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| Jan. 22--Afternoon light at Cedar Lake. |
Last Saturday was, like many recent days, a bit chilly. But not as bone-freezing chilly as this week has been.
My personal biking limit is somewhere around zero Fahrenheit. I might cycle with a wind chill a bit below zero, if, say the temperature is around 10 or so—the wind direction makes a big difference, and if I’m not headed into it for much of the ride, a short trek is a doable option.
This week has not been filled with doable daily ride options. Today, the actual temperature this morning was in double digits below zero, and if minus 13 or so was not bad enough, the windchill was way, way down there. Today was the coldest day of this cold week, but wind chill way below my threshold on both Monday and Tuesday means that spring semester, so far, has been a dull, car-commuting interlude, and any time I have to drive a route I would rather bicycle, it feels a little sad.
Well, buck up, buttercup. All day today was getting warmer. By the time I came home, it was double digits above zero, breaking that 10 barrier. Still quite cold, just more normal January cold and not freakish where-are-the-penguins cold.
Knock on wood, the weather tomorrow looks like this biker may be rolling again. It will be in the teens by morning (the temperature will slowly rise over night). So I hope to get some bike miles in tomorrow.
My personal biking limit is somewhere around zero Fahrenheit. I might cycle with a wind chill a bit below zero, if, say the temperature is around 10 or so—the wind direction makes a big difference, and if I’m not headed into it for much of the ride, a short trek is a doable option.
This week has not been filled with doable daily ride options. Today, the actual temperature this morning was in double digits below zero, and if minus 13 or so was not bad enough, the windchill was way, way down there. Today was the coldest day of this cold week, but wind chill way below my threshold on both Monday and Tuesday means that spring semester, so far, has been a dull, car-commuting interlude, and any time I have to drive a route I would rather bicycle, it feels a little sad.
Well, buck up, buttercup. All day today was getting warmer. By the time I came home, it was double digits above zero, breaking that 10 barrier. Still quite cold, just more normal January cold and not freakish where-are-the-penguins cold.
Knock on wood, the weather tomorrow looks like this biker may be rolling again. It will be in the teens by morning (the temperature will slowly rise over night). So I hope to get some bike miles in tomorrow.
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| Sidewalk on Council Street Saturday--time to stop rolling and put the feet down. |
My final riding day, Saturday of last week, was at least a pleasant one. It was cold in the afternoon and I had to go to campus to do some prep work for spring semester. I left home early n the afternoon, and instead of going straight to my office, headed west over to the Cedar River Trail, and cycled down to Cedar Lake.
Most of the streets and sidewalks were in good shape, although there were some spots, such as some areas along Council Street, where I had to put the landing gear down and shuffle across the ice. I never walk my bike on a hill, but there is some ice I won’t try to cycle across, even on my winter bike.
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| Geese seen at Cedar Lake Jan. 22. |
The sky was a bit grey, but I felt it was a, for winter, pretty day. It being cold in winter, I had the trail mostly to myself. I enjoyed the quite, the start beauty of the bare trees against the snowy ground. As I got to campus, I saw the university president, out for a stroll, heading off of The Hill (Mount Mercy people tend to call our main campus “The Hill” because it’s built on one of the highest hills in our town—perfect for biking, right?). He was out in the cold air, enjoying the outdoors, as sane old men should do, in my opinion.
Well, there you have it. The lake ride was the penultimate one for a while (the final ride was the evening cycle home after my afternoon of work). Saturday was the unofficial end of biking season as the severe cold snap settled in.
But now we are back to our regularly scheduled winter. Back to biking, I hope!
Well, there you have it. The lake ride was the penultimate one for a while (the final ride was the evening cycle home after my afternoon of work). Saturday was the unofficial end of biking season as the severe cold snap settled in.
But now we are back to our regularly scheduled winter. Back to biking, I hope!
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| Quiet residential streets on my bike ride Jan. 22 are largely snow free. The street is on the route to the Cedar River Trail. |
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| Jan. 22--Winter scene on Cedar River Trail. |
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| A bit of snow on trail by Cedar Lake--but I was able to ride there. |
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