Lemon Cake and Wine

How hard must it be to decide to cancel bus service based on weather reports and warnings. Think about the backlash to deal with from the folks who rely on that service to get to their jobs. Think about the bosses whose workforce is cut for the day due to transportation challenges. Think about the talking heads taking to the interwebs to either crucify or sanctify you. Not a job I'd want to have. But that's the job someone had at the Valley Mover yesterday.

I assume that the choice to suspend service for the day was in large part due to the two prior freezing rain events that brought traffic to close to a standstill and resulted in a couple of dedicated drivers risking their lives in order to safely bring home a hundred or more riders safely.

For me it ended up being a nice little remote work day. Started working a bit early and knocked off a bit early. I ended up getting a lot done I wouldn't have otherwise.

Today was no such dice. The busses ran. I rode. I had a hell of a time getting to the bus stop this morning. See my route to the bus stop takes me first a touch south, then east and north before I turn south again. In the winter, our prevailing winds are from the north/north-east. Today they were blowing like banshees.

So much so that I was stopped dead in my tracks a couple of times. Couple the wind with a poorly working set of ders, and, well, no fun. Until I turned to the south. Then it just got scary. 30+ MPH winds pushing at my back as I'm trying to keep it wheels side down on a path that is covered with a mix of textured ice, frozen road grime, drifted snow, and glare ice. At one point I was topping 30 without touching the pedals. Scary. As I get almost to the bus stop, there is a sharp curve to the west where I am broadside to the wind. And it is glare ice - scoured smooth by 12 hours of wind and snow blowing across it. Take a guess what happened.

I went down. Luckily it wasn't hard. I was prepared for it. But it still wasn't fun. And I'll feel it tomorrow. Heck, I feel it already.

And this is what I get to face on the way home - the first 2/3rds of the ride head north. Up hill. Yeah.

See that wind speed? I've been watching it creep up all day. I'd hoped it was recording gusts. Don't look that way. I have a suspicion that there will be lots of hike a bike on the way home tonight, at least until I get to the relative protection of my neighborhood.

Not looking forward to it.