Another

Yes, I rode to work today.

Another really warm day here in the Heartland.

I walked to the cafe for lunch under a blue sky, but it had clouded over by the time I'd finished eating. The sun played hide and seek the rest of the day.

Today the Post-Dispatch published a gallery of photos of how things looked on this day back in 1982. You can click here if you'd like to take a look. Thirty years ago there was plenty of snow.  Today plenty of clouds, dry roads and spring like temperatures. Life is good.

• 52F/11C and a few clouds for the ride to work.
• 64F/18C and a whole lot more clouds for the ride home.

A Minor "Van Winkle"

Yes, I rode to work today.

This can't really be January can it? More likely I pulled a minor "Van Winkle" and slept until Spring. This was definitely one January day that having to stay inside was most un-fun.

This was morning-time.

And...

This was lunch-time.

And...

This was homing-time.

As I was taking photos a cyclist stopped near me. At first I thought he was concerned about upsetting my picture. But, soon it became apparent that he, too, was going to take a photo of the sunset

Yep, ye olde photo of someone taking a photo.

The someone taking the photo in this case is named Joe. He, too, commutes downtown. We chatted for a moment or two and then went our separate ways. Once again, I had the opportunity to shake someone's hand I probably wouldn't even have met if not for riding my Symba.

• 39F/4C with a few clouds for the ride to work.
• 63F/17C with a lingering sunset for the ride home.

The Morning Brought

Yes, I rode to work today.

The morning brought blue sky and sunshine.

But, by lunchtime the clouds had moved in. Still the sun did what it could to brighten the day.

The rain and snow and whatever stayed north of us. We just got the clouds.

It was the same three riders in the parking area today as yesterday.  I did notice something different about the Piaggio Fly 150.

It seems to have lost 100cc's.

• 32F/0C with a few clouds for the ride to work.
• 40F/4C, overcast and while not quite as dark as last evening for the ride home, it was plenty dark enough.

Three Riders

Yes, I rode to work today.

I rode in the rain.

The gear.

I wasn't the only one who rode. That's Deputy M's bike.

When I came out after work the Kawasaki was gone, but Deputy D's Fly150 was there. Three riders in the parking area on January 26. I don't remember that happening before.

Hi-Vis. I wonder if someone could see me as far away as Wisconsin?

• 35F/2C with light rain for the ride to work.
• 40F/4C and mist for the ride home...in the dark.

The Rains Had Come

Yes, I rode to work today.

While the ride in this morning was dry, by mid-morning the rains had come.

I've mentioned before that I like to ride in the rain. Walking in the rain? Not so much.

There is a sandwich shop in the lobby of the building at 1010 Market Street. Getting there isn't much more than crossing the street. I like this space. It is simple and on a chilly, rainy January day it is warm, green and inviting.

It rained pretty much all afternoon.

And, it was still raining when it was time to head home.

Yes, I did get to ride in the rain.

Notice there is no longer fogging happening between the lenses of my helmet. Thanks to electrical tape the leak has been sealed. Much less costly than buying a new visor. I don't think it looks too bad.

The evenings have been getting noticeable lighter, but...

tonight it was definitely dark when I got home.

• 32F/0C and overcast for the ride to work.
• 35F/2C , light rain and dark for the ride home.

He Wonders

Yes, I rode to work today.

There was plenty of blue sky today, a pleasant change from the last few days. But, rain is in the forecast for tomorrow. 

Most days I eat lunch at a St. Louis Bread Company. In other parts of the Land it is called Panera Bread. I have struck up an acquaintance with the district manager who oversees the Downtown Store. He is a rider, but his bike is in storage right now. He wonders why I choose to ride on some of the days I do. I agree with Sonja over at Find Me On The Road. The only true response to his wondering is to shrug the shoulders and say, "Because I can."

• 27F/-3C with a few clouds for the ride to work.
• 42F/6C with a few more clouds than this morning for the ride home.

