the days: april 1st & 2nd. a beautiful blue bird day! made the mid 40s with a steady stiff wind out of the northwest almost feel warm ~ish. a lot different than fool's day's cloudy, off and on rain/sleet/hail. same 40s with a good stiff wind, but damn it was almost freezing ~ish.
the adventures: out on the bike for #30daysofbiking. at the moment, mostly on the pavement, as a lot of dirt roads are slowly getting over a wicked mud season and deeply rutted. on the 1st, i rode into school, to cut the timber frame for the outdoor classroom at evs, and then onto drummond's, for friday's sweep. today, the 2nd, i rode toward skip's to meet him, simon, and tom. we were headed for mascoma lake again, but this time we went all the way around it in the opposite direction from last saturday. maybe that wasn't the smartest as the wind was in our face the whole of the west side of the lake. we kept tight to each other's rear wheels. we also kept our smiles!
or at least everybody was smiling when i cut off the rail trail at perry lane. from simon's picture, it looks like they found some ice further on and had to walk a bit. it's pretty though.
the memories: the weather in new hampshire is always sketchy in april, at least if you are trying to ride a bike everyday of the month. for example, with temps and winds about equal, yesterday's precip was fairly uncomfortable, even when it was a light drizzle. today's bright sunshine was maybe a little warm on the long uphills, but never unwelcome. the other thing i will remember is riding in a group of four today vs solo yesterday. maybe that was because no one else was wishing to be a 'fool'.
- mascoma lake is still ~80% ice covered south of the bridge, and maybe 50% to the north--i.e. it's cold with a strong wind blowing off that surface
- my front tire--not the wheel--looks awfully 'woobly'
- again, riding in a group offers 'drafting' opportunities--take advantage of them
- remember to grab the camera off the kitchen table where you put it so you would remember it
- a linda cookie from "the magicly refilling box" is a real treat at ~20 miles
go outside and play!
