Very cold day in the Carolinas. Temp was 28 degrees with a wind chill of 20 when I left the house this morning. Enjoyed the sunrise, but hated the headwind. Calling for rain with a mixture of sleet and snow starting this evening, so I'll probably bag my commute for tomorrow.

Woke up to reports of snow in KC, "traffic snarled", will hit St Louis by 10am. Darn! My favorite commute day of the year is the first morning commute in the snow. St Louisans have short memories. It takes about a year to forget how to drive in the snow, and there is always a panic in the air the first snow. That's when I derive perverse pleasure from their suffering as they spin and stall and crash and creak along like so many poisoned ants, as I toodle past them like a good little soldier. Not this year. Too bad. They get to practice this evening in only 2-4 inches.

We had our first snowfall back in October, which provided a great deal of entertainment, and only one or two near-death experiences for me. Then we had a month of super-warm weather [I actually had to mow the grass], which meant that all the drivers forgot how to drive again [it only took a month, instead of a whole year]. The more recent dump of snow caused chaos all over the city and made getting around by bike very challenging. Oh well, 'tis the life of a commuter.

It was quite warm today on the ride in, which was a mixed blessing. While I didn't have to bundle up quite as much, I did have to be extra careful on the first leg of my commute. The compacted snow/ice on Prospect Rd. has started to soften a bit and form sections of sloppy salt-and-sand-infused snow. I've complained about the complete lack of traction and steering ability this glop causes in other posts, and now it's interspersed like 10' wide landmines all along that stretch. Bleagh. Hopefully the above freezing temps will melt some of it away over the weekend, but I doubt it. :(

Last night was another nice, relaxing night ride. This morning, my pre-breakfast ride was a bit chilly by San Diego standards (about 40 F or so?), but it had warmed up nicely by the time I commuted in. Get up in the morning, go for a fun bike ride, shower off and eat, then ride another few miles. What better way could there be to start the morning? :D

Last night about 5 my FIL called me from the Calif. Railroad Museum. He'd taken the twins there because they were begging to see the trains (yeah, right :)). He was going to drive by the Capitol to show the kids the Christmas tree and since it was raining he insisted he could give me a ride home. Of course, thanks to the rain and the one-way streets downtown, it took him nearly 40 minutes to go two miles.

Of course I could have just ridden home long before that, but I was trying to be nice to my kids' granddad who was trying to be nice to me.

But really, these nice gestures are really cutting into my mileage!

Ahhhh, beautiful ride in this morning. It was fairly calm, 0 F/-18 C, clear skies but a panoramic view of haze over the city. We get a heat wave today, it's suppose to get up to 15F/ -9C. I won't know what to do with myself. I'm just ready to do my lunch run and it's already 15F. It should be a great ride home after work this afternoon. I like it when it's sunny, even when it's cold (it helps the psychy).

I give up. "AB" = Alberta, Canada? Hats off to you, neighbor to the north!

Cold here in Sacramento, CA, but reading other posts I get the feeling that I don't know the true meaning of cold! Mid-40's (F). A bit drizzly and wet, but no problem there. I just wear my Under Armour and a light windbreaker. If only the motorists would stay home...

Weather Conditions: 24F at 6AM, clear & cold with no wind. I put on an extra layer of wool (Pendleton shirt topped with two heavy wool sweaters & a scarf. Just right # of layers & had a quiet ride in. Roads were dry with only 2 icy spots that I navigated by keeping my speed down. Sunny all day.

The weather was cold, icy, and snowy. Atleast the temperature got above 20 today. I fell today coming down the old rail bed but wasn't hurt. I might have to alter my commute, the rail bed is really icy and snow covered. My studded tires are having a hard time gripping the ice because the snow is not packed. So far this week, I've ridden 4 days. Not bad for the weather. Have a good night.

I think it's time for me to stop prefacing my ride descriptions with "it was cold" for two reasons.

1. Cold is obviously relative. (it's going to start to get even colder than today's 19F)

2. Once I get riding it's not that cold anyway.

My students today couldn't believe I rode my bike in but they all walked in the cold for 10 minutes to get to the class, which I pointed out to them that they were probably much colder than me in that 10 minutes than I was in the 25 minutes it took me to ride to the same location.

Was frustrated by two pick up trucks today that insisted on pushing past me at a really bad moment (they looked like they were on their way to do some interior painting in a Beacon Street brownstone). Sure enough a little further down the road there they were illegally double parked blocking a lane of traffic. Interesting they should see me as such an obstacle to their progress as I made my way to my job but thought nothing of blocking hundreds of other commuters so they could do theirs. I think sometimes drivers think we're not to be taken as seriously as someone who drives to work in a car.

I also definitely get the sense the general automotive public thinks we're absolutely off our rockers to be "out there" bicycling "on a day like this". So, we're pegged as crazy for doing something that makes so much sense to us.

:D i have been waiting for at least a week for someone to say 'but isn't it cold?' so i can smirk and say 'well yeah, but that's why god gave us longjohns'. but they seem to have given up on the needle-y little underminer remarks; either that or they've caught onto my smartass factor and they don't want to play fish in my barrel for me. people just aren't any fun.

0C this morning on the led. +2 coming home, but i'm not buying it. we had fog at both ends of the day, although admittedly it was heavier in the morning. but to compensate there was a slight headwind all the way home. unless i'm just getting decrepit this week, which is also quite possible.

