Denton, TX
Elevation: 640 ft.
Distance: 39.7 mi.
Odometer: 331.9 mi.
I was planning on leaving for Peyton's early Sunday morning but wound up waking up too late, so I left at 4:30 instead. If you can avoid riding in the middle of the day, you don't do it. It's just too hot. Peyton took a big chunk of my stuff with her, so I only had my small panniers on the rear.
Less than a mile from my parents' house, I had my first major equipment failure. A few screws came loose on my rear rack so that the only thing holding it on were two screws near the hub of the wheel. Bags still attached, the entire thing swung backwards and the bags started dragging on the ground behind me. I pulled over and off the road immediately. Managed to fix the rack with my multi-tool, but my panniers now have a couple dime-sized holes in them. Good to know they stay attached in extreme circumstances, I guess. Weird that my rack has had no problems for three months, then fails when there's a lighter load on it.
The ride to Peyton's was uneventful, which is usually good. Made a slight detour from my planned route just to get a picture of the town square. Arrived at Peyton's early enough to join in on her fourth going-away party.
It's been an emotional few days. I've been trying to take care of some last-minute stuff related to this ride, and I've had to deal with Peyton going away for a long time and try to be supportive there. A few other things on my plate as well. I think once the ride "really" begins as I leave Denton, it'll be a well-timed distraction from a lot of other things that are going on.
June
