Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough. (Charles Dudley Warner)

Keeping old bicycle gear is a luxury we can't afford. We live in a tiny home, a studio condominium.

When I got new bicycle travel bags this year, getting rid of our old touring bags became a priority. But it took three attempts before I finally made the old gear go away.

Many years ago we had panniers. I hated them. They were noisy, always needing adjustment, and awkward to pack. We replaced them with several sizes of rear hard-side trunk bags that we used for years. They worked well on trips, but they took up a lot of space when not in use.

It was easier to part with the old bikes than the old bike bags.

The bags held memories. Before I could part with them, I found I had to spend a little time archiving those memories. Then I was ready. We pulled the bags and racks into a pile. Some we threw away. Some we donated.

It was surprising to feel sadness and loss for something as prosaic as travel bags. But of course the sadness was simply the bittersweet feeling you get whenever you deal with change. Stuff changes. If you're lucky, little is lost and some things get better.

And besides, now we have just baggage enough.

Horses and Hills: The Gainesville Cycling Festival

For years people told us about the Gainesville Cycling Festival. They called the Horse Farm Hundred their favorite ride in inland Florida. We kept making plans, plans that got scrapped because of schedule conflicts. This year we finally got there.

We were initially confused about the weekend event. People kept calling it by different names. Then we figured it out. The weekend has two events. The Sunday event (the Horse Farm Hundred) is almost 40 years old. Then about 25-30 years ago they added the Saturday event (the Santa Fe Century).

Saturday's Santa Fe Century has 103, 68, 55, 32, and 18 mile rides. There is the road ride and a gravelers event. The routes stay pretty much in Alachua County where Gainesville is located. 

Sunday's Horse Farm Hundred has 102, 57, 45, 30, 25 mile rides. These routes are in both Alachua County and Marion County to the south.

With around 350-400 riders, this is a perfect size event. (Think Goldilocks: not too big, not too small.) There's something for every type of rider. Short rides for the casual riders. Pace car led century rides for the dedicated. You have pacelines, solo riders, and small groups of two or three. Routes are well marked. GPS guidance is good. SAG support was well organized. They call the Alachua County routes "flat" but coastal cyclists would call them gently rolling hills. Marion County's Horse Farm route is definitely hilly and more challenging. The scenery along the routes is wonderful. It's almost all rural, but you also get to ride briefly through a charming old town or two.

We drove up to Gainesville and did both days. We normally ride the metric century routes at events, and that is what we aimed for in Gainesville. We go to events to enjoy the routes and the scenery, not to watch wheels. While we didn't know a soul at the ride, riders quickly formed paceline groups as readily as well-trained sled dogs. So we rode with a group for a half hour or so each day, enjoying the social mood. Then we let the groups pedal down the road while we stopped for a picture or two. Which then let us ride the rest by ourselves, enjoying the ranches, farms, woods, and, of course, the splendid horses, along the route.

This is going to be an annual road trip for us. It's a winner.

One of the many lovely horse paddocks along the route.

Creeks and a lake or two were worth a stop along the route.

Two wrongs don't make a right, but they make a good excuse. (Thomas Szasz)

I tried to keep to our regular routine. And it worked for a while. Nothing seemed to be going right. Hurricanes tearing up places I love. Sick friends. It had done a number on my mood. I was counting on the comforting routine of four days a week out pedaling my bicycle to get me out of the doldrums.

Tuesday morning we set off for our usual ride on the Rickenbacker Causeway, Virginia Key, and Key Biscayne. Al had his speed zones and intervals and what all. I do my miles, working on my pedal stroke and cadence. But with every mile my mood darkened. My mind kept focusing on my sore back and wooden legs rather than the lovely day and scenery.

Al was waiting for me on Virginia Key. I rolled up to him and just announced, "I'm not having any fun; I'm going home." And I pedaled away.

For the first mile I argued with myself to get with the program. Go back. Tell Al I was a moron. Finish the ride.

But I didn't. I kept pedaling toward the mainland. And I noticed that my mood was getting lighter! My speed going down the bridge was nearly a personal best. Yeah!

I rode home, but by a rambling route that took me past a few of my favorite pieces of public art, a couple of fountains, and (of course) the best garden in the area.

It was silly and childish to need an excuse to use my training day for a fun ramble. I should, but don't, feel guilty. (I only rode 18.5 miles for goodness sake!)

I had fun.

There are lots of people who mistake their imagination for their memory. (Josh Billings)

Pies. It started with pies. (Lots of pies.)

We'd discovered the Withlacoochee State Trail (WST) by accident. We returned for the annual Rails-to-Trails October ride. The after ride food tent was a pie lovers dream. Home baked pies of every kind.

Needless to say, we ate too much pie. (And loved every bite.) Our solution: Do more miles. So we started making the WST ride a century ride. It was perfect:

• A pleasant canopied paved trail.
• Rails-to-trails, so very gentle grades.
• Good rest stop and after ride food.
• A time of year when the weather is generally nice for cycling.

The Withlacoochee State Trail

That was a long time ago. And as always happens, stuff changes. Home baked pies were replaced by store bought baked goods were replaced by more standard after ride food stuff. Still, it remained a pleasant century ride.

So the first weekend in October found us in Inverness, Florida, for the annual WST bike ride. It was a fun ride. We rode with a guy from Tampa. He was a funny guy, and we laughed about some of the things that had gone horribly wrong on the week-long rides the three of us had done over the years. Getting lost. Rain. Unrelenting heat. Freezing cold weather. We decided he had bragging rights for surviving the worst ride ever: 358 riders started; 25 - of which our Tampa friend was one - finished. (The ride was through the mountains of Tennessee, and there was a heat wave.)

Most rides are fun and pretty uneventful. (Especially nice little centuries on trails like the Withlacoochee!) But if you ride enough years, well, stuff sometimes happens. Things a bit more in the "adventure" category than you had planned on. You can share these stories with cycling friends. But you quickly learn that some cycling friends and most non-bikey friends will question your sanity if they learn about your "adventures." These are the rides that require a bit of imagination in retelling. Downplaying the "adventures." Playing up the beautiful scenery, great route, and all the more traditional things one expects on a bike trip.

It's better that way. (Trust me.)

A stop to admire the scenery.

Running Away From Home on a Bicycle, Camping Issues and Fixes

I enjoyed my September bicycle camping trip to Key Largo, but it brought to light some things that needed fixing. They were all simple, and I've already dealt with them so they won't be a bother on the next trip.

• Since my tent does not have a floor, I needed to get a little groundsheet for my bivy. Solution: The ubiquitous space blanket. (Cheap, ultra lightweight, and easily replaced as needed.)
• I wear prescription glasses. Guess what I broke on the trip? Yep, my glasses. Solution: Carry a backup pair of prescription glasses. (I found an old pair and added them to my gear.)
• Camping has you outside pretty much all day, and I was getting way too much sun. Solution: I bought a long-sleeved hooded fishing t-shirt. (Cute, comfy, and works like a charm.)
• I absolutely must have coffee right away in the morning. Not cola, not tea...coffee. Solution: A little can of Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso. (It also fits nicely into my front handlebar bag. What a super treat at a snack stop!)

I admit I prefer motels to camping, but the truth is, camping isn't just inexpensive, it's fun. I'm glad to have it as an option.