Growing season slams shut

As recently as last week, wait, that's not right, as recently as three days ago I was saying to myself that I probably wouldn't ride unless the temperature was at least 50. I had ridden at 50 without huge discomfort so yesterday I started out when the temperature was 46. When I got home the temperature was 49. It didn't seem so bad.

That's how it starts, you know. They tempt you in with small incremental changes and the next thing you know you have icicles hanging from your mustache.

When I arose this morning a check of the front yard thermometer discovered a digital display of only 29. That's probably cold enough to finish off the things around here that survived that frost last week. I believe 29 is actually considered to be below freezing.

The temperature inched up but even by the time when I wanted to start my ride the digital display had risen only to 42. Well, I convinced myself, 46 was OK, 42 is only a small increment colder. See above icicle in mustache reference.

I kept pretty much the same gear but also put my shell mittens in my jacket pocket just in case and started on down the road. Probably your question is, how was it? Truthfully, into the wind on the way out it was just a little bit too cold. I headed out to the north into what was described as a light breeze but which when in hit my face felt pretty darn cold. My hydration ritual is to drink 6 or 7 ounces of water from one of my 16 ounce bottles at every 5 mile increment of riding (it appears that today's word is increment). I generally do this without stopping but today I stopped at 5 miles, took a drink and put my mittens on. By the way, the good thing about riding at 42 degrees is that the water is refreshingly cool.

So it was cold but even so I can go a bit colder. I still can add one more layer on head (full balaclava), hands (woolen mittens for inside the shell) and feet (Windstopper shoe covers).

The sun helped when it was out which it mostly was, it was cold and crisp, a really pretty day. Except every time I wanted to take a photo. I rode to Lake Vadnais and almost never go there without a picture. Today the sun disappeared behind a giant gray cloud bank as I rode down the hill to the lake. I can take a hint, no Vadnais photo.

A bit earlier I had waited a smaller cloud out just across the street from the picnic pavilion at Snail Lake. I thought these sumac where doing a nice job of displaying their autumn colorway.There's also some orangey maples stuck in there behind the sumac.

Numerical section: I got my average miles per day of the month above 10, in fact, above 11. WOOHOO! The LOOK is now at 17,402. When I got in my car after the ride to go to the bakery the Camry mileage was at 17,507. At this time of the season 105 miles may still be too big a gap to overcome but someone tell my car to look out, my bicycle is coming.

The season draws near a close and I am closing in on my annual mileage goal. Today I considered that there are only 3 weeks left in October, probably I can get fairly regular rides in during that time. And even in November there are bound to be days when it won't be any colder than it was today. It looks tough, but LOOK may still catch Camry. On the other hand the forecast for tonight is snow developing and continuing tomorrow. The growing season is over, can the bicycle season be over as well?