Wet snow stings when it hits

The weather forecast this morning called for possible flurries this afternoon, but mostly the snow was to hit north of us.

So, of course, I rode. It was warmer today than yesterday, so even with a bit of wind, I had no problem.

This afternoon, I was to go to the President's House east of Mount Mercy University for a little faculty gathering and chat--a sort of open conversational gathering that our president hosts now and then.

Imagine my pleasure when it was lightly raining as I left MMU. Yeah, just what a biker wants.

The meeting was fine, I think. But when it was over, it was snowing, big, fat, wet flakes. It was pretty darn heavy for a flurry.

As I rode west and then north to go home, the melted snow on the pavement was sprayed into the air by my back wheel, and then onto my backside. Wet, heavy flakes of snow were pelting down.

I like snow. I don't mind living in the Midwest, and snow is a fact of winter life. But I don't try to bike through it, and this was no friendly, cute flurry. A flurry is usually gentle, light snowflakes floating down.

This was not that. It was big heavy globs of half-melted ice and water. It wasn't floating down in a gentle flurry. It was pelting down as if the heavens were angry at crazy winter bikers. The "snow" stung when it hit my face, especially my lips.

Oh well. I don't mind snow, it's just a fact of Midwest living. But, I don't usually ride my bike in it. While colder, it's also supposed to by drier tomorrow. Think I should lube my chain before starting out, though.