On the edge...

...of the bicycle commuting season, that is!

Every year I think that I'll be able to continue commuting to bike (two or three days a week) a little longer than the previous year. My commuting days sometimes begin in May, sometimes June, but they only nicely go until the end of August. Why? I'm not a fast rider, and I want to make sure I have enough daylight on both ends of the day. Yes, there are good lights available, but I'd rather not be on the road close to sunrise or sunset.

This morning woke me up both from a daylight and from a chill perspective. When my alarm clock chirped at 5 this morning, it was still dark out. Uh oh! It was full light when I left the house at 6, attired for the first time since early June in my normal biking clothes plus knee warmers and a wind jacket. This morning's low-50 degree temperatures was well below the recommended "protect your knees, cover them when the temperature edges below 65". The temperature edged closer to that magic number as I rolled closer to the office, but my extra layers were definitely needed this morning. The ride home will be a different story though.

I'll be traveling on (with?) my bike between September 2nd and 11th. I just checked the National Weather Service's sun statistics page for September. Hmm.... I wonder if I could push my commute by bike season a little past my vacation? It looks like there just might be enough daylight if I ride a straight line (bewteen home and work and back again) instead of tacking on some extra loops on my way home. Or am I just dreaming?