6 + 10 with hail in the middle

I have been dancing with rain gods the last couple of days.  For example, yesterday was 80 percent chance of rain but I caught a doughnut hole in the middle and got in a full ride completely dry.  I admit that most of the miles were pretty close to home (although I was about 6 miles out at one point) and that the 80 percent proved accurate as it rained like heck after I made it home.  But I danced with the rain and didn't get wet.

So today it was only a 30 percent making me feel tres confidante.  Someone check my French.  It was sunny and nice when I started out but before I really cleared the neighborhood I felt a drop or two.  I veered back towards home and ended up sprinting the last two and half blocks to make it home (with 6 miles) in time to be able to initiate the production of this fine short feature film while still standing in the garage in my bicycle clothes.

The video pretty much speaks for itself.  I recommend keeping an eye on the driveway as it very clearly (and rapidly) reaches a state that I personally describe as "wet".

She doesn't seem to notice.

Some may not recognize the technical achievement there but this is a crowning moment in my video with a cheap pocket camera while riding a bicycle career.

I opened the video in Windows Live Movie Maker and made an edit.

How about that?

Eventually the storm produced quite a heavy downpour which included HAIL, small maybe a bit larger than pea sized (marble perhaps?) hail.  I heard her discussing this on the telephone and complaining that her seeds were covered with ICE!  Yikes, indeed.

But by 5pm it was mostly dry and sunny again.  I decided I wanted some more miles.

During that period of my life when I had a job (SOOOOO long ago) I often rode at 5pm or later.  It was now only 5pm.  I decided to give it a shot.

I may be a fool but I am NOT a donkey.  I was still sticking close to home.  I rode a loop that takes me downhill (into the wind) past the country club and through Lauderdale.  This leads me back over to Larpenteur for an uphill (but with a strong tail wind) that I usually actually quite enjoy (especially with a strong tail wind).  The white fog line on the street leaves a nice wide shoulder and once I get up even with the farm campus the shoulder actually turns into a designated bike lane.

The problem arose when I got near Snelling.  My practice at that spot is to check for a break in the traffic and turn left up towards the Fry Garden neighborhood.  However, at around 5:30pm there are NO breaks in the traffic on Larpenteur.

I turned right into the Fairgrounds.  I sometimes exit the Fairgrounds from the gate but I very, very rarely enter from there.

Look what I found.

That's the back entrance to the Grandstand area behind that amazing looking construction down at the intersection.  There are lights arranged along the side of the road and there are also speakers which when I was riding through were playing some sort of possibly new age rock.  Very mysterious.

And over on Machinery Hill there is this.

No idea.  I suppose the Fairgrounds website may have some information but what with editing the video and all I won't be checking that until later.

Shortly after riding under several (but not all) of those arches I again felt a drop or two and had to sprint for home (AGAIN), this time from a little farther out.  It was weird, I got home almost dry as a pelting rain began again, all of this from clouds which were overhead but at that late hour were not blocking the descending sun.

Rainstorm in full sun.

After I got home this guy was hanging around.  He and his mate for life female partner live in one or another of the neighbors' yards.  This photo is the first time I have gotten a camera and a cardinal together in the same moment of time and doesn't have the lighting that I would like.

But they live here, it is only a matter of time before I get one in full sun.  Stay tuned.

10 more miles, enough for today.