Three kinds of weather

It was quite an unusual day today, featuring at least three distinctly different weather conditions, perhaps four.

When I got up this morning the day was mostly clear and cool. There were some clouds and that is the pattern that dominated early. By 8am it was completely cloudy and extremely threatening. B. Babe wanted to ride today but when she rolled out of bed the prospects were for cold and rainy and she eventually deferred her season opener until nicer weather. That was plenty good with me because I wasn't riding either.

Around noon it got worse as first a heavy sprinkle arrived and shortly thereafter a slightly more persistent rain. It did not rain for long and it never rained very hard, but definitely weather condition number two, rain.

But by 3pm it was clear and the sun came out and warmed the afternoon to 70 or so. The wind and sun dried out the pavement. Out the door I went.

It was windy, tres windy, but the 70 held on until I was nearly done. I was warm enough, overall I am going to say it was a plenty nice ride.

The wind was blowing hard though, extremely hard out of the south and west. This necessitated a route I don't often ride. This is the hard wind out of the southwest route. It goes much farther west than my normal south route, taking me into Minneapolis, through the UofM campus, across the Stone Arch Bridge and up the river road to the northern terminus of that street, just beyond the Broadway Avenue Bridge. This section of Minneapolis has changed enormously through the years I have lived here, from a railroad yard and industrial area to townhouses and riverfront park. One thing has not changed, however, and that is the Grain Belt sign.It has been a long time since I had a beer but there was a time when Grain Belt Premium was near the top of my list. The brand was sold to G. Heileman, a LaCrosse based brewer and, to my palate at least, the beer lost its signature flavor. Mr. Wold, help me out with this if you are here (gee, I guess I doubt that) but G. Heileman beers, with the notable exception of Old Style, were a little more acidic, maybe even sweet, while the original Grain Belt Premium was a very grainy tasting beer. The brand was later acquired by the people running the Schmidt brewery after it was no longer the Schmidt brewery, Minnesota Brewing I think they called themselves. The brewmaster, I think I have this right, was the former brewmaster from when the brewery was still Schmidt and Grain Belt came to taste a lot like Schmidt, never one of my favorites. Eventually the brand was acquired by Schell's, I think the last remaining regional brewer, located in New Ulm. I suspect the more full bodied Schell's taste may suit Grain Belt Premium more than the Heileman or the Schmidt recipe. But I don't really know.

And this is the end of the road, the farthest north you can get on the river road on that side of the river in Minneapolis. That is the Mississippi River above the Saint Anthony dam. That's a railroad bridge, I think the Soo Line, probably now the Canadian National and a fairly undeveloped looking but not park shoreline.It is Memorial Day weekend and tomorrow is the Indianapolis 500. With the first selection in the driver draft, a selection I traditionally reserve for myself for no other reason than that I hold the draft and therefore deserve the first pick, I select Ashley Judd's husband.

Santini, you are on the clock unless Bianchi Babe beats you to it. Jimboy to follow, again, unless B. Babe gets off a choice. Emily, you can participate if you like. So can Adam and Kelsey, Nancy too, if she wants to. But watch out, at some point if you have not all made a selection I am going to make a second pick and the second round will have begun. My second pick is likely to be A. J. Foyt.

Let the carnage begin. No wait, Jim Nabors has to sing. Then let the carnage begin.