Abbreviated

My ride this morning was a bit abbreviated. The cold front that came through overnight dumped a fair amount of rain, but looking out the window at 5:20 am I could see the streets were nearly dry.  I could also see the wind blowing the trees around. Surprisingly, the temperature was still a notch above 60F, so I headed out in shorts, jersey and arm-warmers, which was a good call. I hadn't checked the weather to see how strong the wind was blowing, and of course you never really feel it too much riding through the neighborhoods where it's blocked by houses. Even so, I knew it was going to be a very windy ride. Out at the end of Nashville Avenue I waited with Rick Aubry a few extra minutes hoping someone else would materialize. Didn't happen. So it was just the two of us riding straight into what turned out to be a gusty 15 mph wind blowing straight out of the north.  As we were slogging toward the lake at speeds in the 15 mph range I wondered if anyone would be there when we arrived. I knew the bike path along the lake out in Metairie and Kenner would probably still be wet from the levee runoff, and combined with the wind I wasn't surprised to find only a couple of people out on Lakeshore Drive.

We headed off for a lap anyway, with Jim setting the pace at the front and the rest of us trying to eschelon up against the curb. The gusty crosswind made it especially difficult to maintain a straight line, but the wind still made you want to tuck into the draft as tightly as possible. Fortunately the pace was moderate. When we came around the traffic circle at Elysian Fields we were surprised to find the far end kind of flooded. One of the storm drains there is apparently clogged up. I rode through about four inches of water as most of us eased up for a bit. Heading back along the lake there were a few sections where the waves were spraying water onto the road, and a few more where the right lane was full of water. By the time we got back to West End I was more than ready to head back home. My backside was soaked from the wheelspray and the crosswind wasn't making it any fun at all, so Rick and I headed back.

Since it was earlier than usual, I suggested we take Canal Blvd. rather than the circuitous route we usually take. I was curious to see if that might be a better route than Marconi and Harrison since that's where the detour traffic has been going since the Wisner bridge was closed.  Well, that didn't work out too well. Even though we were about 45 minutes earlier than usual, traffic on Canal Blvd. was heavier and faster than I expected. It seemed like most of the drivers were turning onto the interstate, but were already getting up to speed on Canal.

Guess we'll stick with Marconi.