I've had some very pleasant moments riding in winter's darkness, but those have usually been well away from rush hour and normal commuting times. Riding in the dark when there's a light snowfall and quiet, empty streets is great. Navigating icy, snowy, narrowed, and rutted streets in the dark and in traffic is not so fun.

Today January is half over and it's our coldest month on average. This weekend we're expected to have the coldest weather of the season with temps reaching close to -20. By virtue of MLK day I won't be riding again until Tuesday when things start to warm up. After that it looks pretty decent with temps in the 20s, - which I consider ideal for winter.

Overall this is shaping up to be a another relatively easy winter. Historically my coldest commutes have been in early February if I remember right but I don't think I'll be breaking any personal records this year.

Within about 3 weeks I'll be spending most of my commutes in at least twilight. Looking forward to it.

If I leave work on time now (a big if), I can get home before it's completely dark.

It's also warmed up this week. In fact it's raining today and I suspect that aside from a few mounds here and there our snow cover will be gone shortly.

The early end to winter leaves me with mixed feelings. There's a lot of fun winter activities that are probably done for me until next year. We can certainly get another snow storm any time in the next couple of months but the snow will not likely stay on the ground long enough for me to enjoy. And it will not be dry or warm enough for spring outdoor activities for awhile.

The studs will be staying on my winter bike for another month or so at least and I can't quite put my ski goggles away yet, but in general the commuting will be much easier for the next 8 or 9 months. The is the bright side.

and now the darkness is officially over for me!

no more night commutes until next november, woo-hoo!

It's back to the darkness for me in the mornings. That's alright though, as I would rather have it dark during my morning commute than afternoon.

Me too. I prefer it though. Not only are drivers more careful around me in the dark, but thanks to their head lights I can "see" oncoming cars before they come around blind curves and hills. Gotta really watch out for animals though.

Are you telling me that the animals don't set their clock forward too?!

I'm a fan of daylight savings time and having ample outdoor time after work to do stuff.

That said, I wish they'd schedule the date of change in a manner more in harmony with my schedule. I would have preferred to wait a couple of weeks and it was kind of rude of them not to consult me. ;)