Last night's ride bears an entry in this blog. I left work at 5 PM to dropping temperatures and a good steady rain. My fingers were cold folks. Not only that, my short sleave jersey was just not cuttin it, good thing I brought a rain jacket but even that was cold. My thermometer put the temperature in the low 60's and upper 50's. Definitely not late may weather for Phoenix Arizona. If we didn't set a record we were dang close. It bore little resemblance to my commute on Monday in 109 degree weather.
First off I would face the viscious headwind which plagued me all the way back to the car. Second, was the rain. Fenders would have been nice but I really didn't have any time that morning to put them on as I had to rush the kids off to their last day of school. The reason fenders would have been particularly nice is I noticed as I went down the road an interesting sheen, or color to the road surface. In addition to that there was an interesting smell. The bikelane was a spectrum of shimmering colors as I moved along. Not ever having been on an LSD trip I can't compare it but this was definitely bizarre. The wavy colors all over the road and me riding over the top of them. It went on like this for nearly 8 miles. I thought at first someone must have a gas leak but it went to far for that. It was the first rain in a long time and I think it was just washing the crap off the road. I smelled like gas. I paused to think about how everyone is mystified about how the gasoline additive MTBE is finding it's way into our water supply. Hmmm, I wonder. Getting back to the car I did something that would be unimaginable for late May. I fired up the heater. I was cold. In fact, I was cold and hungry and in need of a good furnace stoking. So off to Chik fil a I sped.
A Winter's Journey.
This morning I knew the commute was going to be a little different. I had originally planned on riding up South Mountain but determined I had been getting a little too anxious and angry lately and I needed to catch up on my sleep before my bp made me flip out (it's sensitive to poor sleep patterns). Of course there was also the fact it had been pouring all night in Mesa.
So, I arose and checked the weather on the computer. The temps were in the low 50's. Hmm. this looks like a job for "Super Rando Ninja!" (minus the balaclava of course) I thought. I pulled on the leg warmers, the long sleeve jersey, the mitten shells over my cycling gloves, and my rain jacket. I would at least be warm today. It was almost surreal commuting in. Where I have been sweating the last few weeks. On the way in today was a flashback to winter. Somewhere in the northern part of the state Snow was falling. Rain fell lightly on my jacket as I rode out of my neighborhood. I must have looked funny being so dressed up when we had such heat only days before. Around halfway in the streets were dry and the rain had stopped. I was a bit warm so I pulled off the rain jacket but I was a little chilly with just the long sleeve jersey on. What a bizarre commute.
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