In Which I Climbed Macho Mountain

Sun setting during Feb. 19 bicycle ride home. Looking west from corner of C Avenue and Blair's Ferry around 5:30 p.m.

After some poor weather and limited biking last week, this week has been very cold, but still a refreshing change. I had to drive to work Monday due to a cold rain, but on Sunday, Tuesday and today, I ride my mountain bike to campus.

The Fancy Beast has been serving me well.

Sunday’s ride was the warmest, and on my ride to campus in the afternoon to work on the campus newspaper, I took the “back way.” When I ride to campus, I come in from the north by Warde Hall. There’s always the Hill to climb, but if I’m feeling lazy, I’ll take the drive that leads to the Wade Hall parking lot—it’s the gentlest ride.

Most days, I enter campus via the Prairie Street parking lot in front of Warde Hall, which is a bit of a hill climb. The hill by Basile Hall, which I sometimes use, is a bit more of a challenge, although I use it now and then.

But Sunday, I circled around to the south side of the campus, to ride up Mercy Drive. I think of that route as “Macho Mountain,” which is a private joke because, while the steepest ride up the MMU Hill, it’s surely not Hawk Hill near the Golden Gate Bridge. Still, I feel a small sense of accomplishment for taking that route to the library.

Feb. 16, Sunday milky sunshine through the clouds. It's mid afternoon and I'm biking to work.

Feb. 16, some melting snow.

Mercy Drive on Feb. 16, the bottom of Macho Mountain, I pause before I climb.

On Tuesday and today, I also rode my bike. This week, it has been winter cold, February in Iowa with a vengeance, but luckily not polar vortex cold. I’ve been dressed for it.

I’m looking forward to warmer weather, which should arrive at the end of this week. I’m hoping to enjoy some rides on the hybrid bike or road bike. The mountain bike is serviceable as my winter beater vehicle—and is good to be riding when there may be a few patches of ice on the ride. I do appreciate the wide tyres on that bicycle.

Feb. 18--Rain fell Monday and froze--but luckily pavement was mostly dry on a cold Tuesday morning. Sunshine from my bike parking spot after I get to campus in the morning.

A few icy spots Tuesday morning on C Avenue--but Fancy Beast was up to the task.

Bike parked Tuesday morning. Cold, sunny day.

It was gray and brisk when I cycled to campus this morning. And midday, snow was swirling in the air and I was regretting my decision to ride the bike. But in the afternoon, the sun was finally shining again and the little snow that fell was swept away by the brisk wind.

I rode into that wind, and it was rather cold on my ride home. Still, there’s an upside to that cold winter wind, as the pavement was again bare. In winter biking, that’s an acceptable tradeoff.

Feb. 19--snow falling midday at MMU--on my bicycle parked by the library.

Another view of the parked Fancy Beast as snow falls.

Feb. 16--sun view from MMU campus as I am crossing the middle of campus as I bike home.

We are well past the midpoint of February. In this leap year, we have but 10 days to go in this shortest month of the year. March in Iowa can be anything—winter and spring in any combination. Dry or wet, warm or bitterly cold—who knows what March will bring? But March is the transition month, the change time. April and May and great riding weather are on the way.

I’m grateful that this February has not been as harsh as many others, and I’m glad that I’ve been able to ride three days already this week and yet should be able to ride more.