Bells and Blinky Lights

With no relief from this little drought in sight, I quietly accepted the 6 a.m. darkness in exchange for what now passes as the coolest part of the day, filled my water bottles, and stepped out into the 84ºF pre-dawn 79% humidity. It was not exactly refreshing. For the first time since Spring, I also clipped on my little red blinky light. That's so depressing. I also clipped on a little bicycle bell that I've had for a while but never used, hoping to provide the group with a slightly more civilized pedestrian warning system. It actually worked fairly well for something that costs, as I recall, less than $5 and is constructed from a single piece of plastic and metal bell.

The pace this morning was moderate, and when Brady and someone else rolled off the front nobody else lifted an eyebrow. Well, actually I couldn't see their eyebrows, but they didn't lift the pace anyway. We had another little tailwind heading out again that made everyone feel like a superstar and a headwind on the way back that made everyone feel more like a whipped puppy. Neither the lady with the camera nor the police were staking out the group today, and the riders, who are usually quite good about warning the pedestrians, were just a little bit more cautious about it. At one point we came upon a 2-person situation similar to Tuesday's and I think the whole group practically came to a stop. The pedestrian, in this case, was one of the "regulars" on the levee, and when he heard us (and my bell) coming up on him he politely stepped aside onto the grass to give us a bit more room, smiling as we went by with a long string of "good mornings." Sometimes this group can be so polite it's almost embarrassing. You know, seeing as how we're all a bunch of tough weekend warriors and all.

So I think the bicycle bell will stay on the bike for a while. Maybe I'll even look for an upgrade. Meanwhile, The Wife is pretty much recovered from yesterday's poking and prodding, but is now having some vision problems that probably need some prompt attention. Getting old is not fun and just for the record, I don't recommend it.