A Drive-In Movie Theater and a Tunnel

July 2, 2013

Since the last update here at the blog, we've run a story out of Idaho and one from Georgia, separated by a piece about joining Adventure Cycling Association.

In the Idaho story, which posted June 17, Brandon Follett writes about an overnight he and Jenn Siegel did, riding from the capital city of Boise to the Parma Motor-Vu Drive-In.

Writes Brandon: "Four hours of pedaling in 90-degree summer heat from Boise to Parma, followed by several mugs of wine, has turned a double feature (Kung Fu Panda and Indiana Jones) into barely a single feature. My eyelids grow heavy. But I am worried about falling asleep close to the large truck parked next to my sleeping bag. I fear I’m making the same mistake as Shirley, the dead family pet."

Brandon, by the way, now owns the Bridge Street Inn in Cambria, California, a hostel that's a popular stopover for cyclists riding the Pacific Coast Route.

This week's tale of bike ovenighting adventure comes from Walter Stovall of Decatur, Georgia. It's titled Overnight Camping at Brushy Mountain, Georgia.

It was Walter's first night out with his new hammock, and he was crazy about the experience of sleeping in it: "I slept great in the hammock. Camping where there’s not a nicely manicured, clearly defined campsite is where the hammock shines. No need for a smooth, flat surface to create a comfortable place to sleep. Setting up is significantly easier than with a tent, too. It worked great, and was easy on my back. I felt like I was rocking in Momma’s arms through the night."

Now, maybe you can help us out. We've posted Bike Overnight stories from 38 of the 50 states (along with a handful of other countries, like Canada and New Zealand). That means a dozen states are missing. Go to BikeOvernights.org and scroll through the Categories list on the right-hand side of the page to see if your state is represented. If it isn't, put on your thinking cap, load up your bike, and head out for an overnight. Snap a few photos, write up your adventure, and submit it. You'll become famous (sort of), and you just might have some fun in the process!

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MICHAEL McCOY compiles the organization's twice-monthly e-newsletter Bike Bits and organizes the Bike Overnights program. Previously, from March 2009 through January 2012, Mac wrote the weekly column Biking Without Borders.