A gray, damp, and cool start...

...to a white cloud studded blue sky and a glimpse of early summer warmth!

The forecast for today was questionable at best. The temperature was supposed to go into the 60s, but it looked like there was a pretty good chance of showers, and more than a good chance of high wind too. In fact, the National Weather Service posted a "High wind advisory: Strong southwest winds of 25 to 35 mph are expected through this evening with gusts as high as 50 mpg". I looked at the forecast last night and I chose to ignore what I considered to be the unfavorable sections. That is, the sections that said it would not be a good cycling day. I woke to a gray and damp day, but I headed in to the office early enough to put in a full day and to leave at 2:30 to go play with my bike. And my "just in case" maneuver definitely paid off.

It took a long time for the sky to lighten up, but by noon I could see patches of blue between the gray clouds. By the time I headed home the sky was blue and studded with clean white clouds, and the temperature had risen into the mid-60s. Ah, the first ride of the year in shorts and a short-sleeved jersey - with no extra layers! What a nice feeling... Other than the temperature, obvious signs of spring were missing. The trees are still very bare, I saw not a hint of flowers or buds, and there was still ice on most of the ponds and streams. But the temperature! That definitely made me believe that spring can't be too far away.

I thoroughly enjoyed my ride in the warmth, even with the occasional gusts of wind trying to get in my way. The wind did a good job of cooperating though; the strong whipping winds waited until darkness fell. I spent the evening sitting comfortably inside, listening to the wind slam around outside.