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