(Sorry, Paul, can't give an opinion--bike paths aren't an option on my route.)

This certainly is a windy year! Today, going in, I had a powerful crosswind, slightly against me. I was grateful, since it was an extremely hot and muggy day. I was melded with the car all morning (had to get new tires, then maintain part of my paper route, then went to a movie too far away to bike--Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron, it was good) so it felt great to be on the bike! I had energy to spare today...either from the movie popcorn and diet iced tea, or because of the day off pedalling I had yesterday or something. Anyway, good trip.
The way home I could go faster (trying to generate my own wind as heat relief!) I had a bug or two stuck under my helmet, inhaled two permanently, spit two out, and am still wiping them off with the sweat and picking them out of my socks and shorts. Oh, and I got one up my nose, and I believe he is still in there, making his way up the Jeffries tube in search of a control room where he can perform a manual override...

By the way, my Sunday morning commute home had its point of interest--there was a family get-together in the afternoon, and I ran into my mother and niece just as I was leaving town. They were running some errands, and we all expected that they'd pass me on the way home. I beat them by 15 minutes.