Word on the dirt street was that today was Global Fat Bike Day. Even as a fat bike owner and rider I don’t know what that means, and since I’ve never been one to do what the masses do, I rode my El Mariachi for two hours on dirt roads north of town.
Twas swell… ish.
We are currently void of snow here in the mid mitten, however we are sadly not void of cold ass temperatures. I can’t make up my mind if I am happy about that or not. On one hand, it is nice to go out and roll the El Mariachi on dusty, hard pack dirt roads, but since the temperatures are only in the mid-twenties (or worse) when I ride, I have to dress in all the same layers of winter clothing to do so… so, I might as well ride the Farley on snow pack. You dig?
After 5 days away I am finally back and “doing stuff.” Sadly, today, my “doing stuff” did not involved time on the bike. Instead it involved running shoes and 4.5 miles on the treadmill squeezed in between a variety of duties that were about as fun a lancing a boil with a dull knitting needle. BUT, in that hodgepodge of boil lancing I was able to drop off and pick up the first roll of film in my winter 2014/15 Holga experiment; it was a sub par success.
First we had snow, then we didn’t have snow, then we ALMOST had snow again, then I didn’t have time to ride (but time to run) and NOW we’re on the cusp of winter’s first mental demolition (within the Trifecta of Annual Holiday Evil): Thanksgiving.
As you may or may not remember, just two days ago (Friday) I was riding in 19 degree weather on a fat bike with 4″ wide tires over snow and ice packed dirt roads. Saturday I woke up and the roads were caked with ice and freezing rain. Today I was out on my mountain bike and cruising Michiganderburgh paved roads in 50 degree weather and light rain. Holy freaking psycho weather!
Anyone who has ever come within three feet of me or this blog knows that I hate winter. I’m not happy about it, but there’s nothing I can do about it, so I have learned to embrace it. However, that embrace is sort of like when you’re thirteen and one of your grandmother’s buxom friends decides that she wants, nay, NEEDS a hug upon meeting you. You’re not happy about it, but at some point during the embrace your realize that despite the woman’s advanced years, caked on makeup, wrinkles, eye watering perfume and ongoing fight with gravity, her extremely large, round boobs ARE indeed pressing into your chest. Sadly, no matter how hard your try, you end up using that bit later whilst in private*. You’re not happy about it, but there’s nothing you can do about it. Riding in the winter is my touchy/feely big boob hug.
Up until today, the week has not gone according to plan as far as doing stuff. Monday is always a crapshoot on whether I can get out and this Monday didn’t really cooperate, it was the crap part of the crapshoot. On Tuesday we got hit with some lake effect snow and strong winds so I thought it best to stay off the roads with visibility so low. It wasn’t nearly as bad as it was west of Mt. Peezy but it snowing and blowing hard nonetheless.
Make no mistake about it, I hate winter. I hate the grey skies, the ice, slush, snow and cold, damn I hate the cold! And don’t even get me started on the ball suck holidays like Christmas and New Years that are thrown into the winter mix; I hate it all. BUT, winter is indeed here and the snow that has been coming down the past couple of days was a sure indication of that. When I woke up this morning and saw that snow that was covering the roads and ground I thought today just might be perfect for getting out on the dirt roads for a ride. I was only half right, which is only slightly better than being half wrong.
As I rode today I tried figuring out how I would describe our current weather. Fall has pretty much come, colorfully shit the bed, changed the sheets and left, but it’s not exactly winter now either… or is it?
As I mentioned the other day, I would not be joining my friends, and 2.5 million other riders, to race in the cold and mud of the Iceman on Saturday up in Traverse City, but I did get another couple hours of gobsmacking dirt road riding in on Friday.