I took a gamble yesterday morning, and rode to the salvage store. I knew that rain was possible; maybe even a T-storm. But last Saturday I didn\’t go there; and I wanted to make the trip.

It was overcast, but not raining, at around 7:20 am; and I decided to set out. I figured I ought to take advantage of the break in the weather. Maybe I could beat any rain to the store; and besides, I wanted to ride at leisure. I took the trailer this time, and of course that slows me down.

There was some light sprinkle here and there, but not enough for me to stop and pull on the poncho. By the time I reached the store, however, the drizzle was a bit heavier; and steadier. I figured I\’d have a wet ride home!

I was disappointed that the grab bag bins weren\’t there. They\’ve been the biggest attraction in the whole store, and I hope they come back soon. I hoped to find hummus, and there didn\’t seem to be any.

But I found other merchandise that I\’ve bought before now; and at lower prices.😊 Swiss Miss Keurig, for example: it used to cost $1.69 for a box of 12 pods; today it was only 99¢!

Goin\’ Home

Then I had to load my loot into the trailer. The cover doesn\’t fit as snugly as it needs to; or maybe I was just too lazy to fix it properly. Of course it leaked! At any rate, by the time I left the store it was raining steadily. Luckily it wasn\’t a hard rain; but it was still a nuisance.

I absentmindedly pulled the poncho on over my reflective vest, instead of the other way around; and the poncho had nothing to hold it in place. So there I was, riding along with a flapping poncho. It wasn\’t wind still, and there were times when gusts were enough for me to shift temporarily to my granny gear. Goin\’ home seemed like a long, slow trip; perhaps because of the rain. It addition, it was a bit chilly; but that plastic poncho helps keep me warm.

In a sense, my gamble paid off. My major concern, lightning, didn\’t happen. It rained, but at least it didn\’t pour. I brought home a pretty good haul: tuna, canned chicken, hazelnut spread, etc. And I got some good exercise to boot!

Around 11:30 am I began to hear the grumbling of thunder. I was glad that I went to the store early in the morning. Then my thoughts turned to today\’s long ride: is 20% chance of showers a low enough risk? Maybe. It\’s all a gamble.

Goin\’ Long

Sunday is the day for goin\’ long, although today I didn\’t go as far as I did last Sunday. Even so, 40+ miles is quite a respectable distance.

It was rather sunny when I began the ride; but high clouds were gathering. By the time I got back home at around 11:30 am, the sky was mostly overcast. The forecast didn\’t predict rain; and I\’m glad there wasn\’t any. Whether it will rain is often a gamble.

So is wind. Today it was blowing from the NE, at 10 mph. As usual, that meant a headwind on the way back home. Those long slogs against the breeze make goin\’ long a bit daunting.

All in all, today\’s wasn\’t a bad ride. I saw a bald eagle; and a bluebird, too. I complain about headwinds; but all the same, it feels like I\’m a little stronger riding against them than I used to be. The only way to be certain is to find records of long rides when wind conditions were similar to today\’s; and seeing how my average speed was on those rides. I\’m too lazy for that.

Back to work tomorrow. It looks I won\’t have to gamble against the weather for a few days. That\’s a relief!