2,004 miles this bicycle, this year

It's a number time of year.

I was looking at the log and noticed that I am off to a phenomenal start for the month of November. I am on pace for easily the most miles ever in November. Of course, November is also on course for shutting this thing completely down any day now.

But in the meantime, it was sunny and bright this morning with promises of being warm. The high cirrus clouds were starting to fill in as I geared up and by the time I got about four miles into the ride the overcast had descended and it was one of the greyest of what has been a series of very, VERY grey days.

But it was warm enough for relative comfort, I even abandoned a couple of items of gear that I have been using most every ride of late. Balmy, summer like almost.

Not.

I found some more trees that haven't given up yet though, these are willows on the edge of a swamp out in Shoreview at the end of a short stretch of pavement behind a "No outlet" sign where I had never previously ridden.

I most likely won't be riding there ever again, there is no outlet.

Men are still working outdoors, they have been at this project on the church/school out there for a couple of weeks.

They've got one more side to go, they may need a couple more weeks of this weather even more than I do.

I rode out to a lake I haven't been to previously this year, Turtle Lake in Shoreview.

There's a public source of water there. That is, there's a public source of water there during the time of the year when the county parks department reasonably expects that there will be citizens using the park. That time of year is now over. The water has been turned off. Another sign of you know what.

Very, very ugly looking day, but any day when you can spend a couple of hours outside riding your bicycle is a very good day indeed.