West was out of the question

It was 60 or something with predictions indicating 70% chance of rain tomorrow, it seemed like today I was going to have to give it a shot. Plus which, I do have that newly repaired wheelset mounted on one of my favorite bicycles, at the very least a token ride was unavoidable.

I got all the way to the end of the street before turning into what was described on the internet weather sites as a 30mph SW wind. I quickly decided that this ride seemed destined to be a two mile ride.

Then I felt the mist. All still less than a mile from home.

But the mist, which persisted throughout most of the ride, never felt like precipitation falling from the sky. It always felt more like it was raining somewhere else and the extremely powerful wind just wouldn't let the tiniest drops reach the ground, they were being blown around to wherever, mostly to the wherever where I was.

The wind was indeed SW, probably a bit more west than south. I had originally thought I might ride over to Minneapolis, a ride I often take when the wind is from the west. The first time I turned towards the west, now slightly OVER a mile into the ride, I quickly became aware that west was totally and completely out of the question. The wind was TOO strong.

I ride for enjoyment in the first instance but also fairly obviously I am riding for fitness. In about a month or perhaps a tiny bit less (or a tiny bit more) there will be no bicycling. At that point my fitness efforts could revert to that exercycle that I do have (doesn't everyone?) in the basement. Some years I have actually done a fair amount of work on that thing. So which is sillier? Riding in the basement or trying to ride in impossible conditions but at least outdoors.

So I tried to cobble together a few miles of north and south always hoping to avoid west where it was JUST PLAIN TOO DARN HARD.

I used west bound Roselawn from Fairview where the street runs quite significantly downhill to the best advantage that I could, getting as far to the west as possible and then riding north and south down there in Lauderdale before riding back towards the east on Larpenteur. Uphill east on Larpenteur felt like downhill.

As I was filtering over towards that west bound downhill at the start I came across this, a giant has left the neighborhood.

It didn't depart without a protest, observe the very many chain saw cuts visible in the stump and in the trunk. That tree was hard to get down. Something that large . . .

That tree was within a half mile or so of my house but I was completely unaware of its passing until today. That is because that very near to my house neighborhood was subject to a chip and seal project this summer which used a particularly sticky mixture of oil and gravel that still has tiny graveled pieces of rock lurking along the sides of the streets even to this point in the year. I don't ride there unless extreme wind conditions force me to.

That was today.

Further down into Lauderdale I came across this which seemed to me to a possibility for inclusion in a list about Tanzania.

I assumed at first that it was a benefit for a choir in Tanzania. However, an investigatory ride down an alley that I had never been down before to check on something called Skyview Park led me back in front of this place only a block and a half from the church.

I suspect the benefit is for the fire loss incurred at this probably church owned building and that something called the Tanzania Choir is performing. As I blog it is after the starting time for the concert which means I will not be attending which means that that is all of the information I will be able to provide on this subject.

I was riding the Lauderdale loop, down into Lauderdale, over through University Grove to Saint Anthony and back along Como to the Fairgrounds, taking care to never get any further east than where I live (not wanting to face the west wind on a homeward leg). That's about a 10 mile loop and after completing it once I decided that the mist was only mist and that I could try it again. I wasn't really riding for enjoyment anyway, I was out for exercise.

As I rode the loop the second time watching the western sky I observed the front blow through. The wind died down quite a bit and with it went the temperature. Here I am at the Cattle Barn.

It was 62 or so when I started.

Right around the corner of the Coliseum I came, at last, upon a decent photo opportunity for the Beef Expo cow figure.

Probably the figure is so readily available because the Expo appears as I blog to be beginning at just about any minute.

I got the full miles that I usually want on a ride at this point in the year, far more miles than seemed possible that first time I faced the west wind. I feel good, the ride feels good, I love my bicycle.

Today I was back out on the bicycle that recently has been my favorite. The repaired hub performed 100% satisfactorily. Thumbs up, let's try to move forward.