The Funny Farm, Day 1

“I love the smell of exhaust in the morning.”

Getting all of the gear onto the bikes was an ordeal for Rebecca and Gavin. Not quite a hassle, but something that needs to get easier. As we learn to pack the bikes it should just become more natural, but this morning it made for a late start and a few well-justified cuss words.



We rolled out the door and down the highway, met Erik and Deb (and the monkey), and we could finally say we were on our way. On our way to great things? To adventures? To sights and sounds and smells that we’d never experienced? Maybe. We were headed towards La Grange for a weekend camping trip at Spider Hill. We were hoping to use Dennis and Paula’s yard (or at least a small part of their 25 acres) to try out our accumulation of camping gear in preparation for our “big trip” out west in a few weeks.

We filled the gas tanks up in Brookshire and shortly thereafter stopped in Sealy for a quick lunch stop at Whataburger. in Sealy. A hundred miles or so later, we got turned around off the freeway – in just enough gravel to make turning the bikes around a little treacherous. We reached the road to the house, but to our surprise it was not paved. As always, Rebecca was sent ahead on a dirt recon mission to see if the street bikes would be able to traverse the terrain. She reached the driveway and was greeted with a smile and a wave from Dennis, who had been speaking with a neighbor. A quick call to the others to confirm that the hard-packed dirt was easily passable, and we were all up at the house in no time at all.

The lay of the land was beautiful. Rolling hills, trees all around, and loose dirt under foot to make setting the bikes on their kickstands almost impossible. Deb and Rebecca each had something to place underneath to keep from sinking in, but Gavin and Erik were scrambling for scraps of wood thin enough to fit. Once the bikes were steady, we got to the task of setting up the tents and unpacking the gear.



All four of us took the time to set up each tent together, which seemed easy enough. Should we split off next time and have tent races to see who can set theirs up fastest? We’ll have to see.

Sat back down at the picnic table to talk over “the plan”, of which there wasn’t any. Right then, a family of bees decided to revolt against Gavin and his can of Pepsi. Moved the Pepsi away, but they didn’t seem to realize the relocation. More bees showed up, so it was time to get the wasp spray and fly swatters to evacuate them.

We started a blog, and finally decided on a name: “Four Bikers and a Monkey”. Apparently “Fearless Foursome” was already taken. We can create a mission statement and have room to give each other a proper bio.

Meanwhile, Erik proudly displayed his (primarily) military issue first aid kit contents. Bandages, iodine, a plint, gauze, and even an emergency blanket. Does it really get that cold in the desert in March? Better safe than sorry I guess.

Got to test the new stove. We ended up with an MSR Whisperlite International for it’s portability (fits inside the smallest pot) and ability to run on all different fuels, including unleaded gas. For those that have cooked with gas before, you know that it can tend to build up carbon and clog – this particular model is easy to clear just by shaking. Well, you might want to wait for the stove to cool down before shaking it, but you get the idea.

Contrary to what Paula thought, we managed to not light the property on fire. There’s still a burn ban in the area, but a camping stove is considered an enclosed flame so it’s safe as long as we’re careful. Boiled some water and whipped up some hot cocoa with French vanilla creamer. YUM!

Dennis and Paula, being the gracious hosts that they are, took us on a walk of the grounds. They’ve been out here on weekends working on the property with the warm spring weather clearing paths and trails through the brush. The walk took us down the hill to the dry creek bed, then over to a large plateau that would be perfect for building a second house on the property. A Thoreau-esque cabin, perhaps? “Only if it’s got a big barn garage” answered Dennis.



Only two pine trees have been found within the acreage, but with careful clearing maybe some saplings will spring up in the next few years. Interesting cacti, stones of granite, and the occasional weathered animal bone peppered the path. This walk would have been impossible later in the summer, as the greenery would have been overgrown in many areas.

Dinner was an assortment of military MRE, beef stroganoff, and fettuccini alfredo with some pop tart and squeeze cheese. It was an experiment, really. Only needed heated water (easily done on the new stove), but we forgot a measuring cup. Guesstimated the amount of water we needed, but too much in the stroganoff and too little in the fettuccini. Runny noodles, and dry chunks of turkey. Um, yum? It was still better than the concoction called “country captain chicken” in the MRE.



Erik brought a magnesium fire starter, and had raved about how it was supposed to flash and easily start a fire by simply shaving some of the magnesium into a small pile and then sparking it with the attached flint. It had started getting chilly, so we decided to let him have some fun with fire and we’d put a few logs on. Being the ex-army boy scout, he should certainly be able to handle the task. Or so we thought…

“Well that wasn’t very impressive, was it”.

Short video clip

On his way back to the tent, Gavin made a new friend. A copperhead. Uh, poisonous!



Dennis locked it in place with a forked walking stick, and Erik grabbed a shovel. In no time (with a quick pause for a picture), they had it chopped into bits and dispersed in the woods. Definitely keeping the tents zipped shut tonight!

Some microwave popcorn (a camping luxury for sure) and a quick game of cards, and we were ready for bed.



Seemed like it was much later than it actually was, but that’s what happens when you don’t have TV and a house full of distractions. Ah, the joy of nature.