Cloudy and cool

Sunset last night. It isn't a picture from today's ride obviously. I had already made the blog entry before sunset last night so it was not possible to get this picture posted yesterday.There isn't any Great Lake visible in the picture. It just goes to show that the sun sets even over the trees here on the prairie.

The weather was a little odd today. The forecast indicated no likelihood of rain and the weather radar seemed clear. And yet there were these dark clouds overhead all day long. The available visible evidence said "rain" but I went out and rode in it and it never ever for even a second felt like it might rain. It felt a little odd.
This picture shows a very representative view of the sky during my ride. No blue visible, only dark ugly clouds. It was also quite cool, only low 70s and cooling.

This water tower is not very far from home but it isn't on the regular routes. I had to ride well off the well beaten path to get the photo. The fairgrounds are located in the municipality of Falcon Heights. I guess this means the whole area is a hill and they can put the water tower pretty much anywhere they want to.

The second day after a rest day proved to be a tonic. I felt really strong today, as strong as any time this year. It occurred to me the other day that I have ridden a lot but this year I have almost never tried to ride fast. Today I tried to ride fast. I attacked the small rises. I rode two gears higher than usual on the downwind sections. It was fun.

The month nears an end and with today's miles I reached one of the major round numbers that I was seeking. This is rewarding especially in light of the fact that it was the 7th day of the month before I made my 3rd ride. With this very slow start it looked all month like I was going to be short of my unofficial goal but it now looks like I will get there after all. That is also fun.