IDIDARIDE

Start of the ride, by Georgia Photography Fanatics

$1281 worth of food and plates for the event

Sharon and I volunteered at Suwannee Bicycle's IDIDARIDE, a one day 50 mile bike ride of all of the trails around White Springs. It differs from similar events in Florida in that it has a mass start, making for an impressive crowd of 350 riders. They stretch out on pavement and then forest double track before the single track. There are four SAG stops with gatorade and water and snacks and a lunch stop about halfway in. The last SAG has traditionally been the wine and cheese stop, though Halpatter's Brewery has been also offering a few of their freshest brews.

Our work really started Thursday afternoon when we met the event coordinator Hans at Sam's Club to buy $1200+ of food for the event. We stuffed most of it in Ernie, along with the gatorade we bought online. Early Friday we stopped at a Walmart to pick up stuff we didn't find at Sam's, and then headed to White Springs to help out getting ready for the event Saturday morning. Since Sharon was directing the breakfast servers, we parked Ernie in front of headquarters so Sharon could get up at 5:30 and start the final preparations. I slept in til 6, and drove Ernie around the corner, since Bridge Street would be blocked off to motor vehicles to accommodate all the riders. We didn't plug in, and were delighted to find that the Reflectix on the windows was sufficient to keep the 50 degree cold at bay, a not terribly difficult task. 

As one of the photographers for the event I ran around to get pictures of riders on the trails, riding my bike to selected spots. Then I hopped into Ernie to drive to the lunch spot, and borrowed a friend's truck to visit SAG 3, since it was a few miles of forest track with low overhangs and no clear turning around capability. (Last year it was a 37 point turn, in our Subaru.) Fortunately there was much more space this year, so I could've turned Ernie around with no problem, though low branches still made me glad to be in an F150.

The second night we piggybacked at a friend's campsite in Stephen Foster Nature Center, and plugged in only to charge our cell phones. Both the drive out laden down with food, and the drive back unencumbered, we averaged 21+ mpg on each leg, though the day driving around White Springs, partly on dirt paths, we only got about 17.

We're feeling better about our packing, and there wasn't anything additions or alterations that suggested themselves to us. We are looking forward to getting our refined door screens and proper window shades, but they will be done when they are done. Que sera, sera.

Most popular spot on the ride

Staying Warm, and Cool Later

Our test run to Georgia in freezing temps showed us several problems that needed to be addressed. A leak in the faucet was resolved with a better plug of the hot water inlet. We considered adding a tankless water heater, but decided to forego it this year. Our water system is now complete for 2018.

We bought a thin area rug, then cut it to fit between the cabinets to keep the floor warmer. We brought in our other camping heaters to see if there was a better one than what we used in the Okefenokee. One we decided has no value, and will be recycled in some way. A third has a little louder fan than our initial choice, but puts out a similar amount of heat. We will pack them both for now, since they can run in tandem without tripping a breaker.

The next weak spot was our windows. They are tinted, but their two foot height stretches all around the van, creating a stripe of cold air flowing into our living space. We insulated the floor, walls and ceiling, but not the windows. So what to do? The solution we found is radiant foil insulation aka Reflectix. Our local Ace Hardware in Neptune Beach was the only store that had some on hand. The stuff is like silver cardboard: two surfaces separated by a corrugated center. The net effect is it should reflect the hot sun on warm days, and act as a barrier against the cold in the winter. (I've heard it's too effective in the summer, that it can harm the glass, so we'll have to be careful out West.) For now, we just hope it will keep the heat in and the cold out. We've cut pieces to fit the six side windows and two rear door windows. The windshield and front doors are already handled by our current sunshade, which is what gave us the idea.

The pieces for the front side windows store easily above the cabinet

The middle side windows get form fit pieces

So we spent two nights in White Springs, at Stephen Foster Nature Center and State Park. With Reflectix on all six side windows and the two rear door windows, and our felt area rug covering the vinyl floor, we broke out one of the ceramic heaters and watched as it quickly brought the living space up to a comfortable temperature. We had it on the floor, since heat rises, and it was impressive how much faster the whole van got warm, and then stayed warm. It actually got colder overnight than on our Georgia trip, but we stayed significantly warmer, and the heater was set to a much lower temperature. Ernie was retaining the heat, and the cold wasn't intruding nearly as quickly.

We will put tape magnets to the four panels covering the windows with screens. Packing tape worked after a fashion, but it's now really reusable. With a few small magnets they'll attach quickly to the metal window frame, and another little comfort problem will be addressed.