I'm back

We just returned from Iowa. Amy and I flew into Milwaukee, rented a car and drove to visit family. We spent a ton of the time hanging out with my grandma, my sisters, their husbands and my niece. I went hunting with my brother in law and saw ten to twelve deer including some nice bucks. He passed up on all of them hoping for a larger buck, which never appeared. It was still a blast. I also toured the back roads in route to a nearby river which was high thanks to the thunderstorms from the night before, (I had forgotten how much I like lightning) but I did catch a petite smallmouth bass.
I have logged in 65 miles over two days of riding since Thursday. I also purchased a day planner and carry it everywhere I go to log my food, water and riding, as well as work and school notes. Having everything consolidated is so much easier than multiple notebooks, etc. and I am already staying on track more consistently. My goal by next Thursday is an additional 100 miles.
My geared bike’s rear wheel is shot so I have been riding the single speed exclusively lately. I love that bike and it is only about ten minutes slower than my geared bike over the trip to work. Only having one gear forces you to pedal at both extremes, slow powerful pedal strokes up the hill as well as high speed spinning on the downhill. If I can manage to make up that time, I will be more powerful as well as improving my cardio by upping my cadence. I think I will be spending a another few weeks on the single speed until I can afford to build new wheels, and swap most of my geared parts to new frame I have had for months now. It should be a better fit and ride, plus its lighter. I have putting the swap off because I want the parts to due the bike justice, and some of my current parts are showing some wear and tear and need replacement. Even at wholesale cost, longwearing, quality components are not cheap.