$ gas prices = WOW!

[Blueberry]

We buy six bottles of wine at a time at Trader Joe's when we ride over on our Bike Fridays with panniers. Never gave it a second thought!

I've discovered that Trader Joe's is a dangerous place for me to bike to. I always buy way more goodies than I planned, and end up with a very slow, heavy ride for 14 miles home.....

Seriously, though - that's one of the places I have a hard time getting in and out of safely on a bike. Just seems like there's not really a good route (at least from the Durham side).

[emily_in_nc]

I've discovered that Trader Joe's is a dangerous place for me to bike to. I always buy way more goodies than I planned, and end up with a very slow, heavy ride for 14 miles home.....

Seriously, though - that's one of the places I have a hard time getting in and out of safely on a bike. Just seems like there's not really a good route (at least from the Durham side).

Yeah, it helps that DH carries most of our load. He's much stronger than me. And if we ride directly home, it's only about 4-5 miles, so a bit easier than your return trip. But I do try to go in with a list and not get distracted by all the goodies, because it can be easy to go overboard, as you say.

I agree, the traffic around there is TERRIBLE. We have to cross 15-501, which is always an adventure. For us, only the last mile right near TJs is a problem, but it's definitely an adrenaline booster!