s24o Number 3

The gang(from l. to r.): Jeremy, Silas (in trailer), Randy, Solveig, me, Nancy, Anda, and Sally

On our way

Randy's secret weapon

Nearing our campsite

Setting up

For the third year in a row, our close knit group of our loved ones have come together for another s24o. What's an s24o? Only the most fun thing ever! "s240" stands for Sub-24 hour Overnight. (You can read more about the whole concept here. Or read about last year's adventure here.) In a nutshell: its a quick overnight camping trip with loaded bikes.

Kids on trail-a-bikes, infants in trailers. Destination is vague, spirits are high, weather is excellent. Stuff packed in panniers, bags, and more trailers.

We were all a little slow to gather as it always takes a bit more time to pull stuff out of storage and pull some food together then you plan on, but by about 4:30 we were all joined up and ready to go (with the exception of my sister Liza and niece Maia who had to make a brief trip to the emergency room--they were able to join us later).

We arrived at our high elevation location with only a little daylight left to get our tents up and start on heating up some food. After a great meal and some treats, we all made for our sleeping bags.

The morning started with a chilly breakfast as the sun was coming up through the trees. We then all went for a walk up the hillside and warmed up.

After packing up, I had the pleasure of towing Maia home on a trail-a-bike. We both made droning sounds with our voices that waivered with the bumps in the road. Fun.

Morning breakfast

Two guys with striped caps

Our morning walk

Maia's trail-a-bike hooked up. It was really fun to ride home together. Solveig rode with Liza

All of this started three years ago when Nancy asked what I wanted for my birthday. Without a moment's hesitation I said "A sub-24-oh with Lize, Randy, Sally, Jeremy and the kids". We did it, had a great time and haven't stopped yet.

It is the best birthday present I could imagine.