Seasons

I waited for the thermometer to approach 40 degrees. Slowly it pushed past the low 30s…to the mid 30s… Screw it, I’m going. Broke out my cozy winter helmet (Giro 9) and my warm winter bike boots (Lake MXZ301) and hit the trails.

A stiff westerly. Absolutely heavy, pewter clouds. A good day to stay in the relative shelter of a Green Circle run.

Took the new, unopened part but had to double back. Repelled by some articulated backhoe. Burying the 12” culverts laid across the trail. They had been serving very well as cyclocross hurdles, but I’m sure there are bigger plans for them.

Surprised halfway through by a steady squall of snow and graupel. Cool, now it’s right. Just enough to make me feel like a hardman (ain’t easy to do). And enough to wet the roads and keep the trails in that perfect tacky state. Rather than spastically skitzing around on hardpack, the gravel hunkers down in the pre-mud and provides a perfect platform. Water at 40 degrees is twice as viscous as water at 80 degrees, you could tell that too. The trail wasn’t frozen, but it was stiff. Not quite as cush.

Through Park Ridge I happened across two groups of turkeys. I gave brief chase through the yards and got within five feet of a few. But they know to take to the trees. And I know not to wail into even the suburban woods at full tilt.

Then crossing the four lanes of highway 10 I felt like the turkey. Zipping across my opening in traffic. Maintaining adequate margin, but close enough so give the cagers some thrill of the hunt.

Web site of the day – PDXCross. Well done - 1200 people at a race! You hardly qualify for weirdo status with that many followers. Excellent pics.