bluegoatwoods
Active Member
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.
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.