Windy

Yes, I rode to work today.

As my friend, Terri commented: "It's windy enough to rip kites from children's hands and make them cry." But, it wasn't windy enough to make a Symba take a nap.

• 38F/, mostly cloudy and windy for the ride to work
• 43F/ and partly cloudy for the ride home.

No Temptation

Yes, I rode to work today.

The weather provided a big question mark this morning. I did my due diligence and after reading the Forecast Discussion section on the National Weather Service site, I decided to ride. I was pretty confident I would be riding home in the dry, so confident that I didn't even pack my raingear.

This is not what I wanted to see when I came out after work.

While the Symba warmed up I checked the streets.

The streets were wet but not slick.  The ice was covering the cars and some of the elevated stonework on the Courthouse, but not the walkways. It was a definite watch out for ice on the couple of overpasses I had to cross sort of night. Easy does it would be the rule of the road.

It was actually a pretty mundane ride home. Most folk were slowing it up a notch. There were a couple of drivers who were certainly going faster than I would have chosen to drive under these conditions. I hope they made it home safely and lived to be stupid another day. Traction seemed fine all the way home.

While the streets weren't ice covered, by the time I got home I was.

I had wondered how water resistant this jacket was. It does okay with a thin layer of ice on it.

Miss Billie, my Symba, was ice covered as well.

I must say that tonight was one of the very few evenings where there was absolutely no temptation to stretch the ride out a bit.

• 18F/-8C and overcast for the ride to work.
• 28F/-2C with light freezing rain for the ride home.

A Swelling

Yes, I rode to work today.

Today my Angioedema visited me again. It had been gone for a couple of months and I'd hope it had, at the very least, went South for the Winter. Better still, would have been if it had moved to, let's say, Arizona and left no forwarding address. No such luck. Oh well, it is merely an inconvenience. My particular kind doesn't effect the breathing and isn't very painful . . . just annoying. And, what is Angioedema? It is a swelling akin to hives but beneath the skin rather than on the surface.

A thing of beauty it ain't. This was a mild onset.

By evening it had run its course. I was not sorry to see it go.

• 32F/0C and overcast for the ride to work.
• 27F/-3C with a few clouds for the ride home.

He's Been Watching Me

Yes, I rode to work today.

It was clear and chilly when I left the condo this morning.

This morning one of the guys who makes deliveries to the cafe I go to in the morning came over to me. He asked what I wore to keep warm while riding on cold mornings. In an earlier conversation I had found out he now rides a Harley, but once upon a time he had a Honda that looked a lot like my Symba. Today we talked gear for a while. It seems he's been watching me ride in the cold and has started to wonder why he doesn't.


At lunchtime I observed some of the City's unpaid street cleaners at work.

If two is company and three is a crowd, apparently one of these birds is like me and doesn't much like crowds.

It did manage to get up to 35F/2F today and it was much less windy than yesterday.

After work it was such a pretty evening I rode for about an hour. It was just too pleasant to go straight home.

• 15F/-9C and clear for the ride to work this morning.
• 30F/-1C and clear for the ride home.

Too Much Drama

Yes, I rode to work today.

Last night the tornado sirens woke us up around 0230. The actual warning was for an area adjacent to where we live. Happily there were no tornadoes. We did have a dandy thunderstorm and some hail. Not the most restful night.

Today was predicted to be an upside down day. The forecast was for steadily dropping temperatures during the day. My backpack was weighted down with a couple extra layers for the ride home. Tonight it is expected to be much colder with temperatures possibly moving back into the teens. With the lower temperatures will come clearing.

The clearing seems to be happening pretty much on schedule.

It surprises me what I hear from co-workers about the weather. Today I overheard a deputy talking about how it was going to be way below freezing when we got off work today with possible rain . . .  freezing rain. I saw nothing like this in the forecasts I follow. I sometimes think people just make things up. And, sometimes I think people just like to scare themselves. I've quit listening to co-workers when it comes to the weather and I've quit listening to the local television weather personalities. Why? Too much drama. I check the National Weather Service and Weather.com, that's all.  They do a pretty good job considering how complex a thing the weather is.

