Day 26 Tuesday February 6 Lake Bunyonyi to Home at Home Campground

By Henry

Our daily routine is to be packed up and have daily bags loaded on the truck by 6:15 AM. Breakfast is at 6:30 AM, and then everyone pedals away. TDA does not want anyone bicycling in the dark, so we were asked to not start until 7 AM, after sunrise.

90 km total distance for today’s ride, just a tick under 1000 m elevation gain, 25° C maximum temperature. Low winds from variable directions.



Two views of the 8 km (2.5 km up and 5.5 km down) steep dirt road leading out of camp today, before we hit good tarmac.

About an hour after we started riding, as we gained elevation into a cloud, it rained torrentially for about an hour and a half. We took shelter in a roadside cabana for about 10 minutes, hoping the worst of it would blow over, but the storm did not abate, so we resumed pedaling in the rain again. There was thunder and lightning; we were completely soaked with cold rain. Fortunately, the skies gradually turned blue and the sun came out, and we were almost completely dry by the time we arrived at the lunch truck at 65 km.

There was a noticeable difference in the amount of roadside garbage after crossing the border into Uganda. There are sporadic piles of trash, including plastic bottles, plastic bags, and organic waste like corn cobs. This is a relatively small pile of trash. It’s not uncommon to see fires at the side of the road where people are burning waste. The amount of garbage is not as bad as it was an Egypt, however. 


We see lots of beans and spices drying on tarps.


Parasol mounted on a motorbike, not uncommon here. Compared to Rwanda, very few are riding bicycles or carrying heavy loads on them.


There was only 25 km after lunch to reach our destination, which was originally going to be a soccer field, but it was changed to Home at Home campground. It was pretty warm with the sun shining when we arrived at camp. Only cold showers were available today. We did some laundry quickly to get it hanging in the sunshine to maximize drying time.

Tim had a broken tent pole two days ago. He fixed it, but it broke again today, necessitating another creative repair.

Jeff did well today with his temporary replacement derailleur. However, he has already ordered a new derailleur, hanger, chain, more spare spokes, and is having them shipped to a Philadelphian who will be joining us in Nairobi. The next problem for Jeff is that his Garmin crapped out in the rain today. He will try drying it out, but anticipates having to order a new Garmin.

On riding days that will be followed by another riding day, there is always a tasty soup upon arrival at camp (to replenish salt loss). Today’s soup was cream of mushroom with vegetables.


Once at camp, there is at least an hour set aside for medic consults and bike maintenance appointments. The two bike mechanics on staff are unbelievably talented at repairing any kind of bike, from old to new. My caliper brake pads had worn down past the replacement indicators, so the mechanic was able to efficiently swap out both front and rear pads. The rain today accentuated a sticky rear brake cable that had some pre-existing rust. He effortlessly replaced that as well. I will buy two more sets of replacement brake pads, probably in Nairobi, to get me through the end of the tour. There were a lot of bike concerns today within the group, and both mechanics were kept busy.


Some riders have internal radar to ferret out comfortable lounges and places to kick back, even at a campground. 

Just before bedtime, I was sitting alone at a table in the bar area working on the blog, when I was descended upon by four young workers at the campground - a waiter, a waitress, a housekeeper, and a chef. They were interested to know what our itinerary was, so I shared it to them. They were happy for the opportunity to practice a bit of English.

It rained again in the afternoon after we set up our tents. We are hoping that it will not be raining in the morning as we pack up.