Cold Front Metric

 

Hill Road

27 March 2022

As Saturday got closer, the forecast got worse. We were facing a chance of showers all morning, with a stiff west wind and a higher probability of rain as the day wore on. 

He started from Mercer County Park, which meant that I might be able to get a metric out of the deal if I rode over from home. 

Everywhere were hints of spring. There was a red tint to the tips of the roadside trees. Cherry and magnolia blossoms were out. The forsythia were in peak bloom. There were daffodils lining front yards. And here I was in long pants, long sleeves, a jacket, heavy gloves, shoe covers, and toe warmers.

There were nine of us on the ride. We went south to New Egypt, mostly in a crosswind, and stayed dry. The trouble started on the way back.

From the southern end of Hill Road, we could see the cold front moving in from the southwest.

We were almost back to the park when we started to ride over wet pavement. We got rained on a little too, a weak effort by the clouds. 

If I take the long way in from home, it's almost 8 miles to the East Picnic Area of MCP. When we got back there, I had almost 50 miles. I'd have to find five more to get a metric, and stay dry if I could. 

The sun was out as we stood there, having our typical post-ride gab-fest. I tried to get Jack H to join me, but he doesn't have enough screws loose yet for that.

So I rode home in the wind by myself, taking the long way around on Old Trenton Road instead of going through the park. I kept an eye on the clouds. A mile from home, I turned north for a three-mile detour. That's when the wind kicked up and the rain started to come down in a more deliberate fashion.

I reached my neighborhood with close to 61 miles. In the wind and sometimes rain, I went in circles around the development until my computer registered 63 miles. If my neighbors think I'm crazy they're not wrong.

Jim's C+ Sunday ride was the perfect recovery ride. Most of his aggressive regulars weren't there; instead, I got to talk to some people I hadn't seen in a while. 

Wind is a great equalizer. We had a lot of equalizer. The route Jim had picked was, coincidentally, into the wind most of the way out.

The rest stop was at the Blawenburg Bistro, one of Jim's favorite places. As we were about to turn in, Pete called out, "I hear they're closing!" Jim's heart stopped for the three seconds it took for Pete to burst out laughing. The bistro survived the pandemic. My uneducated guess is that, if they survived the pandemic, they'll be okay.

The wind blew us back to the Claremont Elementary School.