Đại úy Chuck and the NCOIC; What Worked?

It makes for a better trip if more things work than don’t. Because someone considering setting off on an unsupported bicycle tour might have happened upon the story of Đại úy Chuck and the NCOIC I figured it’d be a good idea to point out some our “goods and not so goods.”

Pretty much everything deserves a passing grade because any failings or shortcomings were resolved or overcome. Obviously, anyone thinking about bike touring is gonna need a bike, but discussion about what’s-the-best-bike can be found elsewhere because the Co-Motion Periscope Torpedo Tandem is not a typical touring choice.

Because some of the equipment was well-used touring gear, camping lack any drama. Big Agnes performed flawlessly as a tent. The Lynx Pass 3 tent, a three-person tent, was excellent as a two-person tent for two guys over six feet. Its single vestibule was inconvenient, but large enough to keep all four panniers under-cover at night. Đại úy carried a Big Agnes sleeping bag with integrated pocket for an inflatable pad and pillow, while I used a Kelty and a minimalist foam pad; neither of us had much trouble sleeping.

Day first and day last were blessed with heavy rain (and wind and lightning). Stopping to put on rain covers makes no sense when you’ve experienced the dry-bag nature of Ortlieb Rollers. Yes, they lack exterior pockets and are essentially rubberized duffels, but better to root among dry things than sort our wet stuff.

Among the most useful pieces of camping equipment was the JetBoil Java Kit. It is impossible to deny the value and efficiency of the JetBoil at behaving like a French Press and brewing good coffee quickly. Using high quality coffee contributed to the JetBoil’s success because Flagship Coffee Roasters' Cuppa Joe responded well to rustic locations, making mornings more pleasant.

One of the things we did not use but might have needed was a water filter the Đại úy has acquired for his intended walk of the Appalachian Trail. We were never unable to get water, but availability was limited on The GAP and the readily available water on C&O was purified with Iodine. This contrasts with the numerous resources when off of trails.  Similarly, having a good supply of on-the-trail edibles is important; Kind, Lara, Luna, Clif, et cetera. As with water, places to get food when touring on roads and highways are common . . . and you’ll eat anything!

Next time I’ll tell you about the bike and its accessories, then, eventually, about maps and directions and anything else that seems relevant.


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Đại úy Chuck and the NCOIC Part 11

June 14 – Day 10

Horsepen Branch Hiker Biker Campsite to Washington, D.C.

The previous day at the Veterans’ gathering,Đại úy Chuck learned that he’d unintentionally planned the arrival in DC for Flag Day and the Foundation Day of the US Army, so wearing the Stars and Stripe/U.S. Constitution shirts given to him by RUSeeN Reflective Apparel  was even more appropriate.


Cuppa Joe made using the French Press feature of the JetBoil's Flash Java Kit, along with some energy bars satisfied morning hunger before setting off for Great Falls where there was supposed to be food. Here’s the sidebar about food. When riding an unsupported tour the greatest concerns are water, where to stay next and where’s the food. Specifics about food are irrelevant. If it’s edible, it’s food. So, if the Visitor’s Center at Great Falls has a concession stand, it was a potential bull’s eye.


The Visitor’s Center was good preparation for an anticipated mass of humanity to be encountered in DC and there were lots of people to test our ability to cope! Salvation in dealing with “Where’s the food!” came in the form of volunteers for Borrow-a-Bike, a program offering free, two-hour, loaner bikes to visitors. Deena, one of the volunteers, acquired an ATV and knew the route to the concession stand. Yay, food!



Wearing jerseys depicting Stars and Stripes, the Constitution, Blind Veteran and Vietnam Veteran attracted the attention of many people at the Visitor’s Center, including the gentleman taking orders at the concession stand, a former Vietnamese National. On a very personal level the NCOIC spoke with the widow of a Vietnam Veteran and experienced a deeper understanding of the significance of the Vietnam War at home. Thank you, Ingrid.

Great Falls was a good stopping point to delay arriving in DC as Đại úy’s cousin would not be avail for a pick-up before 5PM. The journey through Pittsburgh had made an impression and if a ride could be had, then, fine! The operating, replica canal boat at the Park would have to wait for another day.


