Did a nice 16 mile commute in this morning along the canal. The surface is really nice between Rocky Hill and 6 Mile. The fact that the ground was frozen definitely helped. I haven't ridden in a while (early January) so I forgot how to judge clothing properly. Hand were a bit cold, but that happens to me a lot. Reading Jim's thread on the Tuscabuskawhoseit race definitely made me a bit envious of his hands and their ability to stay warm.
After the whole Pannier vs Backpack thread, I decided to start with a backpack, since I owned one. Still not huge on carry the load on my back, but probably the best course of action until I decide exactly what I need to carry.
I can definitely get used to this. It's so much more relaxing than dodging potholes in my car on Canal Rd. Plus, I don't have to worry about squeezing in riding time. I have another 16 miles ahead of me for the ride home. If I keep this up, I might actually be in shape for 'cross season...hmmm.
I used
this thermos (or something similar) and my coffee stayed warm and didn't bounce around much in my bottle cage.