'tis the season to drive like a dingbat, it seems. i'm usually pretty equable, but it's getting old and i'm getting crabby. today after almost being doored a couple of times, bumped out of a traffic circle and just generally playing non-consensual chicken with turkeys all the way home, i walked my bike over the six-lane intersection that cuts the bike path close to my home, because i'm not suicidal just yet. and after three lanes of traffic had dive-bombed into the zebra paint before finally doing the brakes, i got a bit of the attitude thing. a few feet into the block on the other side, standing in the road preparing to get back on - on the bike path, did i mention? i did a casual shoulder-check and saw a giant van panting at that same zebra crossing, about to turn right into the same road with me. which is a bike path, i might have mentioned. heh. move out of your way? not bloody likely, buddy. it's a BIKE PATH. see the big shiny bike painted right on the roadway right here? see the big shiny sign three feet from your ear? and see how it bears a really startling resemblance to this here machine right beside me? so i'm just gonna finish strapping my gloves back on, stretch a little and climb back on that bike and saunter the rest of the way home along this here BIKE PATH the city's set up for me. down the middle of it, which i can do without a wrinkle of conscience cause it's a BIKE PATH and i'm on a BIKE. can't get by me? yeah, that's a shame. it ain't like you've got a whole city of non-BIKE PATH roads you can go drive on instead, now is it? feh. morphodite. it's a good thing tomorrow's friday; i'm feeling snarly.

songs: gaels blue, michael marra; me and julio, paul simon; illegal smile, john prine.

Big props to all the winter commuters in climates where there's snow on the ground -- or where, if snow were to fall, it'd stay that way..Much respect

Here in Norcal it's been frosty in the mornings (38F when I set out on Tuesday) but really pretty nice in the evenings. My biggest problem is that my PI jacket, though it zips under the arms from elbow to ribcage, still gets too hot/clammy at about mile 6 (out of 10). Bikes are riding well, my meager requirements for coldweather gear are holding up nicely, and basically there's no reason in sight to cause me to let up on the 5-day commuting regimen.

20F and snowing, an annoying headwind being the only drawback of the commute.
Always nice to roll quietly over fresh powder.

The big snow/ice storm amounted to a couple of inches of mostly slush on the trail. The bridges were a little hairy and the washboard-like snow debris from the plows made handling a little loose, but the ride was otherwise beautiful. What started as rain turned into snow by the time I hit DC. My new studded snow tires worked very well (although they were incredibly hard to put on-leaving me with a nice blister on my right thumb) and slipping and sliding were minimal. In fact, I only unclipped once and never had to put a foot down. That said, my ride was roughly an hour long compared to my usual 25 to 30 minutes. What a blast though! I chatted with two other riders and saw the tracks of two others. There were stretches where my were the only tracks on the trail and the glow of the streetlights in the snow againts a dark, ominous looking sky made for a surreal and beautiful commute. The slower speeds along with a lot of spinning kept me fairly warm too.

It snowed last night, and this morning the roads were still not clear. The sides of the road were still snow covered so I decided to ride in the lane the whole way to work. This wasn't a problem for most people, but one person got annoyed and started honking at me, despite having a second lane clear of traffic. Finally this lady (again a woman in a minivan!) hit the gas and went flying past me headed into a traffic circle. She then realized 2 things. 1. She was going to fast. 2. The road was very icy. She totally lost control and her minivan spun out, leaving her stuck in the ditch next to the traffic circle. I then rode past with a big smile on my face (concealed by my balaclava), waved (with all fingers) and continued on to work. Today is shaping up to be a good day.

I rode home last night about 9pm in 2 inches of slush in the tire tracks. The salt was still working, just a little gusty over the bridges. Someone yelled at me from a bus stop, "That takes GUTS". Huh? I am still annoyed at co-workers who think I'm completely insane for riding my bike in 2 inches of slush. Have they never lived north of here? In Chicago, this is an early season dusting.

Then I get home and turn on the TV news. I thought the end of the world had come. They showed the five worst accidents in the region, some semi in a ball of fire, and concluded it was "Apocalypse Now". But the alarmist weather guy scared me off with -4 winchill reports in the am so I wimped out and took the bus. 1.5 hours. The streets were fine. I could have ridden it in 40 min. Oh well.

Oh yes, that's what I'm talkin bout. Uh-huh. Nice one.

Calgary, Alberta, Canada is indeed my home. If you see posts that include the words "chinook", "black ice", and "divestment", it's probably Calgary-related.

I had to take a suit in with me to work today, so I had to take the bus, which sucked. :( It was full of high school kids, and I saw a biker go by us when we were stopped. It was +6C this morning too. Sigh...

Quiet late-night ride home last night. It was a nice way to destress and relax, though I still felt the need to stand and push myself hard over the minor inclines. (Not all that many on the way home.)

Pleasantly cool day this morning, and a nice ride in. I've noticed something. Even if no one's ahead of me on the hill on the way in (about 6% grade, about half a mile), I still feel the need to race hard up that thing on the way in. It's a fun early morning adrenaline rush. :D

SCORE 1 FOR THE GOOD GUYS! :beer: :D

low ride week, 1/5 days. mon, i carpooled w/boss who needed car work done, tues was our first snow when drivers here can increase mindless driving techs, weds was day of event-ride (nothing extraordinary), thurs i had to meet with my teacher after work, 35 miles nnw from here, fri was an ice/snow delay (i don't ride on ice).

placating the haiku fairies:

kid sick and cat sick
checkups from work by the hour
with car standing by

i did want to ride. just didn't work out today. you can't leave your kid with a cat who is the beat of his heart, and not take the fastest method you've got of getting back to them both if she gets worse. heart just wasn't in it today; i put in a few token hours and then came home. just realised i left my u-lock at work. bleh.

INSTANT KARMA! :)