Squirrels chewed up the drip line for my veggies so I've been meaning to replace it and reinforce the PEX tubing with PVC for protection from little nibblers. I finally got around to picking up supplies today and the HaulaDay was the perfect transportation vehicle.

Four 10' PVC pipes, 50' of PEX, plus everyday nonsense were no match for the HaD! It was easy to ride the few miles home like this but I did miss my low step-thru. If I had been going farther, I would have put half the load on the other side as the four tubes caused me to pedal with a wide turnout. Biking makes everyday errands into a much more exciting adventure!

Next stop, getting veggie starts at the nursery.

Boys are both back and school! We've been able to ride together the past couple of days and I realize it's been way too long for the boys to have gone without riding their own bikes. It's been a shaky couple of rides with lots of reminders about what to look out for and how to behave while riding. It's my goal to let them ride to school on their own bikes as often as possible so they can keep expanding their abilities and confidence (actually, they have plenty of confidence but their abilities need to catch up to that...).

I didn't think it could get better but it has! A 50 mile day with a tailwind, the ride was a breeze. People were in great spirits even though it was a long day. The day sped by and we ended up at a beautiful lakeside campground.

Thursday night, I flew out of Sac with Bluebell, my new-to-me Bike Friday New World Tourist. I was terrified as I left her in the airline's custody. After a quick three hour flight, those fears were put to rest as I opened the case back up to see everything in pretty good shape and all accounted for.

That afternoon, I put her back together and was pleasantly surprised to see that everything was as it should be! The only casualty was that I popped the front tube when I inflated it back up too quickly and got a pinch flat.

I stayed overnight at a fellow Adventure Cycling staff member's house in Minnesota. I even saw a family of bald eagles!

The next day, we drove out to meet the participants and get the tour started.

It's been a great trip. Today, after setting up the lunch stop and cleaning it back up, I had some time to ride the route once everyone was back. I was so glad to have gotten out as I hadn't ridden in a couple of days and really needed the exercise with all this great food lying around.

It was just a 16 mile day so it was quick enough to do in an afternoon. A perfect, meandering ride, mostly on bike path. The weather has been beautiful. Tomorrow is a longer day as we head down the Paul Bunyan trail toward Braxton.

Bluebell rides beautifully. I need to make a few adjustments and get used to the shifting a bit more but we're having a blast!