To the Park

With uncanny accuracy, the line of severe thunderstorms that had been creeping its way toward us all day hit right about rush hour. I made the short drive home with the bike in the back of the car, wondering when the cold air would move in. By 10 p.m. the winds had shifted to the NW and the temperatures were beginning to drop, and by morning it was about thirty degrees colder. Sane people stayed in bed, comforted in the knowledge that it would be warmer tomorrow. Naturally, I went out for a ride - more out of curiosity than anything else. I knew it would be cold and windy, but the sky would surely be blue. The question was whether anyone else would show up.

I looked up ahead as I climbed the levee. The meeting spot was deserted. I looked back and saw a single lone rider struggling against the wind. Of course it was Joe Fuselier. "Let's go to the Park and do a few laps there today," I said. With the added protection of the trees and buildings, the park would be infinitely more pleasant than the unprotected and windswept levee bike path. Today's ride would be mainly just a character-building exercise - a little warmup for the more sustained cold weather to come. As expected, the bike path was practically deserted, as was Audubon Park, and although the trees helped buffer the North wind a bit, it remained a nontrivial aspect of the ride. We did a few easy laps, I took a couple of photos, and then I headed home through Tulane's campus. The Quad had not yet awakened and the only person on the sidewalk was one of the groundskeepers. He was driving a small tractor toward me, all bundled up in a dark green Tulane wind shell and knit cap, and with a big cup of coffee in one hand. He smiled as I went past. The old Quad is a beautiful place this time of the day. For the moment, you can see some Fall colors in the some of the trees, but you'd better not blink because it won't last long. The cold and windy weather at least gave us full run of the bike path and lots of time to look around and enjoy the scenery.

By the time I got home my feet and arms were already pretty chilled, but I had to rush in order to get a ride to work with The Wife. The commute to the office on the bike would have been kind of brutal this morning, and since I got home a bit early I figured I take the easy road today. That easy road included a stop at the local Starbucks, of course, for a Scone and a cup of dark roast with turbinado sugar. Mmmmm.

I guess there are some things about cold weather that I like.