Monday, March 1, 2010

Sunshine!

Mi amigos, el cielo es azul! Well, after hiding for several weeks the sun decided to show itself this afternoon. Ever the opportunist, I was able to hop on the bike and get some miles in. The snow has gone down dramatically the past few days, although the temps have remained only in the mid-30's.

We've missed all of the major snows that have hit the east coast. We've missed most of the minor snows also - they stayed 30 miles to the north along the Michigan line. However, as snow-free as we have been, we've managed to get enough every other day or so for what seems like forever. This has given us plenty of salt and sand and wetness on the roads so that my bike is now absolutely filthy, even with hot-water baths after each ride, and a dose of lube on the chain.





Due to a program I'm involved with at work, I thought I'd better shave the grey off my face. It never ceases to amaze me what good insulation fur is on the face.



As far as my riding goes, I've been able to get out for a long ride each weekend, although my mileage during the week has suffered. I've decided I'm going to try a 200k permanent, and maybe a 300k permanent later in the summer if my mileage and training progresses.

Anyway, happy riding!

10 comments:

Dano said...

Wow, you guys have no snow?
Our meltdown here is going to be messy.....

Jon said...

I find a little face fur helps keep the chapping down, as well. I tend to keep the beard really short in the summer, and trim it in the winter whenever someone mentions how scruffy I look.

March is our snowiest month, normally, here in Denver. I am hoping that this year will be out of the norm (but the forecast is for wetter and colder than normal).

Steve A said...

You better be careful about that shaving thing or you may be mistaken for Apertome.

No snow here. Just some rain and a bit of a cold front.

331 Miles said...

When I ready your blog, I feel guilty complaining about our weather in Houston!

Big Oak said...

Dano & Jon - yep, virtually no snow left. We get our biggest and heaviest snows in March and early April, but they won't hang around long.

Steve A - I'd be honored to be mistaken for Apertome. I am often mistaken for some guy named Dumb!ss.

331 Miles - It's all relative. I used to live in Wausau, WI, and the weather here is much milder than there. They are a good month behind us for spring.

rlove2bike said...

I wouldn't know about a beard...in my case, can't be done. A few straggly hairs, maybe. The permanent thing looks interesting. You mention Wausau...we are behind the good folks of Wausau as far as spring goes. Makes one wonder why we live this far north.

Big Oak said...

rlove2bike - My friends in Douglas and Iron Counties refer to Wausau as being in the "Banana Belt" - referring to the comparatively milder climate of Wausau. Wausau's much colder than here now. I hope for an early spring for you folks!

Apertome said...

It is indeed "all relative." I'm amazed at how much milder things are down in Bloomington, not far at all from Fort Wayne. That said, I think we got a couple of snows that missed you, this year. It's been a harsh winter here ... again, relative to normal.

Apertome said...

Incidentally, I might be up for trying a permanent sometime. I'd probably do a 200k. Even that depends on training. Keep me in mind if you want some permanent company!

Big Oak said...

Apertome - OK, sounds like a deal. I won't be up to 200k for at least a month, probably two months would be better. I know you are going to have surgery, so you'll need time to heal and get trained up too. Hope the surgery goes well for you.