Almost Balmy

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It felt almost balmy.

Downtown was pretty deserted.

I took this as I was leaving Downtown a little after noon. There wouldn't have been any trouble finding a parking place today.

Also, on the way home . . .

I captured what is probably the last flamingo foto of 2013.

This past year was a very stressful year for me personally. I'm interested to see what 2014 brings. May it bring delightful surprises and wondrous coincidences to us all.

Happy New Year!

• 25F/-4C and fair for the ride in.
• 41F/5C and a few clouds for the home ride.

Vulcan Rider and Me

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I wasn't the only one.

I didn't see any other bikes out on the road. Maybe Vulcan Rider and I were the only ones out early today. I did see a couple of cyclists braving the cold. Traffic continues to be light, but there seemed to be a lot more activity Downtown today.

Saturday it was over 60F/15C and felt like Spring. Heather and I went for a nice hike at Castlewood State Park.

Today it was just as clear, but some colder.

It did warm up for the ride home and it clouded over. Won't be as chilly for the ride in tomorrow.

• 11F/-12C with a few clouds for the ride in.
• 26F/-3C and cloudy for the ride home.

Seemed To Be More Traffic

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

There seemed to be more traffic this morning. This surprised me. There still certainly didn't seem to be very many folk Downtown.

I know I'm grateful it is Friday. I only worked four days, but I feel exhausted. It's funny how often that happens at the end of short weeks. It seems I end up doing five days work in four.

I hope you all have a great weekend. Tomorrow is supposed to be a nearly perfect weather day. Sunday? Plummeting temperatures and sleet.

• 28F/-2C and a few clouds for the ride to work.
• 50F/10C and still a little cloudy for the home ride.

Humid

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was much warmer than last Tuesday.

Jack Frost was out and about today, but the freezing fog stayed well to the south and west of us. Still it was plenty humid for my morning ride. At first I wondered how my visor got so dirty. I didn't remember it being that way when I put it up Tuesday night. Then it occurred to me, my visor was doing the same thing the car windows were doing. This was one of those mornings I was grateful not to have to scrape ice off my windshield. I was very thankful the moisture wasn't freezing on my visor.

Traffic was even lighter today than it was Tuesday morning. It was very subdued Downtown today. I don't think many of us were at work. At lunchtime here were only a handful of us eating at Subway.

It may be warmer tomorrow and even warmer on Saturday. Then guess what? Yep, colder. Ah yes, the roller coaster ride we call Winter.

• 27F/-3C with a light mist for the ride in.
• 48F/9C with a few clouds for the home ride.

Cold

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was the coldest temperature I've experienced riding to work. It was no problem staying warm even without any heated equipment other than my grips. And Billie, my Symba, didn't stall even once on the way in. I was particularly grateful for this since it seems my electric starter is on the fritz again.

Billie parked outside in the cold all morning was my biggest concern. I knew even if my starter was working I'd be "kicking" her to life when I came out to leave at noon. Yes, we had an early dismissal.

When I went to start Billie nothing happened. I kicked three or four times and there was no sound. I kicked some more. Nothing. This was not good. But, then it up started. From nothing to started. I let her warm up a good long while and she ran great except for one stall.  Fortunately there was very little traffic and no one lost their Christmas Spirit before I could push off to the side and get her started again. I'll even take some of the blame for the stall. She was running so well I kind of forgot it was as cold as it was. I suspect if I'd been a wee more vigilant she wouldn't have stalled even that once.

On the way home I stopped to top off Billie's gas tank. I could have gone straight home, but honestly I was enjoying the ride. It was shortly after I left the gas station that I notice something in my peripheral vision. I looked. It was a hawk. It was maybe ten feet to my left and just a few of feet above my head. It matched my pace and we moved in formation for the longest time before it peeled off and up. Distance wise we probably traveled together at least three-quarters of a mile. It was the most wonderful feeling. Yes, it was one of those "This is why I ride" moments.

Tomorrow is Christmas and I won't be riding to work. It will be lunch with my son and his family. Every year we do Indian. My daughter isn't going to make it this year. She hasn't missed very many.

I have much to be grateful for and I hope you do as well.

Be safe and may joy be your companion.

• 8F/-13C and clear for the ride in.
• 18F/-8C and clear for the home ride.

A Little Surprise

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

Our Spring moment has disappeared.

The temperature didn't change a whole today. It's clearing off tonight which well may mean colder temperatures. It didn't get quite as cold last night as they predicted. It probably depends on how soon it clears off.

I had a little surprise when I came out after work. It was snowing. It didn't snow long. By the time Billie was warmed up it had stopped. I'm not sure it would even qualify as a flurry.

• 22F and overcast for the ride in.
• 22F and still overcast for the home ride.

Vacation Day

Nope, I didn't ride to work today

But . . .

I did ride.

I took a vacation day. It's been scheduled for nearly a month, but I couldn't have picked better. When I got around to leaving my garage the temperature was 60F/16C. A couple hours later when I returned it was 70F/21C. Soon after I got home the temperatures began to drop. It looks to be a cold and rainy weekend with even some snow mixed in by Sunday. But, today was scrumptious.

Where did I go? I went to visit the Liberty Tree.

Here it is:

And here's its story:

It is located in Bee Tree Park.

Bee Tree Park is a walking park. The trails aren't long, but there are a couple of nice overlooks of the Mississippi River.

And, yes, my alley finally thawed out.