Spring forward, the switch to Daylight time, drives me crazy. Just when it’s starting to feel like I’m getting up in the morning, I’m getting up in the dark again! The time switch leaves me feeling jet-lagged for a least a few days; and when it stay light later in the evening, it’s harder to know when to head for bed!
The official beginning of Spring is a week away; and last night certainly did not feel like Spring was coming. We had a freeze warning; and I didn’t begin today’s ride until about 8:30 am. By then the temperature had risen to the low 40s; and fortunately the wind was nothing like yesterday’s.
When I go for my long Sunday ride, I like to spring forward, so to speak — get started and keep going. Today a freight train beat me to the crossing; and stopped when the last car was still a block or so short of the crossing. When a train stops like that, I never know whether it will start again in a few minutes; or will sit there for hours.
So I had to take a detour. My preferred alternate route to the bike path is choked with road construction; and thanks to Friday’s rain, it’s now very muddy. In the end, I had to ride at least a mile to get to that path. When I at last could get on track, I found that the train was still sitting there. A good 25 minutes had elapsed; and I was glad that I didn’t try to wait for the thing to get moving again.
Sightings
Today I pedaled out to a point 20 miles or so from home; and in the end rode 42.7 miles. On the way, I saw a bald eagle perched on top of a power pole; and it might have been the same one I saw a week or two ago. It was in about the same place.
At one of the grain elevators, there was a ship flying both the China and Hong Kong flags from its stern staff. Incidentally, there’s a grain elevator within a mile of home, but on the opposite side of the river. Last weekend, there was a ship there that had a purple hull! I never saw one like that before.
On Sundays I typically don’t try to hurry; and today was no exception. I had to spring forward overnight; and that didn’t help. But at least I got some miles in!