Great coverup in full swing

In addition to this bicycle blog I maintain a bicycle log, a spreadsheet where I note all of my miles with notes about each ride. The notes often provide interesting items for comparison. That happened today.

It is cold here. The overnight low was about 40. On the bright side the wind had greatly diminished. I was determined to ride even though the morning was persistently overcast. I was waiting for 50, naively assuming that if it was 74 a couple of days ago that surely 50 was still on today's weather agenda. At 12:30 I headed out into the gloomy overcast, temperature 48.

I checked the log. On April 5 I noted "snow" and on April 7 I have "only 48 but sunny, cold". So the last time I rode when the temperature was as low as 48 was April 7. Bon anniversaire TOPWLH.

But I have the gear. Some time not too long after April 7 I organized my cold weather gear and stored it all in one spot. That made today's great coverup quite a bit easier than it has been when this particular turn of weather has occurred in other years. I intended to apply gear to cover up exposed flesh, here is a list of the new gear, starting at the bottom: Smartwool socks, full length tights, base layer, Windstopper vest, the heavier of my two bicycling jackets, full fingered gloves, the heavy duty helmet liner, the one that has flaps that cover my ears.

My impression? Much like April 7: cold, particularly on the way out into the north wind. But not intolerably cold, a little unpleasant but mostly OK. It was, as usual, pretty nice to be out there in conditions which nearly every other bicyclist had decided were intolerable. It is nice to have the streets to yourself. However, I was glad for every new piece of gear even if some of it is going to be replaced with more heavy duty versions before I try 48 again.

The harvest of the corn had begun. There was no one actually working in the field as I headed out but I wanted to be sure to document this if I could so I stopped and got a picture of the progress on the edge of the field.When I got home the overcast was not as pervasive. Blotches of blue were appearing and the sun was sometimes out. The harvest crew had arrived and the harvest was on at full bore. I took a couple of pictures which I wasn't very satisfied with and rode on home. I got changed out of my cycling gear, refueled, and headed back over there on foot. I wanted to be sure to get a good vantage point for a picture, something I was sure I could do on foot, but wasn't sure I could do with my bicycle in tow.

So here it is, the previously undocumented in this bicycle blog harvest stage of the cycle of corn life.When the machinery makes corners it is impossible to not knock some corn down. This corn isn't available for harvest by mechanical means. The geese will come and clean up the field but I beat then to the punch a bit by gleaning this ear off a downed stalk in the area where the corn was tallest and healthiest looking. This is what the whole deal is all about.By the time I walked back home (total walking distance about 1 mile counting walk over 3/8, some milling about in the field and walk back) the temperature had risen to 54 and the sun was mostly out.

Now, 54. I could really, really easily ride in 54. I am a little uncertain about this whole 48 thing though. Of course, it is still September, there is more to come.

A nice enough day for a ride.