After The Thaw...

Hello, friends!

So, apparently, this post from a few weeks ago (February 6) was never posted! I guess it's better late than never, right? Enjoy me talking about ice for 6 paragraphs. =0).

One thing that I've said over and over again is that I can do cold but I don't do wet. If it's 4 degrees outside but it's dry, I'll try biking. If it's raining, snowing, or has any sort of "wintery mix" then it doesn't matter how warm it is. I don't have the balance or good enough of a bike for me to brave that terrain.

What makes things a little odder are weeks like the one that we're having here in Columbia right now. Today the high will be about 50. Yesterday it was in the teens all day. The day before that there was snow but it stayed around 32 so there wasn't much accumulation. Tuesday was relatively nice with a high in the mid 30's. Monday was BITTER cold. Sunday we had a wintery mix storm in the evening. It was like they say: if you don't like the weather in (insert your state name here so long as it isn't California, Arizona, or Florida), wait a few minutes because it will change. =0).

Days like yesterday are easy ones to decide to not bike. There was snow on the ground. Much of it melted as soon as it hit the ground, turning it into water. The overnight low got nowhere near 32 degrees, so all the water turned into ice. Ice and bikes don't go together well. Ergo, no biking.

However, days like today are a little bit tougher to decipher. The temperature is up so I don't have to worry about ice for the most part but I do have worry about slick roads (on account of all the melted ice) and if there are any patches of ice under shade (Like by the side of my house) then the ice may not be all the way thawed yet. It can still be a 50-50 proposition as to whether or not it's a good idea to go biking or not on a day like this.

So what does a guy like me do? I bike. =0). Of course I bike! I may go a little bit slower and make sure that I'm only hitting dry spots but you'd better believe that I'm going for a ride if I can. I have too much fun riding. I can always use the exercise. I also need to keep this blog going so I can buy a new bike. There are too many reasons for me to NOT bike when the ice is off the ground.

I made it to campus today with no problems. My plan is to leave this afternoon so I can beat the evening freeze (another reason why biking in this weather isn't a slam dunk) making it the perfect crime. Here's to good tread on my tires and fully protective fenders to keep me from getting wet!

Stats:
Miles: 6 miles ($.25)
Meters: 13 hours ($13)

Total: ($13.25)

Grand Total: $725.00
In the Positive: 721.99 

Happy Biking!

~Adam