Originally Posted by
79pmooney
That would drive me nuts...
Yeah, but it would only drive you nuts for the small portion of the two mile trips the OP intends to trek this bike on. If that's it I would just pedal off the saddle for those bumps and call it a day. Occasional off the saddle pushing is good for the soul.
On touring triple my favorite combo is 48/38/28 with an 8-speed 11-28 butt. The 11-28 keeps ratios close enough and the incline determines whether I'm shifting up and down from the big or middle ring.