Variations on a (coastal) theme

Today was a day when I should have ignored the weather forecast. Instead, I used it to decide when & where to ride, choosing to believe the starting times of the predicted rain. That caused a bit of wet riding for me, since instead of heavy rain in the afternoon there were showers and rain in the morning. Sometimes I guess I just can't win!

I headed for the New Hampshire coast, but I changed my usual (ride) start location so I could avoid riding through the center of Hampton Beach. My entry to the coast was from North Hampton via route 111; that road was a real pleasure to ride. One of these days I guess I'll have to take that road in the other direction too. I thought that I'd test out a loop ride today, heading north along the coast and then wandering inland on the way back to my car. Not only did I not avoid the weather, I also ignored my own plans to try that loop, sticking with an out-and-back ride staying along the coast as long as possible.

The rain? It was dry when I rolled away from my car, and it stayed dry until I hit the coast. What's that? Sprinkles came and visited for a while, changing to heavier sprinkles for a while and then stopping. The pavement dried out quickly (must have been because of the steady wind), no water falling from the sky for a while. Becoming gray. Getting darker. Sprinkles. Ah, time to turn around. Sprinkles continue. Getting heavier. Rain. More rain. Time to stop and pull the raincover over the bag that is protecting my cameras. Ride on. Sky getting lighter. No more water from the sky! It even dried out enough for me to pull out my cameras again.

But - my poor bike was caked in sand by the end of my ride. Even though I know it's going to happen, I'm still surprised by the amount of road muck that flings itself off the road in the rain and that insists on sticking to my bike. Luckily, it had dried by the time I got back to the car, and most of it could easily be brushed off. Home again, time for a good cleaning and lube.

It's funny though - the predicted heavy rain for later in the day never materialized.

My camera jumped out to grab a picture of these beautiful animals.

Before the rain, watching a kite dance through the sky...

...and catching a sea gull soaring overhead

The water lilies may clog up the ponds, but I still find them beautiful