Lake Waccamaw #Coffeeneuring

Atlantis on the Lake...

A full week into the challenge I'm posting my first 'qualifying' #coffeeneuring outing... and of course it was a comedy of errors!  My Mom just retired from teaching at the end of the last school year and she is moving from Northern VA to a great NC lake house.  My wife, sister, brother-in-law and neice and I were down to help with some moving in and enjoy the 3 day weekend.

I brought bikes for myself and Erika but between all the moving in, hauling out and other planned events we didn't get much time for riding. (there was also some lazy sleeping in).  On Sunday I did manage a quick one hour ride around the lake and back but as it was late afternoon I didn't attempt any coffee brewing.  So Monday morning allowed for my first 'Coffee Shop without Walls' coffeeneuring attempt.

First to discuss the coffee, and the apparatus...  I've been fascinated by 'pour over' coffee ever since visiting the Swings Coffee Bar in Del Ray during one of my first sequestration related furlough days over the summer.  I'm generally in somewhat of a rush with getting my coffee but I was impressed at the amount of attention the barista's put into a single cup of coffee. Fast forward several months and I just received my very own Hario Drip Coffee Kettle, a collapsable drip coffee cone, filters, and a really cool esbit alcohol stove with wind guard.  I brewed my first non-bike related cups using the kettle and drip cone in the house on Sunday morning and packed my trunk bag up with everything (or not) that night.  The coffee itself is a fairly pedestrian pre-ground duncan donuts brand... nothing special though pretty darn good in my opinion.

Second the bike... the Atlantis, fresh of it's off road adventures from the previous weekend and with a re-tuned bottom bracket made the trip. For anyone who needs to know, a 64cm Atlantis without the front wheel mounted will fit upside down inside a 2010 Rav4 with the seats down.  I put the bars and seat down and braced it up against the side of the car.  Worked pretty well.

Third (but not finally) the ride... I did about 10-12 miles the day before and my mind was set on the coffee so I picked a public pier right on the lake that was 2.1 miles from my Mom's new place.  The ride was nice, just a touch of misting rain but not bad at all.  I even rode the bike directly out onto the dock which was cool and I'm sure not a behavior which is encouraged.  It was about the time I had assembled my alcohol stove that I realized a fatal flaw... no manner to produce a flame.  No lighter, no matches, no flint and steel...

Fourth, and finally... the humbling 2.1 miles back home where I gathered matches, realized I had also set out without a coffee mug, grabbed one of those and then proceeded out to the dock at my Mom's place and made my first cup of #coffeeneuring coffee in my shop without walls.   Great morning that I ended up sharing with my Mom!

To make sure I didn't miss anything;

1. Lake Waccamaw, NC
2. 10/12-10/14, #coffeeneuring on 10/14
3. Dunkin Donuts ground coffee, pour-over style, alcohol stove
4. Forgetful morning ride on the Atlantis, and I rode on a dock... :)
5. 4.2 miles

Packed up... minus the matches and a mug... :( fail

First time the esbit was set up... nothing to light it

Matches and coffee mug included

Discovered that the little rest for the solid fuel tab must be removed to allow enough room for the alcohol stove to breathe... 10 min later I had a healthy boil going

success