Biking - Relaxed, relaxing river loop

After a few wet days, and some frustrating time spent trying to fit my large bike into a small box, I needed to get out today on a beautiful morning. This was not a training ride, a fitness ride, or anything of the sort. It was just a ride for its own sake, to blow off some of the increasing tension related to my approaching departure date and all that needs to be done. I chose the old reliable flat river loop, with a few add-ons because I wasn't ready to be done yet.



My one concession to training was to ride the entire loop without shifting gears on the old 10-speed. I muscled up the few very minor rollers and coasted down the other side, without ever touching a shift lever. Kinda fun.

When I got home, I think I've finally succeeded in getting the good bike packed, but only by extending the length of the box to accommodate the longer touring frame. Lots of cardboard and tape construction to make that happen, but it looks like it will work. It's still a tight fit, but that's probably a good thing. A few final tweaks and I'll close it up and be done with that project.