Yesterday I used the bike to run some errands, which included grocery shopping for a friend’s birthday party. It’s amazing how much stuff I can manage to fit in one little basket. 12 burgers, 1 package of cajun style sausage, 11 sausage dogs, sliced cheese, 12 burger buns, and 16 hotdog buns (in addition to my normal stuff, which includes a pair of gloves and poncho). Thankfully I didn’t have to buy any condiments because there were some left over from the last birthday party we had.
The weather has been fantastic, so I’m planning to take full advantage of it and head out to the local Rails-To-Trails. I’m thinking I will try my first “real” 20 mile ride (that is, not just 20 miles summed up from various mini-rides throughout the day… a real, uninterrupted, 20-mile ride … my longest yet).
obesyclist 
I hope you enjoy your 20miler… and hope you see just how far you can go in a day!
I also grocery shop by bike. With my racer it’s a nightmare as I have to fit everything into a rucksack; but with my tourer, I find I can buy slightly more as I’ve got panniers AND a rucksack! Even then, it’s a great way to save money as there’s only so much space in those panniers…! What kind of bike do you have?
Thanks for the comment and motivation! I actually just got back from the ride, which went as good as I could have hoped. I actually went a little bit farther than the originally intended 20 miles, just because the next stop on the Rails-To-Trails was only another mile or so from when I had previously decided I would turn around… My curiosity of new territory got the best of me :). Eventually I’m hoping to get my speed up, as I’m currently riding around 13 mph (I think 15 mph would be the next milestone, but all in due time).
I agree, paniers make grocery shopping a LOT easier … but I rarely use mine, and so far have been able to suffice with just a basket attached to the side of the back rack (I can even include my 8 lb. dog in my adventures, as long as he has a comfortable pillow at the bottom of said basket). My bike is a Giant Defy 3, which I got just about a month ago. It replaced a 2004 Gary Fisher Wahoo that I had gotten ~3 years ago but had never taken off pavement.
What types of bikes do you have? I’d love to get to the point where I could go touring someday (I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors and camping).
Thanks again!