique and therefore difficult to ascertain it's origin. 
Here I pored some water on it to make it pop out for the picture. In the spring this is in the middle of a waterfall.


"Equipment"


To a committed bicycle tourist good equipment can make a more hassle free trip. As an inexpensive option that works really well is the rig above: $8.00 used kiddy trailer bought from a yard sale stripped down to a flatbed. On it is a strapped on $4.00 used back pack bought at a thrift store. I was surprised how well this rig preformed. Lighter than my BOB and it held up really well even on dirt roads.


One of my favorite pieces of equipment is this light weight tarp. It is made of a parachute material and so it folds up to nearly nothing. here we made it into a really nice canopy at a base camp that we stayed at for a few days. It is amazing what you can make with some sticks and a tarp. On long riding days I have used it to cover my bike and bags. At times I have used it for a shelter which works great in conjunction with my hammock.

The making of an atlatl dart.


Fishing was amazing and much instruction and technique was taught. 









No comments:

Post a Comment