Today was 75 degrees without a breath of wind. It felt fantastic after all this 90's crap we've been having.

I took the long way and made a slight alteration: I tried doing a zig-zag off some side roads instead of just making my usual straight-ahead/left-turn. The difference was great: instead of a mile of flat farmlad followed by a steep climb, I went through a couple patches of woods, down a nice slope, then up a long, gentle incline. Everything was exceptionally gorgeous today, with the haze gone and set off by the slate-gray sky.

About halfway to town, the clouds split open and started pouring on me. (Sorry, Chris!) Fat, warm, sweet raindrops by the bucketful. I decided NOT to put on my rain jacket. It just felt soooooo good! I hardly saw any cars on the way, it was just me and the rain and the thunder....pedalling has been a chore most of this week, but today I had to keep coasting to try to stay at a safe speed....I don't think I even broke a sweat (though it's hard to prove under the circumstances.) Just sailed along in high gear.

I had had enough, though, by the time I got to work. I was soaked to the bone and had to wring out all my clothes and take all the wet stuff out of my panniers. My shoes needed pouring out. One pannier pocket did, too.

The 7-hour workday wasn't long enough for my clothes to dry, and the ride home was a bit clammy, but otherwise unremarkable, apart from a calico cat who wisely decided to sit by the roadside rather than run under my wheels.

The days are getting shorter: I get home at dusk, now, and I can see my headlight shining off the road for about half the trip.