Beautiful Ride Home

This moment.  "If you could just see the beauty.  These things I can never describe.  Pleasures and wayward distractions.  this is my lucky prize"*

As they left the building they told me to be careful, safe ect.  I was prepping the bike for the ride home.  They were walking to their cars and trucks and SUVs.  Muggles never know.  I should have been telling them to be careful.  To illuminate the situation, it was snowing.  Our winter has been a drought and snow was something rarely seen in these parts.  All of that changed today.  The temperature was dropping below freezing and the snow was still falling.  But that did not bother me at all.  I was glad.  I chose the proper vehicle to get myself to and from work, The Red Phoenix in her studded tire glory.  Just needed to air up the front tire and away I go!  Yes, slow leaking front tire but that's another story.

The wind was out of the northwest at 18 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.  Winter rears its ugly head once again.  It did not exactly hurt but it was not a good feeling.  The snow had an icy bite and the wind slowed me to a crawl.  I was cold because I just begun and had not had a chance to reach operating temperature.  the funny thing about it was that the temp really was not much different than it was this morning or what it had been for what seems like a week.  30s just above freezing.  but now it was dropping and that evil jealous bitch of a northwest wind was raging for vengeance on us.  I need to ride 2 miles into said wind to reach the safety of the trail.  Once on the trail I will have  12 and half miles of car free riding with the exception of crossing Grand Ave.  Sewer work has the trail closed at Grand.  This is what the muggles do not know or understand.  Once I cross University Ave I am in a residential neighborhood until I reach the trail.  Low traffic.  I have a greater risk of being hit by a deer or squirrel or goose than by a car.  I am safe.  Those driving are not safe.  they are surrounded by other cars/drivers who must remember how to drive in the snow.  Not my problem.

Rare photo of the Red Phoenix without panniers.  It shares bags with the single speed.  I was too lazy to put them on last night after fixing the rear tire AGAIN!

It was a short moment on the trail, Clive's Greenbelt, when I had to stop and take a photo.  Caught up in the beauty of it all.  Our brown and grey world was transformed into a gorgeous winter wonderland.  The trees were painted with snow.  A world in white.  Pristine snow.  I did this last year as well.  Almost the same location.  just that one moment makes it all worth it.  Good Lord, I probably blogged it as well last year.  There is a difference this year.  Only an inch so far on the trail and someone plowed it.  I remember last year suffering from angina on this stretch, however, my heart is fixed and did not know what angina was when I suffered from it.

The trail was basically empty.  A few fatbike tracks.  A person or two walking a dog.  I think I saw two bikers.  Lots of deer in Windsor heights along Walnut Creek.  A the geese on Water Works park.

The geese in Water Works Park.

There was one person I wanted to see but because I stopped to take photos I missed her by minutes.  I did, however follow her tracks home.  That was Mary, my wife.  Wanted to share a drink with her at the local pub.  At a later date.

After getting home and settling in I turned on the radio and heard the news.  Many car wrecks across the metro.  Traffic backing up.  Even the bridge I take every morning was "too slick for cars."  I had to laugh.  Me be careful?  Get better tires you fools!  Mine are studded.  There are tires for cars meant for winter.  Be responsible and get them.

* Isolation, Joy Division