jimmuller 

Did the commute thing today. It was nice to get on the bike again; commitments and weather have conspired against riding for a week or two.

When I left the house this morning the upper-40's temperature had me apprehensive and wondering if the fleece I was wearing would be sufficient. By the time I got off the train in A'boro things had warmed up to where only the vents in my helmet felt cold. After a few miles I was nicely pumping and feeling good. Maybe it was from the short layoff or maybe from the cool weather but I felt strong today.

The ride home was lovely and rather serene considering the circumstances. Under an overcast sky I left the office about 5:05, a bit later than I intended. A co-worked or a boss always wants to talk about some work we've been doing. As usual traffic was frenetic but the drivers were polite. I made good time down rt116 and Old River Road, then dropped down to the river by the expedient route, straight down Cullen Hill Rd where I always pray I don't snap a brake cable near the bottom. Ran the Blackstone Bikeway south to my turnoff, said hi to some other cyclists I've seen before at that time of day. Before re-entering the public roads I flipped on my generator lights.

Then partway to A'boro on rt123 I began to feel hungry. Uh-oh. I had a Larabar and a banana with me but didn't want to take the time to eat. By the time I reached the A'boro water station I had to stop, just didn't want to make the climb through the I95 intersection on an empty stomach. Okay, I still had 30 minutes to go maybe 4 miles, no problem, so I made a quick stop for the banana. That did the trick.

When I re-started I noticed I could see the glow of my headlight on the road in front of me. Dusk had snuck up on me while I was eating. Wow, and I hadn't dawdled over that "meal". Even so, the rest of the run to the train station was easy. The road is wide and smooth, the drivers stayed polite. I always wave and mouth thanks when someone waits for me to go by. Night arrived quietly as I waited for the train.

It was another good day.