Traffic on the Towpath increased dramatically inside the 10-mile post and became heavy before mile 5. Hasty, mumbled and cryptic directions were the norm inside the metro area. “Look for the pointy building” was the funniest and least helpful. Eventually, The Wall was reached. There’s nothing more that can be said about that right now.

While waiting to be found in DC a storm arrived in full force and making the decision to accept a ride a very good decision. Eventually, through rain and mysterious roads Debi arrived. Yay, Cuz! Now, two Zero Days awaited.

Đại úy Chuck and the NCOIC, Part 7

June 9 and 10 - Days 5 and 6

Day five was what hikers call a Zero Day; no miles. A visit with Đại úy’s family south of Cumberland was a welcome relief from Trail accommodations; real beds and no hastening to repack and move on. Oh . . . and food! It’s pretty difficult to eat too much when you spend hours pedaling, but Aunt Mary got pretty close to topping off the tanks with her culinary offerings while Uncle Ronnie offered his gentle, sage observations.

Back in Cumberland on Day six the journey changed significantly as the Trail traveled along the former towpath of the C & O Canal. Weekend traffic, both foot and wheeled, contrasted with the GAP as did the nature of the Trail’s surface. Where the GAP was primarily hard-packed and wide, C&O which is pretty much flat, varied from packed and rutted to parallel single tracks to muddy to being basically more technical and requiring greater attention to avoid mishaps.

Narrow trails

Visually, the C&O was very different. Vistas and mountains were replaced by the ever present Potomac to the right and the canal to the left and for many miles after leaving Cumberland man’s presence was obvious even in the size of trees and depth of forest along with the first of more than seventy locks we’d pass before reaching DC. Unlike the GAP, pumps provide water at frequent intervals, a very good thing, but iodine used to treat the water adds an odd taste and a potential problem for anyone with thyroid problems. Associated with the pumps are Hiker Biker Campsites; primitive, wooded, grassy spaces, fire ring, grill and picnic table.

Đại úy demonstrating his skill.

Locks came in various states of repair and many offered appealing Kodak Moments.

Grooves on aquaduct made walking a better option than riding.

Lock with intact gates

After Big Savage and Brush Tunnels (remember, “Keep Left Of Fence”), Paw Paw Tunnel could have been a disappointment, but it wasn’t! More than 3000 feet of canal and towpath through a mountain? Took almost fifteen years to complete and the result is pretty damn remarkable.

Paw Paw Tunnel

Lotsa bricks

Big tunnel. Small towpath.

One significant difference between GAP and C&O is the way communities along GAP have embraced it. Locating services after leaving Cumberland can be frustrating even when being told “y’ can’t miss it”. Even when finding “y’ find it” the discovery can be a mixture of odd, interesting and frustrating. Little Orleans was like that. After 47 miles it was time to seek shelter for the night and food. So far C&O had not been the nightmare some people had depicted, nor had it been a walk-in-the-park. Bill’s Place is located in the small settlement a short distance off the Trail and up a hill, as many things are along both GAP and C&O. Reviews and opinions about Bill’s Place varied widely, but most suggested it was a must-visit place.

Bill’s Place is now SOB’s Place, meaning Son-of-Bill, since Bill died in 2013. Clientele was mix of bike riders and locals. A corner of the single large are held typical camp store fare, the central area had adequate seating for twenty or thirty people at assorted tables and an L-shaped bar dominated the area just inside the entrance; just a typical rural gathering place that happened to be close to a hiker biker trail. Đại úy chose a ham and cheese sandwich from the basic menu, but added Maryland Crab Soup. NCOIC opted for a burger. The food was above average and according to Dai uy, the soup which he said was more like a chowder was excellent.

Posing at Bill's Place

Bill's Place

Bikers, Hikers, Canoers, Hunters, et cetera

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Directions were given to Little Orleans Campground with the caution that there’s a hill. There was. There were; one steep downhill that would be negotiated uphill the following morning and one serious uphill that kicked both the Đại úy’s and NCOIC’s asses. The directions to the campground had said “.6 miles from trail.” Point five was vertical! Fortunately, the campground was pleasant and quiet and had adequate shower and laundry facilities. The NCOIC’s choice of tent site ran a bit too much downhill, but there was no problem sleeping.

Day 6 was physically demanding because of the nature of the C&O and the need to navigate obstacles and other people, but it was a good start.

