Since today it was about 97, I decided to take a way home that's popular with both commuters and recreational cyclists to see if the heat had thinned the herd any The last time I had taken this way home was Thursday and the weather was pretty nice from what I remember.

At first I didn't think it had made much difference. There was a steady stream of cyclists. I went by 150 before I quit counting. There were runners (one guy with a big pack) and skaters along with people just walking. But when I got to what's normally a pretty busy section, it was clear that there weren't as many. I'm sure the weather was at least part of it, but I did leave work a bit later than usual too and maybe there's just not as much going on a Monday night.

Still nobody seemed to be really struggling or uncomfortable. The humidity had been dropping as the temp rose so IMO it really wasn't bad. Tomorrow is supposed to be both warmer and more humid so we'll see.

I also encountered something very sobering. Just I was turning off the trail I saw two police cars inside a taped off section of the street. Also inside the tape was a minivan with a crumpled bike behind it. What appeared to be the driver of the van was there but no cyclist in sight. The cops were making marks in the road. It didn't look good. If I had to guess I'd say the van hit a cyclist in the crosswalk but I can't say for sure. Just a reminder that while you have to take the heat seriously, it's not the biggest danger we face.

On another note, elsewhere in town some pavement had buckled due to the heat. This was on a major intestate blocking 4 to 5 lanes and creating major traffic jams, - so those who chose to drive instead of ride might have been wishing they hadn't.