43F/6C with mist for the ride to work.
31F/-.5C and clearing for the ride home.

Penance

No work today.

The Courts are closed. It is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday.

But, Goldilocks is working. I will pick her up at lunchtime to perform my usual penance for being off work when she is not: I will be taking her to our favorite Indian buffet for lunch.

The forecasters are predicting a high today of 63F/17C. Yesterday morning I rode over to Kirkwood in search of the coveted honey whole wheat bagel. When I left it was 24F/-4C. Tomorrow night the expected low is 19F/-7C. Nothing boring about the weather here.

Not Clear Enough

Nope, I didn't ride to work today.

The major roads were mostly clear this morning, but not clear enough to ride.

At lunchtime a flurry brought the first big flakes of the season.

I received the critical conk on my noggin at the end of summer. Being someone who actually looks forward to winter and snow, you can imagine my surprise and desolation at the discovery I could no longer see when it snowed big fluffy flakes. We couldn't figure out why. My best guess is I would fixate on one flake and lose the horizon and then seize up.

Serendipity struck one day when I happened to be wearing yellow lenses while inline skating. I got caught in a snow shower . . . a snow shower like the one during lunchtime today. With the yellow lens I could see even though it was snowing flakes the size of bear paws. Now I wear yellow tinted glasses around the clock and year around.

Why do yellow lens make a difference? Don't know, but they do. Is it all in my head? Undoubtedly . . . and, I am ever so grateful.

• 17F/-8C and cloudy when I drove to work.
• 20F/-7C and a few clouds for the drive home.

Today It Was Snow

Nope, I didn't ride to work today.

It snowed.

My car got to go to work. It was the first time since last March.

It really wasn't much of a snow, but enough to close some of the major highways due to accidents.

I followed the same route to work in the car that I do when I ride. I had no problems. I encountered no crazy drivers. It just took me a little longer to get to work.

Walking from the car parking lot took me past different sights. This is City Hall in the foreground, with the Civil Courthouse and the AT&T building in the background.

And, past some familiar sights. Last evening from this spot I took a photo looking over the Symba's windscreen. Last night it was rain. Today it is snow.

This wasn't a pretty snow.

I wouldn't start to look pretty until after the sun turned off the lights for the night.

At lunchtime hardly anyone was out.

The streets were nearly deserted.

But, the Jimmy John's Sandwich guy was still out making "freaky fast" deliveries. He wasn't the only bicyclist I saw out. On the way home I saw a couple of commuters headed home. I didn't see any motorcycles or scooters, but Jeff over at Maplewood Scooter Company sent me a photo of a guy riding his Genuine Rattler by the shop. He may have been the only two wheeled motorized vehicle out and about today.

The drive home was slow. Traffic was heavier than normal. I think some folks decided to try the back ways after all the chaos on the freeways during morning rush hour.

When I ride this intersection is out of my way, but when I drive it is the way out of the parking lot.

It snowed all the way home.

From the look of the streets I suspect I will be driving again tomorrow.

• 20F/-7C with light snow for the drive to work.
• 17F/-8C with light snow and wind gusts up to 40mph for the drive home.

A Problem Developed

Yes, I rode to work today.

It was another rainy morning.

As usual on rainy days there were just two of us in the parking area. You can see the rear of M's Kawasaki.

This is Market Street looking toward the Arch. This is the street one must cross to get from the Carnahan Courthouse to the Civil Courthouse. Lucky me, I have a desk in both.

By lunch the rain had stopped and the streets were dry. There was even some sun in the afternoon.

On the ride in this morning a problem developed. I have a dual lens visor on my helmet. It keeps the visor from fogging up and it worked great all last season and up until today. Sadly, it seems to have developed an air leak and is fogging between the lens.To say I'm bummed would be a classic understatement.

