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Yesterday I feigned disappointment in not getting to ride in the rain that never materialized. This morning, I was all excited to see that heavy snow was in the forecast for the late morning. But, alas, disappointment struck again as just an hour later the forecast was changed to light snow. And, by the time I finally managed to get on the trail at 1:30 after a busy morning of errands, maybe one or two flakes had landed all morning.
But, I semi-feign disappointment again. Riding in the snow would have been nice but I was happy with the 32 degrees and 15mph wind. It was a struggle to get geared up, feeling as if I had already had a full day after all the errands. I grabbed a quick nap and donned the many layers of clothing for the cold ride; it's as if I'm getting suited up for a rocket launch or space walk.
The temperature was supposed to rise into the upper 30s but from the time I began getting ready to when I finally was ready to drive off, the temperature dropped from 36 to 32. Fortunately, I stopped at the hardware store on my way home and picked up some hand warmers, with two going into the shoes and two going into the gloves.
I parked at the Botanical Garden with the intent of getting in at least 24 miles as that would put me over 9700 miles for the year. With the wind blowing sharply from the north, I planned to stay to the trail which would offer a very decent barrier.
As opposed to yesterday, I moved easily and fluidly from the start; all bundled up, the wind wasn't a factor and the warmers were doing their job. There were a few folks on the trail but mostly it was deserted as were the parking lots around Lake Fayetteville. However, I came across Jack on the trail near Butterfield Village as he was drawing his hood up tighter against the wind. On my second passing of him, I stopped and asked if I could take his picture and he was very obliging.
We talked a bit; he lived for 20 years near Hindsville out in Madison County and before that in Menlo Park, CA working for Sunset Magazine. I really enjoyed our short encounter and hope we end up passing one another again in the future. He certainly added a bright spot to my day.
I continued on down the trail looking for other hearty souls on the trail to photograph. None were really grabbing my attention but then I saw this very gnarled tree in the creek bed and thought that that certainly qualified as a hearty soul.
A little further on down the trail, I thought of Michael, the homeless man I met a few days ago; he would certainly be a hearty soul on a day like this. Though, maybe the day was a bit too much, what with the wind and all. I recalled that he liked to hang out at a convenience store nearby so I headed up that way. I pulled up to the front and there he was inside by the window looking out. I went inside to say hello and expected him to recognize me right away; after all, how many bicyclists did he probably talk with in the past few days? But he drew a complete blank when I said hello and even when I said we met on the trail a few days ago, I still wasn't quite sure if he remembered me.
He told me he spent the night in a porta potty but his feet got cold so he came to the store and I was under the impression that he had spent most of the day there. I was thankful that the workers allowed him to stay. I mentioned Community Meals again to him but I didn't get the feeling that he would follow up on coming this Wednesday.
When I left, I had a good idea which porta potties he was talking about. Just a short walk from the store and right off the trail, sits a porta potty parking lot.
A bit further up the trail, I knew there was another picture I would be taking of a hearty soul.
The temperature, like a very slow IV drip, continued to fall, tenth by tenth, eventually hitting 30 degrees by the end of the ride. But, it mattered little as I was really enjoying the day.
Downtown, the turnaround point for the ride.
On the way back, another hearty soul of sorts in the creek bed.
24 miles was easily turning into 30 miles. Of course, I had to add one more mile for good luck. And, then, seeing that I was only 9 minutes away from making it a full 3 hours, well, what's another 9 minutes? A really very satisfying day of riding.
Today's Ride: 3hrs 0mins. 32.42 miles. 31° 15mph winds. Miles YTD: 9,709.05
Number of miles per day needed to reach 10,000 miles by the end of the year: 11.19
Donations for Biking for Food, which support the Community Meals at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, AR, can be sent to: Biking for Food, St Paul’s Episcopal Church, 224 N. East Ave., Fayetteville, AR 72701
Or, make a pledge per bike miles ridden at www.stpaulsfay.org/bikingforfood.html.
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