Adaptations

Shrinking daylight, cooling temperatures, edging ever closer to winter...

It's time to adjust, to accept and adapt to the environment once again. I feel like it has been harder for me to let go of riding weather this year; perhaps I've just wiped out the memories of entering the colder, darker part of the year.

The past weekend was cool but very rideable. Saturday's temperatures were in the low 40s, and Sunday's were slightly higher, edging above 45 by the time I returned from my ride. I'm remembering how to dress, experimenting, fixing. My only mistake (in dress, that is) was in not wearing shoe covers on Saturday. My toes were bright red and took a bit of time to warm up after I returned home. I fixed that on Sunday; it was a slightly warmer day, but at 44 degrees when I took off on my bike I figured I'd rather have the extra layer.

My rides? They were relatively short at 24 miles each day, but both days brought sunshine and blue sky mixed with some clouds. Bare tree branches are now the standard view. The roads were bone dry with the exception of one long wet patch where the level of water along the side of the road had flowed over the road surface. I wonder what caused that since there hasn't been any rain in the past few days. I suppose that will remain a mystery for now.

One week of walking after dark is behind me now. That transition was a relatively easy one, with a single regret that my camera really can't accompany me on my daily walks now. The right warm layers for walking are much easier to get right than those for biking since I'm not generating the same wind chill with my feet on the ground. Wearing light layers and adorned with bright blinking lights, I head out for my evening walking exercise.

For now, biking on the weekends and walking during the week help keep my sanity.