Flying on my E-Bike

When putting together my setup for travel I decided that my tow vehicle would be an electric bike.  This was quite the setup as I needed to figure out how to haul it and secure it.  There were very few options, being that my trailer hitch is in the back of my truck where the door to my camper is.  So a normal heavy duty bike rack would block my door.  So I settled on a Rocky Mount swing away bike rack.  This rack swings out to the side of my camper, but since I got a hitch extension as well, I can still crawl up into my camper to have a rest or make lunch while traveling.

The bike I decided to buy after much research is the Rad City E bike.  And I have to say, after having it for a couple months, I LOVE IT!  This is one of the best investments I have made in myself, to get me outdoors, living life.

Many RV’rs have tow vehicles so they can leave their RV set up in a park or where ever, and can zip around in a smaller, gas saving vehicle.  This is what I use my E-bike for.  Although I could take my truck and camper almost anywhere, pretty easily, when I am stopped, it is nice to just take the bike out to explore the area, pick up groceries and other necessities, and so on.  I get a lot more exercise and enjoyment this way.

Some people have the wrong idea about E-bikes.  They believe that if you want exercise you should not invest in an Ebike.  But I find this is not at all true.  I am out on the bike so much longer and put so many more miles on it, than I would with a regular bike.  I can easily go out for a ten mile bike ride down long country roads and be pedaling the whole time.  I adjust the “pedal assist” and gears so that I am always pedaling.  I’m just not working as hard as I would with a regular bike and I’m not burning myself out early.

The other day, I was out riding on a desolate country road above the Columbia River near Canada and I got off the bike to take a photo.  I lost my balance, fell backward, sprained my foot and bruised my tailbone.  I was in pretty bad shape and there was only me and the bike to get back to the camper several miles away.  I allowed the bike to do the majority of the work, pedaling mostly with my non-injured foot.

The most difficult part of the E-bike set up is getting it up on the rack and back down.  It weighs about 71 pounds, so difficult to lift as a whole.  I have learned to lift the front end up onto the rack, secure it and then lift the back end.  This is doable, but was a bit more difficult when I was injured as I have to stabilize myself before I lift.  But I managed.  Fortunately, the pain of my injury didn’t really kick in until I got back to my campsite, dumped my tanks, filled my water and hooked my camper back up to shore power.  I came inside and made dinner, then decided I should put my foot on ice.  Fortunately I had ice in the freezer and so I put it in a plastic bag, wrapped a towel around it and laid down with my foot elevated.  It started to throb in pain and I realized I had injured it much worse than I originally thought.

At the same time there was excessive heat warnings in the area I was camped in and I knew I probably wouldn’t be spending much time outside over the next week or so, unless I traveled across the mountains to Western Washington.  I wasn’t ready to make that journey yet, so I took this as a sign that it was time to stop and rest.  It was time to reflect, to heal, and to write.

A friend of mine, who works with NLP asked me to visualize something that was very freeing to me and I pictured myself on my bike riding down a long Country road, hair blowing in the wind, a big smile on my face.  In my vision my arms were out like wings, which I wouldn’t attempt with my 70 pound bike, but I love the vision.  So many times since I was given this image of freedom had I actually found myself riding down a long, isolated country road, hair blowing in the wind, a big smile on my face and a feeling of freedom.  Sometimes I have my headphones on and listening to music, a perfect background to a perfect experience.

I’m getting in shape for my long bike ride on San Juan Island in Western Washington where I will bike as much as a battery charge will allow me to bike, which may be about thirty miles round trip.  I’m really looking forward to this journey and hope to see some Orca Whales.

I remember being out in the Bay in a speed boat with an ex boyfriend and his kids and my son and we came across a pod of thirty or so Orca Whales.  It was an amazing experience.  And San Juan Island is known for its whale watching spots.  It may not be the right time of year, but I will enjoy the journey.  And…I will let you know how it goes and take photos, of course.

Meanwhile, I will never pass up an opportunity to enjoy the country roads and bike paths along the way.