It was an incredible day of blue sky, warmth in the sunshine with a bit of chill in the shade, and the light brushing kiss of a breeze—perfect for a ride on a bike. I set off towards St. Felix de Sorgues with a more detailed map and a different bike from before. I do not think that I will ever tire of this landscape. It was beautiful traveling down the road, sunlight filtering through the fir trees, which offered their scent as an early holiday gift.
I had brought a backpack per my usual style. It was filled with essentials: water, camera, jacket, phone, small French-English dictionary and such. It felt a bit heavy on my mid-back with the initial descent. The second leg of my circular route was a climb, curve after rising curve. My back was beginning to hurt. Then it ached, and then it said that was enough. What to do? I was far from le Mas de Salel and couldn’t unload. How silly to bring a fleece jacket with exercise planned and the weather so warm.
I took off the pack. Ah, the relief! Thinking that rearranging might help things a bit, I put the jacket on top of the camera to add height rather than width. Once the pack was back on, I lengthened the straps to carry its weight more on my hips. The climb was still challenging but in a fun, bike-riding way.
There is plenty written about baggage, literally and figuratively, so to speak. And most
would counsel to lighten the load. But sometimes you have what you have, and it just cannot go. In that case, shifting things around just a bit may turn a miserable trip into an exhilarating ride in the hills.