Đại úy Chuck and the NCOIC, Part 2

The Đại úy  is unaccustomed to self-supported touring. Generally, when he rides 500 miles in a week’s time he only has to be concerned about pedaling, water and energy bars. For our 500+ miles it’s about taking whatever you think you’ll need, plus planning where to spend each night.

The other thing Đại úy’s used to is the shirts he gets for participating. He wears them proudly, like the ones from RAGBRAI. Knowing this, I figured I needed to find a way for him to get a shirt for this ride, so I called Aero Tech Designs, a company making bike wearables in Pittsburgh. I spoke to Jordan, their Marketing Manager (and Pro Rider), and explained that a couple of old Vets were gonna ride the GAP and C&O and since I wore some of their stuff was there any chance of getting a shirt for Đại úy  . . . okay, for me too!

Fast-forward to this morning when the FedEx guy tapped on my door bearing a large box. Yeah, Aero Tech wouldn’t mind at all doing something for a couple of old guys—Vets—who ride bikes. Get some pictures. Say some nice stuff. And thanks for serving your country.

Đại úy’ll have some shirts and so will I and we’ll make Aero Tech proud. Nice arrangement.

Đại úy Chuck and the NCOIC

Just as Non-Commissioned Officers, NCOs, are the backbone of the Army, Captains (Đại úy  in Vietnamese) are the heavy lifters of the officer corp and as such gained a special level of respect during the Vietnam War; being called “di wee”, the Americanized pronunciation of the Vietnamese words. Officers, typically, had drivers because the simple operation of motorized vehicles (other than aircraft) can be challenging for many of them. Drivers were drawn from the enlisted ranks and served their officers every needs, like opening doors, another difficult mechanical task. When the former Army officer, Captain Chuck, gave me the opportunity to pilot his tandem bicycle (clearly equivalent to being his driver) it seemed necessary to elevate myself to NCOIC, meaning Non-Commissioned Officer in charge, a slight misnomer, but allowing a greater sense of self-esteem. Thus, this and subsequent writings about our travels together will be grouped as “Ðai uy Chuck and the NCOIC.”

The Đại úy and I have logged more than 500 miles on his Co-Motion Periscope Torpedo and are becoming a good team. Because a previous pilot (the name applied to the person “driving” a tandem bike, also known as the captain and not used by us for obvious reasons) ran Chuck the Stoker (stoker being the name for the person whose primary role is providing muscle) into a metal pole and I have not, Đại úy Chuck thinks I am good pilot/driver, his blindness keeping him from witnessing some of the potentially harrowing moments we have avoided.

We’ve managed to become an increasingly efficient team, maybe because I don’t deal with him as a blind guy and he doesn’t care that I am old. The result is that we’ve ridden 60+ miles one way to spend a long weekend on the Gulf in Cedar Key, completed a windy metric century as part of the Tour de Forts and next week plan to go large and ride from Pittsburgh to D.C on the GAP and C&O Trails, then take on the challenge of riding from D.C. to Baltimore and finally north into central PA. The Đại úy’s motivation is to not surrender to his blindness. Mine is to stay alive. Makes us a good pair.

I don’t know whether it was too presumptuous or arrogant to ask Andrew and Razia of Flagship Coffee if they’d like to be the official coffee providers for Đại úy Chuck and the NCOIC for our ride. “Of course” was their response. Got a similar response from Monica and Mike of Monica’s Cococastile Soap who are creating wrappers for sample-sized bars noting Đại úy’s accomplishments and efforts to encourage others to develop a more active lifestyle. As Đại úy puts it, “I’m not handicapped. I’m blind.” We’ll use Monica’s soap and give the rest away to spread the good word. Another “hot damn!” moment came during the past week when Aero-Tech Designs, manufacturers of my favorite bicycle attire said they’d provide a couple of shirts, shorts and socks for the old guys on a bike. I’ve worn their touring shorts for three years and all are still in good condition despite regular use. That they make their products in Coraopolis, just north of Pittsburgh (yes, made in America) is a nice subtext.

When we stop where there’s WiFi I’ll update the blog and let you know what’s happening as I did while trying to make the trip August 2012 trip to PA. You can also see what’s happening from a different point of view by checking Twitter; Chuck’s CoMotion.