A Frosty First Winter Ride

Dry Creek, about 7:15 a.m. Nov. 12, 2012.  Not dry.  A buck has passed by.  Sorry you missed it.  I am glad we had 2 inches of rain Sunday--we sure needed it and it's nice to see a little water in this dry land.

OK, it was cold. So cold that I almost (almost) was in full winter regalia:  Long underwear, two pairs of socks, hood on under my helmet, winter gloves on my hands.

It was cold.  The thermometer sign at Walgreen's said it was 23, although that sign is usually of, shall we say, iffy veracity.  KCRG said it was upper teens in the countryside, low 20s in town.

Well, a brisk wind was blowing, and my ears and feet got a bit cool when I faced into the wind.  Sadly, the wind seemed to be from the southwest and I was heading west and south for pretty much my whole ride.

Still, the winter gear proved adequate.  What was I missing in my winter gear?  In the dead of winter, I’ll wear a long-sleeved shirt under a sweater or sweatshirt, and a scarf.

The ride was a bit rushed—I had to leave by 7:15 because I had an 8 a.m. appointment that I could not be late for.  But I stopped to snap a photo of the now wet Dry Creek from the C Avenue Bridge just south of my house.   A buck had crossed under the bridge and headed east—he was gone before I could unholster my Canon, but I like how the creek, with water in it for once, looked in the cold morning light.

The frozen puddle is at the corner of H and 30 something—may 33rd Street?  Whatever street runs to Elmhurst Country Club.

There were a few icy patches on the ride, but nothing that posed any real danger.  All in all, with the right clothes, not a bad ride.  Still, it’s OK with me if the howling winds either die down—at stay from the same direction.  I won’t mind a tailwind during the ride home in the dark tonight!

Frozen puddle by the side of the road.  But the pavement was mostly bare, not difficult to ride on at all.