A gorgeous snow commute for me tonight!

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bluegoatwoods

Active Member
Jul 29, 2012
1,581
6
38
Central Illinois
It was beautiful.

I put this in 'the tavern' because it actually was on my pedal bike. So, not really motorized bicycle related.

But it was nice. It started falling at about 5 PM. By the time I got off it was about an inch deep, temp in the upper 20s. Very little wind.

My homeward bound commute starts with a couple of back roads. First it's residential, then a dirt road behind some small factories and such. The road was like a blank whiteboard. It's a bit rough, but I know it like the back of my hand. So the white camouflage wasn't a big problem. I did come across a guy in some kind of big loader. I couldn't see him perfectly clearly, but his body language suggested that he was surprised to see me. It wasn't a close call, by any means. We both had plenty of room.

Then I go through a little commercial district. Nothing particularly neat there. But the road and traffic were pleasant.

Then a couple of miles on the shoulder of a 45 mph, four lane road. That's your typical thru-way; nothing pretty plus debris and rough crap all around.

Then about a mile on a long S-curve climbing through some woods. That's always the best part in winter storms. (though this didn't count as a storm. Just a snowfall.) Even with no Moon I can see a long way through the trees and rolling hills because of the white. And because it's a pretty serious climb, I always get plenty warm.

At the top I stopped at my local grocery store for a few items. I pulled up to a parking block and smoked a cigarette, cooling off. As I sat there, sleeves pushed up above the elbows and jacket open with snow falling all around and building up in the parking lot, people getting in and out of their cars looked at me like I came from Mars. They don't understand that it really is possible to be in conditions like that and consider it a very nice evening. This is the sort of thing that they should know. But I think they choose to forget because there's a price to be paid; you gotta burn some calories. I'm oversimplifying, I know. But I think that's the crux of it.

One neighbor lady parked next to my bike when I was in the store. We met as I came out and she asked me if I wanted a ride home. I figured she knew me better than that. I thought she was just being silly for a laugh. I said something like, "No, thanks. I'm fine." Then she said, "No. Really. Are you sure you're all right?"

We've known each other for years. She knows, or should know, that I'm a die-hard bicycle rider. Yet she still can't quite believe that someone would be out on a bike, voluntarily, in weather like this. And I've been out in much, much worse, I can tell you. And she's seen it, too. Tonight was nothing.

Only one downside; we're supposed to get somewhere around a half a foot or so overnight. I can even ride in that. But that's a lot of resistance. And there's the safety factor as well. So I'm probably going to be driving to work in the morning.

But I guess I can live with that. My weekend starts tomorrow evening and I don't have to be back to work until Wednesday at Noon. The roads'll be clear enough to ride by then.
 

MEASURE TWICE

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2010
2,741
1,211
113
CA
I rode home after a secession of my winter scuba diving course at community college indoor pool a long time ago. I rode home on bike when there was a little bit of snow and ice. They salt the road in New York where I was then. Only thing, I could have dried my hair better, it froze on the way home which was about 5 miles.
 

Nevada

New Member
Nov 29, 2013
55
0
0
Reno, Nevada
Loved your post! Brought a big smile to my face. Enjoying the moment without regard to the surroundings, but at the same time, enjoying it because of the surroundings. Awesome! Glad it was a safe ride home for you.
 

bluegoatwoods

Active Member
Jul 29, 2012
1,581
6
38
Central Illinois
Thanks. It was great.

But the other shoe dropped on Saturday. The snow was about a half-foot deep by then. And I did a lot of shovelling at work.

Outdoor stuff is actually not my responsibility. We have a groundskeeper. But any snow event is more than he can handle and my department is expected to help. But most of the people in my department are pretty good at finding some excuse to stay indoors. To me, a snow event is a nice change of pace. But they, apparently, dont' see it that way.

So I shovelled snow for 7 hours. I had to be serious about it for 6 of those hours. And it was similar to Friday night; folks would come along and see me with my sleeves pushed up and my jacket open and ask, "Aren't you cold?"

The only answer is, "Not when you're burning calories like this". But they still gon't get it.

So now it's Sunday morning. I don't feel terrible by any means. But I can feel some stiffness and soreness. I think, maybe, I'd better not just rest all day. I'd probably be wise to do some light duty stuff most of the day. That should help work the 'kinks' out.