In Which The Friday Heat Makes For A Slow Ride

On C Avenue, headed north, my 55th birthday, Aug. 30, 2013. Note how grass is losing it's green, and some young trees are brown. It's still pretty, although you might not think so if you were out on a bicycle in the relentless sun on this broiling hot day.

I hoped to head home a bit early Friday—it was my birthday, and there was a family party planned, complete with grandkids, and CR Biker loves partying with the grandkids.

Anyway, what with printing a set of papers from a freshman class, it was after 4 when I left campus. I got a text from a daughter, and the message stated “Mom wonders where you are.” Well, I was on my way, more than halfway there by the time I got the message.

It was a slow afternoon ride. Not terribly slow—I’m sure I made it in around 30 minutes, which is about par. But I sure was not pushing. I slipped into higher gears and peddled easily.

It was hot. Not a little warm. It was full-on, Iowa summer max, egg frying on pavement, hot. We’ve been dry for weeks, and the plants look pale, and now the dry is punctuated and accentuated by heat. Grass is turning brown and many trees are shedding leaves.

In the afternoon, bikers move slowly. I was thinking of a line from "To Kill A Mockingbird"--"it seemed hotter then," and retorting, "no it didn't. It's hotter NOW."  I don’t need it—it is less than a 5 mile ride, for goodness sake—but I do take and sip some water along the afternoon journey.

When I got to the corner of C Avenue and Blair’s Ferry Road, the battling temperature signs (one on a drug store and one on a bank) displayed their random readings. The bank, which seems to at least be in the neighborhood, said 93. It felt much hotter—I suspect the bank was under-stating by 5 degrees or so, and the heat index was well over 100. The drug store? I don’t even remember, but I know from experience that, for temperature, it just displays random digits. In heat like this, it would typically claim something ridiculous, like “85.”

Well, I made it home, safe and sound and feeling very hot. That CR Biker, he’s so hot right now. Next week will be cooler and there is a slight chance for rain over the weekend.

May we get some. We need some. And the cooler temperatures will definitely make the bicycle journeys much more pleasant!