Camping on (jw) Joe Whitsitt

Slovenia/Croatia - Day 9, 10, and the ride home

Sat, 26 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Day 9 began cold and dewy, and we were glad we’d sprung for a room the night before. I set an early alarm but mostly took my cue from Mike on when to start moving, then rolled out in every layer I owned: long-sleeve base, alpha fleece, wind jacket, rain jacket, buff, gas station gloves, wind pants. By the first climb I was shedding them, and we had a couple of climbs done before nine and stopped for coffee. The day was going well until a trail section that started as nice gravel decayed into logging-road mud and then overgrown switchback singletrack. We got scraped up and bailed at the first chance. In town, a woman at a small market saw how wrecked we looked and offered to make us sandwiches, her English a welcome change from what we’d been getting in Croatia. The sandals were still hanging on, four and a half straps gone, but I could still pedal without too much trouble. It was a lot of miles and decent climbs, but we spent part of the day confused about where the camp actually was and whether it was a legitimate tent option compared to previous nights. We finally found the riverside RV field in the next town over from where the route had ended, pitched the tents, and hoped not to get kicked out overnight. Nothing in town was serving dinner, so we grabbed what the bakery had left and took it to the bar with our beers. Another cold night, and I slept in my bibs rather than face a bare-bottomed change in the morning. 60.0 miles, 5:25 rolling at 11.1 mph average, 5,046 feet of gain.

Slovenia/Croatia - Day 5 through 8 recap

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Day 5 was Klement’s last day riding with us, and it closed out a long, gravel-heavy pull. We’d traded the tents for an apartment the night before, and I won’t lie, staying in a place with walls beats camping almost every time, even if this one was infested with ants. The trade-off was worth it: outlets to charge everything, a shower, and room to spread out instead of living out of the panniers. We knew we needed to re-supply before the hardest stretch was over, and Klement had been sharing his carb-and-electrolyte drink and his gels all along, which had been crucial. My other sandal was starting to break too, the first one having given up its strap days ago, and there was no finding replacements. We stopped in town to restock and hit a bike shop hoping they could sort Mike’s rear rack, but no luck there either, and the shoes were expensive enough that I didn’t pull the trigger. There was a beer-and-fries stop in Ajdovščina along the way, and then an absolutely exhausting finish. Except for the final climb of the day, it was gravel almost the whole way, and that climb, coming at the end of a long day, was my hardest of the trip. I didn’t have the heart rate to do it in one go and had to stop two or three times to gather myself, then grind out the final ten miles to camp. We rolled in right at sunset, pitched the tents, and got drinks and dinner ordered before the kitchen closed and the rain started. Showers, early to bed. 53.74 miles, 5:20 rolling at 10.1 mph average, 3,550 feet of gain.

Slovenia/Croatia - Day 3 and 4 recap

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Day 3 brought the highest point of the whole trip so far, and it started with cold feet. Everything was dew-covered getting into the tent, and I was glad I’d brought the 20 degree quilt over the 40, and Klement wins that one. Coffee in town, then the big climb, and it went better than I’d feared. We skipped the off-road bit of the route, and I thought the summit was done only to find there was still five hundred meters left, which made the last leg more taxing. I took breaks, but I still finished well ahead of the others. The descent after was the trade-off: my hands went stiff pulling the brakes, the traffic was busy, and the road threw bumps and potholes at us.

Slovenia/Croatia - Day 1 and 2 recap

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Two days in, and Slovenia is already doing its thing.

Day 1 began slow and a little chaotic. The bikes didn’t show until 8, so we didn’t roll until past 9:30, and the roofing crew working on Risto’s house picked the same moment to jam up the alley with their truck. Traffic snarled behind us before we’d even made it out of Ljubljana. Once clear, the riding found its rhythm. The climbs treated me well. Every time I caught my heart rate drifting too high, I’d change cadence or pull over for a beat and settle back down. I didn’t love the village-to-town miles, the stop-start through the built-up bits, but the cars and trucks and motorcycles were patient, and that counts. We grabbed a bite before the ride’s end, and my legs went stiff rolling into camp.

10 Days from Takeoff — Slovenia/Croatia by Bike

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ten days from now I’m on a plane to Slovenia. Landing in Ljubljana, two days to orient, then the bike ride starts.

The route is a 640km loop through Slovenia with a Croatian coast detour. Julian Alps (Bohinj, Bled, the Vršič Pass at 1611m), the Soča Valley, Goriška Brda wine country, down to Opatija on the Istrian coast, back up through the Gorski Kotar forest, the Kolpa River valley, and finally back to Ljubljana. About 10,280 meters of climbing over nine riding days with one rest day on the coast.

RAGBRAI XLVIII Recap

Sat, 07 Aug 2021 21:45:12 +0000

I just got back from another year of RAGBRAI. Wasn’t sure if it would actually happen because of the new wave of COVID-19 cases. It was cancelled last year. I only did three and a half days of riding from Parkersburg to Clinton.

Originally, I was going to bike out to the route and back and meet up with my team, but when my friend Mike said he was going to come all the way over from Switzerland, I adjusted my plans so that I could help him get to the route/team and share any gear with him that he may have needed.

2021 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Trip

Sat, 07 Aug 2021 19:48:43 +0000

At the beginning of June this year, I went on a five-night canoe camping trip with family members in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), specifically the Shell Lake area off entry point 14.

This was my first canoe trip and my first time visiting the BWCA. Because of that, I had a lot of questions going into the trip.

Normally, on canoe trips, folks have a tendency to pack more similar to a car camping trip because the hikes, or portages, are short and the canoes instead carry most of the weight.

Follow-Up: RAGBRAI XLV (2017) Pack List

Fri, 21 Jul 2017 01:00:00 +0000

Here is a follow-up to my previous post, 2017-ragbrai-packlist. Based on this year, I made some last minute decisions on what to pack. Here are some factors that changed what ended up on the ride:

Supported by my team bus.
Riding/camping with my wife.
Riding my single speed.
Only camping four nights (22nd-25th) and only riding three days (23rd-25th)

In addition, the weather is looking pretty decent for July in Iowa. For the portion that I will be riding the highest is 88 and the lowest is 58.

RAGBRAI XLV (2017) Pack List

Thu, 08 Jun 2017 01:00:00 +0000

I have been on RAGBRAI (Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) several times since 2005. Over the years, I’d like to think I have figured out a pretty good list of gear. In general, this list is usually what I start with when planning a bicycle touring trip, not just for RAGBRAI.

An asterisk denotes a “luxury” item that I only take when riding supported (team bus). Otherwise, everything can pack on the bike (except the bike itself of course).