Back home!

To wrap up the week, here's the short version: the bike trip was amazing, I'm home and tired now.

After our long day of riding, we had hills, rain, and some headwinds. The trip was still perfect. Everyone was in great spirits despite the added minor challenges. We were all well-fed and entertained by each others' and our own company, and had some great riding in between.

Paul and I are besties now.

Lucette, Paul's sweetie.

Soggy tent on the outside but cozy and dry on the inside.

Crossing the Mississippi River one last time.

Finished! Look at all those happy bicycles!

Starting the packing process again, sans video and in a tinier space.

Closed on the first try! See where the wheel nut poked out? This time I added some extra padding to cover it but next time, I'll have a better buffer.

Because my "budget" flight home has a weight limit of 40lbs instead of 50 for checked baggage, I decided to ship Bluebell home. Quite easy with the prepaid shipping label that I printed at home (but forgot and then had to have printed again). Looking forward to her arrival home as it will take about 5 days. Fingers crossed for a safe journey.

I can't wait to join in another Adventure Cycling trip! I worked with some wonderful folks, hung out with really fun participants, and explored a beautiful bike trail.

Fearless event director, Tammy, with whom I tied for second place. Arrgh, matey!

After a super fun minigolf game at Pirate's Cove in Brainerd, I flew to Portland the next day. Spirit Airlines wasn't quite as terrible as I had expected and the ground crew seemed much more lax about baggage restrictions than what their website threatens. The timing for the flight was frustrating as I didn't have very many options when purchasing the flight and had more unknowns about timing and packing to make an efficient decision. So instead, I had a long wait in the airport and a very late arrival to Portland to get the kids who had been spending the week at "Farm Camp" at Fiddlehead Farm with visiting family for a reunion.

I was able to visit with my family very briefly before I packed up my munchkins and started the arduous trek back to Sacramento. The boys were great travelers, as usual, and I had some help driving back from my cousin. Still, the 12-hour day in the car was exhausting. It's wonderful to be home but it will take a few days to recover from all the adventures we've had over the last few months.

My favorite people in the whole wide world!