Welcome To My Ride!
We are having a wacky winter with southern Connecticut being almost completely devoid of snow and only a few days of a hard freeze. So when the temperature soared to over 60 in the afternoon, I just had to set aside the indoor trainer and jump on my Priority 600 touring bike for a quick training ride out into this winter warmth. The mid afternoon start made for a short ride but we’ll worth the fruits of my little side trips and diversions.
This was the first time I rode this local loop under winter foliage conditions and, as I didn’t have a plan in mind, I was simply drawn toward sights that popped out to me along the way. This was truly a freestyle ride with zero route planning involved. The first diversion in my ride today was an old graveyard tucked up against the shore of Cedar Lake. It provided a break following a ride up a steep hill and I lingered there just wandering through the gravestones reading their stories; it was certainly peaceful. A short time later I caught a glimpse of sunlight glinting off the surface of a lake just off the road. I have taken this route many times before but the leaves of summer masked my view and I never noticed this body of water. Despite the numerous NO TRESPASSING signs, it just had to be explored and turned out to be a tranquil spot well worth the stop. I later learned this was an un-named pond on the property of the Pattaconk Fish and Game Club. With all of these little diversions, this short 12 mile loop was taking way more time than expected.
And, like on many of my bike rides, I began to think about the conditions of the day and how it relates to the extreme climate events we are facing in our lives. I found myself using the phrase, “In Early February we are not supposed to…” be sunny and warm… be well above our average temperatures for days on end… be a time of heavy winter rain and literally no snow… have lakes with no walkable ice. So while the impact of these extremes gave me the opportunity to go for a leisurely bike ride on a beautiful blue sky day, the natural order of things within my narrow corner of the earth just does not seem right.
So with these thoughts contemplated and tucked away for the future I enjoyed my fast ride downhill back into the town of Deep River, I witnessed our volunteer first responders taking care of some unknown emergency, and I kept thinking about the post ride beer that was likely in store for me.
So… until the next ride I wish you well and thank you for watching this old man trying to get in shape for my summer tour - be safe out there on the road.
2 окт 2024
