Got back from my first overnight bike-camping of the year on Wednesday. Unless I'm counting biking to REI and waiting in line overnight for the scratch and dent sale =P.

I'd been telling myself that as soon as the daytime temperatures where high enough for two days in a row, I'd go. I ended up tearing through my camping/touring gear, which was still stored for the winter in disarray(House was vandalized severely last fall, never really got a chance to clean out and probably pack it all in for the winter, in the midst of moving back into the house. Some items I've still not found.), packing, figuring out a route, and leaving the next day. Somehow it wasn't a disaster! Lot of the campgrounds up here are still closed, so I spent the night in a pine plantation on state forest land. (pictures over here).

On the way back, the temperature actually hit 68, after an overnight low of 30. It's April and I'm already red with sunburn, but too giddy that winter is over to care much. I'm hoping I can somehow squeeze in a week long tour in northern Minnesota before I start work at the end of the month.