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One of the few signs of spring this year.

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Old 04-01-19 | 11:10 AM
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One of the few signs of spring this year.

I noticed one of the annual occurrences that happen around the beginning and ends of my bike commute season today - the return of the port-a-johns to the parks! The grass is still getting green here and it may have been below freezing this morning but it made me glad to see them out again. I'm sure others here look for similar things before the masses return with the warmer weather, what are yours?
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Old 04-01-19 | 11:14 AM
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Spring has been here in NorCal for awhile now, sorry. The chorus of sneezing and sniffling shows the flowers are in bloom. Also, all the grass is getting lush and tall after a very wet winter, and the mosquitoes are out.
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Old 04-01-19 | 12:49 PM
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It's been springing for 2-3 weeks now. In addition to the flowering trees, the non-flowering trees are cranking out the pollen. With a light shower last week, you could see everywhere the water puddled on the roads and shoulders: light yellow-green pollen scum. And like Korina says, the chorus of sniffling and sneezing (our Costco flier has three different antihistamines on sale through this weekend).
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Old 04-01-19 | 02:37 PM
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I went by some roadwork signs too, we're switching from one season (winter) to the other (road construction) here.
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Old 04-01-19 | 02:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Korina
...and the mosquitoes are out.
Yesterday from my window I saw a hummingbird flying in and out of a sunbeam eating mosquitoes, or something similar sized.
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Old 04-02-19 | 12:42 PM
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It's still cool, but there is so much more light now. I'm enjoying it a lot.
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Old 04-02-19 | 12:46 PM
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The trail through a park that I used to use on my commute was impassable for a long time due to the amount of snow on the ground. I check at the beginning of last week and it still was not good. It's totally good this week. Love spring.
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Old 04-03-19 | 07:49 AM
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This happens every spring. My favorite time of the year in DC.


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Old 04-03-19 | 09:00 AM
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Originally Posted by no motor?
I... the return of the port-a-johns to the parks!
I have a very closely related one - when they turn on the drinking fountains.
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Old 04-04-19 | 08:27 AM
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The cherry blossoms really exploded this year. From my commute home yesterday.

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Old 04-04-19 | 09:34 AM
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Originally Posted by alan s
The cherry blossoms really exploded this year. From my commute home yesterday.


Whoa, what a sight!

One sign of spring I noticed last Saturday (the first day over 10C this year) - the motorcycles are back on the streets.
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Old 04-04-19 | 09:45 AM
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yeah, those things are handy!
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Old 04-04-19 | 03:17 PM
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Originally Posted by alan s


The cherry blossoms really exploded this year. From my commute home yesterday.

One of my relatives used to work right by Washington DC and she said that this was the best time of year by far to visit.
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Old 04-04-19 | 05:13 PM
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I know"Lillys O' The Valley","Roses O' Sharon and "Stars O' Bethlehem", but I am not familiar with "Ports O' John". I will keep an eye out for them.
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Old 04-04-19 | 06:28 PM
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Originally Posted by alan s


The cherry blossoms really exploded this year. From my commute home yesterday.

This made the 6 o'clock news here in Toronto a few days ago. It does look quite spectacular.
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Old 04-05-19 | 06:33 AM
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One of the few signs of spring this year.

I have posted about my earliest herald of Spring:
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Spoken like a true Winter Velominatus, [MENTION=134410]rumrunn6[/MENTION], and it’s not been too cold either. and I can feel winter slipping away as we approach March.

In particular though, I rode about 4 miles this morning (2/27) at 13 ͦ F without discomfort. On my ride, I noted these two seemingly February-specific phenomena that I might consider harbingers of Spring:
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
this morning [2/5/18, and 7:30 AM, 2/27/19] at about 7:30 to 7:45 AM on my southbound commute, the bright, low-lying Winter morning sun was directly at the level of my left hand rearview mirror, and the sun glare made it difficult to get a fix on that mirror.
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
+10 to overcast, especially in the AM, or PM around sunrise / sunset with the sun directly at about eye level. It seems that sometime in early February though, I start to notice some welcome radiant heat from the sun.
These rides, though in the Winter, might seem trivial, but I am riding a heavy hybrid bike after a long (months) layoff from my usual riding schedule.
and my tardiest confirmation that It is here:
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Last year I posted [to the Winter Cycling Forum]:
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Above reply posted 5/22/18, 3:46 PM; it is now 5/29/18, 5:42 PM. IMO, winter is over after a one week hiatus on the Winter Cycling Forum. Time to take off the studded tires.

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 04-05-19 at 09:07 AM.
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Old 04-05-19 | 10:17 AM
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Originally Posted by alan s
[Washington DC, 4/4/19] The cherry blossoms really exploded this year. From my commute home yesterday.
Here in Boston, I posted on 4/11/17
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Saw first cherry blossom last night.

Here in Boston, definitive spring is announced by the blossoming magnolia trees along Commonwealth Ave (“Comm Ave”). Two days ago I took a picture of their current status as fuzzy buds…maybe in about two weeks

This weekend is another early spring event, the Boston Marathon. I think it always precedes the peak of the magnolias. In any event, after a week of rain, the winter salt is gone, and I rode the pristine S-works yesterday. I rode it once in February since being in storage since December, but now it’s out for good.




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Old 04-05-19 | 12:38 PM
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Signs of spring...ah, yes, the annual flooding of the Mississippi River. The walkway next to the river is under water, as are all the bike paths that cut through the marsh.

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Old 04-05-19 | 06:44 PM
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Originally Posted by no motor?
I noticed one of the annual occurrences that happen around the beginning and ends of my bike commute season today - the return of the port-a-johns to the parks! The grass is still getting green here and it may have been below freezing this morning but it made me glad to see them out again. I'm sure others here look for similar things before the masses return with the warmer weather, what are yours?
More reliable indicator than tree buds for the time of year, but not the weather.
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Old 04-10-19 | 11:18 PM
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And the spring winds have begun! 20-30 mph north/west winds, probably through May. ::headdesk::
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