Took the main commuter today with the big commute bag since rain was forecast for the afternoon. I also ferried 4 kilos of loose leaf yerba mate in my backpack...that's 8 and a half pounds, but on the rear rack. Didn't feel it weight or stability-wise.

I took one of the usual routes in since there was a car fire at one of the intersections yesterday and I wanted to see if there was any residual scrorching or other evidence of the fire. I know it's a lame excuse for choosing a route. For all the flames seen in the news video, there was nothing to indicate what had happened...no burns, no foam residue...nothing.

Also yesterday there was a brush fire along the last leg of the trail a couple hundred yards and across the creek from the office. But when I rode past I also saw no evidence of the fire. When I got to the office I looked again at the drone footage from the news and still thought it has to be where I thought it was. I asked our dayside news team assignment editor and he said it was just past the far fence of our parking lot. In fact, the fire department pulled firefighting trucks into our lot. I looked again at the photos and realized I had misidentified the creek and the trail, and indeed, it could have been catastrophic for us. Our main building would have been fine, but our secondary building and satellite dishes were less than 100 yards from the flames, separated only by mounds of dirt the city began storing right outside our fence. An eyesore, but now I have a new appreciation for them.

It did indeed rain for the ride home. Low 50s but no wind. My DIY rain cape and fenders kept me dry, and the superior ventilation of the open bottom kept me cool. I realized I could ride to the out-of-commision bridge by the college and then take an access road I usually only take on weekend rides and then only seldom...but it hooks up to my old, old route from the old job and by the time it angles in to rejoin my most often used current route it mitigates the added distance.

Also, I realized the inexpensive Blackburn tires from Walmart with their longitudal tread stayed much grippier in the wet than the lighter-weight, smoother tires I prefer...so the Blackburns make for better commuting tires I suppose. I realize bike tires don't need tread for water dispersal, but the soft rubber, and the squishy ridges make them grippy.