For a variety of reasons, it's been two weeks since I've ridden. Last night, I worked out a slightly different 30 mile route for this morning's ride - Mostly familiar territory, but I've not ridden it in a while. I was really looking forward to the ride.

Here's this morning --



Maybe it will move on, but I have no interest in riding between lightning strikes. Besides, if they don't kill me, my wife will (for getting out in it).

I guess it's time to grab a cup of coffee, relax and make some early-morning lemonade from the lemons I've been served, as it were. Besides, my yard has gotten a bit crunchy due to lack of rain and it's kinda nice hearing it falling outside my window (until the grass grows and I have to mow again ).

Maybe it will clear later on...

Hopefully, it will move on in time for a few miles, anyway. I believe that's a part of the system that moved through these parts yesterday.

Yep. Same system extends up the Ohio Valley and put the kibosh on my plans this morning, which is why I'm sitting here posting.

I love crunchy lawns. They really cut down on the time I spend mowing. I seem to be the only member of the family who thinks it would be a great idea to turn the entire front lawn into one huge driveway...

I'm with you on not mowing... I think an Astroturf yard would be great. As long as I have nothing planned, rain is fine except for the way it makes the grass grow!

Actually, it looks as if I'll get a few miles in today after all. The rain has moved off to the south, so I'll take another route (about 28 miles, off to the north). Here's hoping!

HEY ! Wait a minute...
Last year my wife bought me an awesome Showers Pass Touring Jacket and pants set, and one of those antenna flag thingys....

Yep. It cleared. Well sorta. At least it stopped raining. Heavy clouds, OK temp, lots of humidity and just enough wind to be annoying at times. See if you can guess the wind direction -- https://www.sportstracklive.com/track...g/1125756/full

When the sun started to come out, it got warm real quick with the post-rain high humidity. But I was still able to get 24 miles done, so not all was lost.

If those of us in the Pacific Northwest didn't ride in the rain, we wouldn't ride very much. Acceptable cycling sunshine comes in two versions: Normal and Liquid. I could be underestimating the probability of being hit by lightning, but it seems like such a remote possibility that I wouldn't let a bit of lightning change my cycling plans unless I was going to ride along a bit of flat Florida Coastline.

I can understand that. While we get plenty of rain (usually) here in the deep south, it's not the virtually non-stop variety. While the lightning risk is real to some unknown-to-me degree (while we're not Florida, we do get some pretty "enthusiastic" lightning storms), there are also other reasons I prefer not to ride in the rain:

1. I don't like it
2. It makes stupid drivers even more dangerous
3. I don't like it
4. It makes my bike ever dirtier than it already is
5. I don't like it

Plus, I've been getting up at dark-thirty every morning for what seems like forever lately, and it took little convincing to keep me in my recliner this morning (to be perfectly honest!).

But in all honesty, different strokes for different folks. I'm sure there are plenty things I like that others couldn't stand.

I don't mind the grass, it's the other crap that grows in the grass, like dandelions and other weeds. The mistake most people make, is to set the mower at putting green length, set your mower at the highest setting, it will stay greener and more weed free. If it hasn't rained since you last cut it, don't cut it again, even if it's looking a little shaggy.

The Pacific Northwest may get a lot of rain, but unlike the midwest, it unlikely to include lightning. Rain is tolerable; that's what mudguards are for. But lightning...

...is just shocking.

Hmmm...https://projects.registerguard.com/ap...gon-wildfires/

That's actually a pretty common occurrence around here. There's currently another small-but-growing series of fires just east of here.

Now, tornadoes, those we don't get. (Well, we do have the Emerald City, so maybe we do get some fallout from tornadoes.) We don't do heat either.

Rain, what's that???

We got some of that too. Finally got out for a weekly Saturday AM group ride with my younger brother & sister, and we got a light cold drizzle during at least half of the 28 miles. Not too bad except when it began to sting the face when riding into the wind. Then again, it made the hot tortillas and huevos rancheros at breakfast taste even better.