Oh well, I rode in the cold before I got this helmet with the fancy schmancy visor. I will do it again.

By the way, there is a Winter Weather Advisory in effect for the area. My car just may get to go to work tomorrow.

• 42F/6C and light rain for the ride to work.
• 50F/10C, clear, and then dark by the time I got home.

Star Light, Star Bright . . .

Yes, I rode to work today.

It was brisk this morning, but the forecasters predicted a rapid warm up.And, they were right.

By lunchtime these folks didn't need their heavy jackets, but not only were they wearing them, but they have a sort of bundled up look about them don't you think?

It was still 52/11C when I left downtown afterwork. With some snow possible later in the week and with Goldilocks working late I was not about to let this evening pass me by.

The days are definitely lengthening. A few days ago when I crossed Hwy-40 it was dark.

I've noticed the last few nights the sunset has began teasing me. I'm still leaving too late to catch the show, but I can look longingly at the afterglow.

I needed something from the store. I only seem able to get this certain something from one big box store chain with any consistency. I could have gone to a location closer to home, but what fun would that be? And, besides if the closer location would have had it when I checked a few days ago I wouldn't still be on the hunt, right? Right.

Star light, star bright, the first star I see tonight . . .

The location I went to didn't have what I was seeking either. I wish I may, I wish I might know just why is it so difficult to find unscented Right Guard anti-antiperspirant anyway?

• 27F/-3C and a few clouds for the ride to work
• 52F/11C when I left the Courthouse
• 44F/7C by the time I made it home.

107mpg

Yes, I rode to work today.

And yes, I was able to get a ride in over the weekend.  Sunday morning I rode over to Kirkwood in hunt of the Honey Whole Wheat Bagel. It was 30F/-1C and clear at 7am, but by late morning it had turned cloudy. Eventually, I wandered over to St.Charles to visit my son and his family. When I finally pulled in at home around 6pm it was dark and 41F/5C. I rode somewhere around 120mi and spent nearly four hours in the saddle. I did a mileage check. I got 107mpg. Since part of the ride to St.Charles is WOT, I must say I was very pleased.

The weather continues to be unseasonably warm. We usually have our coldest temperatures during the second week of January. Doesn't look like that will be the case this year, and if it is . . . it will truly be a mild winter.

• 28F/-2C and clear for the ride home.
• 48F/9C and I'm told there were a few clouds for the ride home. I couldn't see them. It was dark.

Four Day Work Weeks

Yes, I rode to work today.

Today it got to 70F/21C. I saw two sport bikes and one cruiser on the way to work. There were three of us in the lot today. And, I saw a couple of scooters on the way home. If this had been a Saturday there would have been lots of bikes out I'm sure. The forecast for tomorrow is for a high of 51F and plentiful sunshine. I suspect many will be riding.

I'm exhausted. Why is it that often four day work weeks are so draining? I know sometimes it has to do with needing to complete five days work in four, but I suspect there are other things that contribute to the phenomena. It just happens too often for it to be the work load alone. Whatever the reasons, for me this was one of those four day weeks. Goldilocks and I are going to grab a bite and then make it a very early night. Hopefully this weekend will be bring rest and rejuvenation.

And, a ride.

• 48F/9C and a very few clouds for the ride to work.
• 63F/17C and still dark when I got home.

A Record Setting Day

Yes, I rode to work today.

What temperature was it for my ride in? The National Weather Service said it was 38F/3C, while the Weather Channel said it was 31F/-.5C. Both agreed it was going to be quite warm come afternoon. The afternoon temperature exceeded the forecasters projections and reached 66F/19F. This is a new record for 5 January. The old record of 65F/18c was set in 1955.

As the sun was preparing to set in the west . . .

The moon was waiting its turn in the east.

• Not quite sure of the temperature for the ride to work.
• 59F/16C and it was still dark when I got home, but still pretty warm.