>>Lost at a cemetery...
Ha ha Good one! :)

Today was fabulous...on my way home, I spotted out of the corner my eye a plum tree. Did a u-turn and pedaled back to the vacant lot...and loaded up..Yum...I shall return :)

Yesterday afternoon a sizeable racoon crossed the MUP in front of me. In broad daylight. I slowed down, expecting it to be trailed by babies, but nothing was following it. Some women pushing strollers coming the other way freaked out. :D Picture of a racoon

This morning was nice. Warmer than yesterday but not bad, and I had a tailwind. I passed a woman wearing a backpack that I judged to be far too big for her petite frame.

Didn't ride in, took the bus since I have some running around to do after work and my bike is not yet setup for hauling anything of signifigant amount unless it's strapped to my person.

The sad part is it actually took me longer to get to work by bus than it would have had I cycled in!

One thing I did notice - has anyone else noticed that when you take your bike you're more alert, and less stressed by the time you arrive at your destination? (Maybe I should start a new thread for that...)

Now, back on my ~3-4km ride, i got hit by rain this morn on the way to school. This humidity is killing... oh and that 3-4km ride is all up hill lol. Way home real fast.

Nothing to report this morning. Woke up early because I was fretting about stuff but then fell back asleep and ended up leaving late. A few deadlines at work but otherwise this day should be pretty smooth. Hopefully the rain will show up this afternoon.

An absolutely gorgeous morning today (65, sunny and no humidity) Did my best time (33 minutes going 8.5 miles) through the urban jungle of streets on the SW side of Chicago. Can't wait for the trip home! :D

Recipe for making Jello legs:

Saturday
31 miles in the rain

Sunday
6 miles
2.5 hours of Ultimate Frisbee practice with no substitutions
6 miles home
Long hike with friends

Combine all ingredients and age 38 years.

Guaranteed to make a nice, not-so-tasty commute Monday morning. :(

Raced the sun home last night and just beat it. This morning was sneaky humid coming in and my legs were jelly. Need to remember to grab a gatorade instead of the usual ice water for the ride home.

Ok GT, you sort of got your wish. It's been cloudy and cool (but very humid) for 4 mornings in a row.
My SAD is starting to flare up. :( I need sunshine. :)

Nice ride today. Passed a slow recreational rider out for a morning ride. A few miles later saw and waved to a commuter I haven't seen since early June. I think he is a professor at the university I ride through so I guess he's getting ready for the fall semester.

Yesterday and today were nice...chilly in the morning, pleasant in the afternoon. I noticed with the clouds yesterday it was a bit darker then normal, and I may have to get bike lights sooner then I thought.

Course, yesterday on my way home I nearly got clobbered by some moron who ran a stop sign *shakes fist*

What happened to summer ? Was 56F this morning with drizzle, overcast, and 78% humidity. Even broke down and wore the shell for the first morning in months. It's like fall is in the air, but that usually doesn't happen till late september.

Pretty good storm as I was wanting to leave last night. So the office got an hour or so of free OT out of me. Once a hole opened up, it was zoom to home before round 2 hit. Made it just fine.

Met another commuter headed the same direction this morning. He turned it into a race. I ~let~ him win... i knew i had 2 miles of hill yet to climb. But if I catch him on the way home, that guy is toast :)

Rode the single speed in today for the first time. Loved it!! Only problem was dealing with the swinging mess bag. I have a rack on order, but couldn't wait to ride the new bike in, so the bag was required. Nothing like a new bike to rejuvenate your desire to commute. I have a feeling once I put the rack and fenders on my SS that the geared Cannondale will be feeling very neglected...

Nice ride today. Two more days pulling the trailer then schedule shift and I think i get 3 wks off.

I'm jamming a borrowed vacuum-sealer into my pannier for trip home today.

Another cool morning ride in. Nothing out of the ordinary though. Passed a few cyclists on my way home last night and got a couple of waves.

Adding layers
 

Yes, although it is only August; the past two mornings have asked for a top layer that I could shed for my return trip home.

Doing a 20 mile commute one-way thru the suburbs of the Twin Cities - allows me to come into work refreshed and get home without fighting some ugly traffic. Requires an additional 20 minutes of commute time; but I sure feel better for it.

But I am not ready to add a shell or arm warmers in August. 56degrees this morning at 6:30 AM but it will be low 80s on the return trip. That will be great!

It's definitely cooling off here. I'm wearing a jacket in the morning. I'll probably go to the long cycling pants and start wearing gloves in a week or two. Then the balaclava. Then the sweatshirt. Then the winter coat, hiking boots and ski mittens. C'mon winter - I'm ready for you!

Encountered a pair of urban coyotes this morning. Wo w, they had no fear of me. Bell ringing, shouting didn't scare them off the trail. They weren't agressive but there sure wasn't any timidity.

It was cooler this morning than yesterday morning. I mentioned to my commuter cow-orker that I'm going to have to break out the arm and leg warmers if this continues. Apparently, the mere mention of 'leg warmers' conjured up an image of 'Flash Dance.' Whatever. :rolleyes:

The ride home was warm, but also cooler than yesterday. The wind was gusty and shifting, so I had occasional head winds to deal with. Only one goofball driver today; a guy and his buddy in a beat up old pick truck who found it necessary to inform me that I need to buy a car. I thanked them graciously and continued on. What a hoot.

On the planning side, I've got quite a 'shopping cart' going over at Performance for wet/winter gear. I think I'm going to keep on commuting.

I started commuting in the Fall of last year when it was cooler and wouldn't be such a sweatfest. Commuted through winter w/ nary a hiccup. It's easier than it seems.

Who let the dogs out?
 

I'm working second shift today. Got chased by four dogs on the way in. The first two were a couple of ankle biters who tried to be 'stealth' and took after me without barking. I heard tags jingling and little claws clicking on the pavement and I left them in my dust. The little buggers had heart though; they chased me for half a block! The third dog was just making sure I stayed on the street and out of his yard. The fourth dog actually caught me - and passed me! He was in the passenger side of a car hanging out the window and barking his fool head off. He also barked at a pedestrian farther down the street. That dog appeared to be enjoying himself immensely, which made me smile, but then I was sad when I thought about a society so lazy that even the dogs are driven around in cars so they can chase bicycles.:lol: Speaking of cars, I saw two of them try to use the same lane - which resulted in screaching tires and crumpled metal. Drivers were okay but the cars didn't look so good.

No problems rolling in today. Pretty dull, actually...

Great ride to work today. It was really fast and hardly any traffic on the road. I also had a good day at work. Basically all summer I've been able to commute 5 days a week. I hope I can keep it up. Have a good night.

A great and beautiful ride home this evening. Stopped by for a happy hour with some friends -- two lawyers and a doctor. I tried to make them pay for my beer, but they threatened to cut me and then sue me. But missed the thunder sitting in the bar and ended up riding home through a delightful drizzle. It was really refreshing and just the right time of day. Really a joy...and to think that my good friends made fun of me for riding "on a day like today."

I went in at 5 AM. It was a little chilly, I'm glad my wife bought me that hi viz jacket. Ride home was fast and against the wind. Resistance training.;)