In Which the Wardrobe Changes with the Season

Thin clouds and morning sun turn C Avenue pond golden on morning bike ride, March 4.

Behind bike rack, new daffodils poking through the garden cover.

March in Iowa. The equinox isn’t until three weeks in, but the season can feel like spring—or winter—as the calendar flips from February to the lion month.

Ash Wednesday was March 2—a day to get some ashes, contemplate mortality, begin a season of fasting and then hop on a bike and ride home, with a notable change.

The first ride sans coat, hat, gloves. It was about 60, and a sweater was plenty warm enough by itself.

About 7:15 a.m., sky on morning ride March 2 at Collins Road.

Ready to ride home Ash Wednesday, March 2. Took the longer route home by Cedar Lake. My winter jacket is in my backpack--I needed it for the morning ride, but not the afternoon one. Note hybrid bike in background.

March 2--Cedar Lake is still covered in ice, but it's getting thin.

March can be a tricky month. We’re expected to have severe thunderstorms Saturday, and there is probably a better than even chance that snow is still in our future. In some extreme years, March feels like February 2.0. Not in most years, and luckily, this doesn’t seem to be one of those rough years.

Granted, I was back in winter gear after Wednesday, but winter gear this week merely meant jacket, hat, coat—not even warm boots, let alone long johns.

The ice on the streets is increasingly rare. The ground is largely bare, with just a few dirty piles of slowly receding snow, either where it was piled high or is in the shade. The melting snow has left ice on my commuting route, and many of my rides have been on The Fancy Beast, my trusty old winter beater mountain bike.

Saturday, Feb. 26. Leaving home in the afternoon to work on student newspaper at MMU. More snow on the ground and I'm riding The Fancy Beast.

Bike parked Feb. 26 between Regina Hall dorm and library. In sunny areas, snow is mostly gone.

March 1--Clarence, my hybrid bike, parked in Warde Hall rack.

Colder day Thursday, March 3, and light snow fell. A bit of snow on worn seat of The Fancy Beast (I already have a less worn seat to swap out, but have not done it yet).

Another image from March 3. Don't know if  you can tell, it's very light, but it's snowing as I shoot this image.

But today, and several days in the past week, I’ve started to ride the hybrid bike—days when I calculated warm socks were enough to protect my feet, that I didn’t need the winter boots.

March in Iowa. Winter may not be done with us yet, but there have been some spring rides. In the garden behind the bike rack I use at Warde Hall on the Mount Mercy University campus, I noticed today a few young daffodils staring to poke up from the thawing ground. Since my last blog post, I’ve ridden 66 miles. In the first four days of March, it was 33 miles. On the year so far, I am at 296 miles—one commute to work away from 300, 10 percent of my annual goal. Given the time of year, I think that’s OK.

And I’m enjoying the change in seasons.

I take the longer Cedar River Trail route to campus Feb. 26. Some snow, but trail it clear.

Riding on bike lane on 74th Street on the way to Cedar River Trail. Snow cover fading away late in February.

Morning sky on March 1.