New pavement

The rain woke me up in the middle of the night but allowed me to go back to sleep thinking that a ride today might not be possible.

But by the time I finished breakfast the street in front of my house was mostly dry. I know from previous experience that if my street is dry that I am going to find mostly dry conditions to ride.

And I did.

The rain had the effect of draining a bunch of moisture out of the air mass over us yesterday. This morning at a little past 8am it was actually a bit cool on the bicycle. It was a bit windy, not at all punitive, but enough movement to pass that low moisture air mass out of town by a bit past noon. We are by late afternoon back in the sauna.

I set out without a real plan but just sort of followed a path that felt easy to ride while trending into the wind at the start, expecting as usual to ride the tailwind home. I ended up riding a slightly amended version of the Capital loop.

That meant that deep into one of the two tailwind legs I passed through the area of town where my favorite roundabout is located. I will be there soon, it seemed like a good time to start practicing.

I was actually going to try to take a video while riding around the circle. Fairly obviously to do such a thing I would have to ride one handed while videoing. I practiced the riding part of this endeavor a couple of times but never satisfied myself that I could ride the turn one handed and still be 100% safe. I mean, it felt fine, but it didn't feel 100%. No video. Maybe after I practice for a few more years.

I was prepared for a moment or two to label this as my favorite new pavement.

That driveway connects to Cleveland at the intersection of Cleveland and University. It leads to an alley that connects to the backstreet (Charles) along that section which allows me to make it home without having to ride on either University or Cleveland, both extremely busy streets. There was previously a gravel pathway along the area where that new pavement is and I have ridden over that ground. In the last couple of years, however, a barrier was erected and even that pathway was unavailable.

The reason for that new driveway is to allow access to this lot for parking by Subway customers.

Note that it isn't even the Subway lot. Those spaces at the edge of the lot are reserved for Subway customers. I presume that what happened is that the Subway shop over there has made some sort of agreement with the actual owners of this lot formalizing what was probably already occurring anyway. As part of the deal the Subway shop probably paid for the new pavement on that alley.

I love business.

I am sure that Subway is happy but I am too.

As I said, I was prepared for a moment to label this as my favorite new pavement. But obviously my favorite new pavement is the repavement of Hamline Avenue. I ride on Hamline ALL THE TIME and that new pavement over there was greatly needed. It seems to me that I need to establish categories of new pavement that I love.

There is completely new pavement, like the new alley and then there is repavement. Two different categories.

I declare the Hamline Avenue repave as my favorite new pavement. I declare this Subway parking lot alley as my favorite new pavement.

I declare this as an example of my most despised new pavement. They are doing chip and seal at the Fairgrounds on a couple of the streets where I ride when I am taking my Fairgrounds loop.

Fairly obviously I passed through the Fairgrounds on the way home.

At 10:06:
EG: NA
CB: 78
AOWG: 82

Pretty temperate, no?

TOPWLH and I rode the Fairgrounds recently and speculated on what this new building might be.

Due to the high peaked almost steeple like roof line we thought it possible that it was a church.

If it is a church it is one of the very first churches to have its front doors be garage doors and to have electrical outlets for signs built into the facade.

I suspect the color of the building and that truck parked out front give significant clues. I doubt that the truck is there only to deliver materials.

What I believe is that Home Depot will have a retail outlet on Machinery Hill for this year's State Fair.

Further Gino saith not.