Joan surprised me with an afternoon "off duty" as she took the opportunity to head to Gosh (the main town near us) to run errands, and she took Stone as well. Thus I had a few daylight hours left that were "free". As usual, my first inclination is to head out on a bike.
Stone and I have been watching shower after shower after shower of snow and ice come through during the day. The temps were in the low thirties and none of the snow would stick as the ground temperature was melting anything that was frozen as it landed. Still, the winds were sustained in the high twenties and gusting into the high thirties and the "feels like" temperature was in the twenties.
Perfect.
Just after Joan and the caravan of shoppers left I was able to prepare for the weather that would await me on the ride. Simply put, wool and layering top to toe.
Away I went, trying to find / decide on a route that essentially led me into the winds so that I could return with them. The only flaw in this plan is that when the winds are coming off of the water at the previously mentioned strength, any avenue they can find they follow. So, you can be in a "protected" avenue of trees, yet the winds will be blowing into your face as the road you are on has no trees (of course). In any event, I really did not care as when it is this cool and snowing as long as you are moving and can get your heart rate up, you feel good.
I was stopping with some frequency to snap photos with the point and shoot that I keep strapped to my camelback. Oh, and of course sip on some "hydration" from the flask to keep warm. At an observation tower near town the camera lost power (as it is powered by "old fashioned" AA batteries) so the rest of the ride would have to be undocumented from a photo point of view.
The roads were relatively empty except for working vehicles (mainly trucks), and were only wet, no icing was happening yet. I decided to head to the coast to see what that view looked like. As I approached the coastline, and came out of the tree line, the wind truly showed its veracity. To the point that I selected the "easiest" gear and had to steady the front wheel as I was quite literally being blown backward. I got to the coast and struggled forward to the edge of the man made barrier to keep the shore at bay, and managed to get another couple of photos before the camera told me that the batteries were "exhausted".
The surf was rough and crashing into the barriers, and the snow was blowing across the water. It was some effort simply to stand ... I had a broad smile as I looked into the wind and sand and snow. A great day to be outside.
A few images in the new album.
Jeff
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