As the old kids\’ song goes, Rain, rain, go away!

We got an ill-timed downpour this afternoon. During the last hour I was at work, it got darker and darker outside. I donned the poncho before I left work, as a precaution.

Wise move; there was a light sprinkle. The rain quickly became heavier; and before I had ridden 0.3 miles the wind had sprung up, and it was pouring.

Between the wind and the downpour, it was hard to see where I was riding. I was glad I had my lights with me! Because of the weather, I had decided to take the short route home. Unfortunately that\’s alongside traffic. When I tried to turn my head to look behind me, my face got blasted by the wind. I caught myself wishing I had taken my usual, longer route. At least then I would not have had cars at my elbow.

I got home with a dripping-wet bicycle; a dripping poncho; soaked socks and shoes; and with half the stuff in my bike trunk damp. I wish I had double-bagged it all. In a deluge like today\’s, the trunk\’s zippers leak like a sieve.

And wouldn\’t you know, it stopped raining about five minutes after I got home. If I could have known the shower would be brief, I would have waited it out. That\’s the trouble with our rainstorms. We can\’t tell whether the shower will stop in 15 minutes, or persist for hours.

Getting caught in the rain means extra work, too. Dry the bike, lube the chain, find a place to hang up the poncho to dry, etcetera. So rain, rain, go away. I, for one, am tired of you.