Drawing the Line

It might be a while before I have another adventure. It's friggin' cold here. It's so cold, the two windows in the house that aren't double pane have frozen condensation on them. The high today was 3 with wind chill in the negatives. I'm sick. And, I still went for a (brief) ride. Masochistic? Maybe. Along with my cold, I was also feeling the onset of cabin fever. I had to get outside and do something.

Overall, the ride wasn't actually that bad. Some long johns under my jeans would've been nice, but my wool socks, fleece, and windbreaker kept me comfortable along with a balaclava and ski goggles, of course. The main issue was my hands. Even with ski gloves, they were hurting within a mile. By the end of the ride, at 3ish miles, I literally could not feel my fingers. The stinging sensation when they were warming up was the worst. Also, I found it a little unnerving when my rear wheel broke loose under acceleration at 17mph. Slick roads. I got a thumbs up from a guy waiting for the bus though.

Best of all, it gave me a good excuse for hot cider, my new favorite winter beverage, which is loaded with Vitamin C (bonus!). I still don't know what the average winter weather around here is. My first two weeks here, highs were in the 50's with 70mph winds. Now, highs are in the single digits with lots of snow. If this is the norm, I may need some mittens and chemical hand warmers for my bike excursions. Otherwise, I'll have to draw the line at 15 degrees.