THANKS SANTA!

The jolly guy brought me a mixed bag of riding conditions - but even the bad parts were a breeze after last week. Some bike path sections were pretty icy and chunky after several daily rounds of thawing and re-freezing (top picture). It made for a rough ride, but WAY easier than last week when the bike paths were unplowed or badly plowed. My studded tires found plenty to grab on the icy stuff. Most of the bike paths were actually dry with just a few icy spots (bottom picture), and the roads were mostly clear. After slogging through snow and slush all last week, it was nice to get back into the groove of my commute with an easy ride.

The highlight of this morning's ride was seeing a Great Horned Owl fly from the ground near the bike path about 20 yards ahead of me and land in a tree just off the path. He didn't hang around long enough for a picture, but it was a pretty awesome sight.

MORNING RIDE (7 miles)
Temperature: 27 degrees F
Skies: Cloudy
Bike Path Conditions: Mostly clear, except for the section along Kennedy Drive.

Road Conditions: Clear roads, and plenty of shoulder to the right of the white fog line.

AFTERNOON RIDE (6 miles)
Temperature: 31 degrees F
Skies: Partly Cloudy
Bike Path Conditions: Mostly clear, some ice. I hit one section less than a mile from home that was about 100 yards of inch-thick glare ice (on a hill!). An older lady, a young man and a dog were VERY carefully making their way down. I zipped right by on my studded snow tires!
Road Conditions: Clear roads, but wet on the side of the road/bike lane where the snow banks are melting. I was completely speckled with road grime by the end of the ride.