Weather Wimps

Well, here I am sitting at my desk at the office at 8:02 am, which is about when I *should* be coasting down the levee on my way home from the morning ride. Outside, it's *not* raining and it's *not* cold. So, "What happened?" one might ask.

The forecast last night was calling for a cold front to pass through the area some time in the early morning. When I awoke today I peeked out through the blinds and saw that the streets were dry, so I got dressed and went first to the computer to check the radar. There was a line of pretty significant rain heading our way, but it was just getting to LaPlace which is about 20 miles upriver as the crow flies. I figured I could probably get in half an hour heading in that direction until the drizzle started and then I could turn around and head back in the rain, arriving back home in time to avoid getting too chilled.

So I hopped on the Cervelo and made my way out to the levee, arriving to find four or five others already there. I have to admit, I was surprised. The wind was gusting to at least 30 mph and the sky to the northwest looked menacing, and the cloud cover made it seem much darker than usual for this time of year. We made a final check behind us and clipped in at precisely 6:41 am, which was also precisely when it started to drizzle. That cold front must have been moving in our direction at a good 30 mph. Immediately, everyone scattered. The guys who had to go upriver in order to get home took off in that direction and Brady and I took off in the other with a strong wind at our backs and a slowly increasing amount of rain. I was fully expecting a big downpour at any moment, so I wasn't wasting any time as we rolled up Broadway. When I got home, probably less than half an hour after I'd left, the rain seemed to ease up a bit and I stopped there at the basement door wondering if I dared to try and get in a few more miles. I decided to throw in the towel, though, mainly because if I did I could get a ride to work in the car. I was still expecting some heavy rain and wasn't too thrilled about making the commute on the bike during a rainstorm in rush hour traffic.

Well, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, and today was a case of the latter. The heavy rain never materialized and as I stared out the window at the drying street, the smell of fresh coffee wafting in from the kitchen, I thought about Jill up in Alaska trudging through the snow with a sixty pound bike, in the dark, in the middle of nowhere, some 150 miles into a 350 mile wilderness trek. I wondered why the hell don't people like this run for President instead of the head cases we have now? Coincidentally, I saw this quote just a minute ago:

"There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I don't know what can be done to fix it. This is it: Only nut cases want to be president." - Kurt Vonnegut

The Iditarod news said late last night, "Jill Homer is setting a great pace and may be able to beat the womans record to Mcgrath. The current record is held by Kathi Hirzinger-Merchant at 5 days 7 hours and 48 minutes." Here in balmy New Orleans, we'd all just high-tailed it for home with a light rain and the temperature in the upper 60s. Right now in McGrath it's cloudy, the temperature is 03º F, and the last time she checked in at a place with a roof was around 4 pm yesterday afternoon. The forecast for tonight: -9ºF. Part of me wants to try something like that. Other parts of me, mostly those with still-functional neurons, however, want to stay warm.

I may as well admit it. When it comes to the cold, I'm a Weather Wimp!