San Francisco is wet. And windy. And cold. And our coastline is collapsing. And the potholes are now little lakes. And the lightening breaks over my home in the middle of the night rattling the windows and keeping me awake. And the hail is sharp and cut Cameron's hand while he was walking home from school.... I miss my bike. There will be those out there who say "but Adrienne, it is only water!" and I will reply "Have fun!". Fact is, I am not much of a rain rider, and there are a lot of contributing factors, the least of which is getting wet. When the rain is coupled with 50 MPH winds and hail and lightening and traffic that can't see me through their fogged up windshields I hang it up until at least one or two of those factors are no longer in play.
There have been a few hours here and there when the storms have taken a break and I have been able to get out to run some errands, but for the most part it has been a bike free week. Now, I have cycling withdrawal and need a cup of coffee that was made by some hipster in a Mission café.
OK. Whining over. I leave you with this hardy soul, who took advantage of the (relative) dry hour yesterday to witness the onslaught on our beautiful coast.
I hear ya!! I've been whining too. At least it looks as if we're going to get a little respite this weekend before the next series of storms come through.
ReplyDeletei have been a grumpy pants myself. :)
ReplyDeleteI almost- almost rode to a meeting in the rain at night when it was a wintery mix rain. At 7 when I left it was not too cold and raining lightly. However, I had been in the car earlier in the evening and I couldn't see a damn thing. A person crossed at a crosswalk and surprised the hell out of me ( they and crosswalk were still a ways in the distance and I was going slow for just that reason but it freaked me out to barely see a person walking in front of me) That was what made me decide to not take the bike. And sadly when my meeting was over it had stopped raining and was at a temp that would have been perfect for a ride. Next time- safety first!
ReplyDeleteI have my skinny hipster boy making me coffee-withdrawal symptom, indeed. :D
ReplyDelete(cameron's hand) get better
xo.meli
It's rough to be off the bike, for sure; do what you have to do, take the opportunities you get, and have faith that it will get better again. That's been my approach, anyway - seems to be keeping me fairly sane. Val
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived down on the Peninsula, I wouldn't have dreamed of riding in the rain. Now that I'm up in Portland, if you say you don't ride 'cause it's raining, they look at you like you're crazy.
ReplyDeleteSame rain, different states.
I guess I'm happy I'm a bit more inland, because here in San Diego I haven't some of the crappier parts of the rainy weather.
ReplyDeleteMy big downside, all my shoes are wet. But it is my own fault as I rode through all the puddles I could find.
I whine about the rain, too, here in Texas. Wearing glasses in the rain makes it kinda hard to see.
ReplyDeleteWe've had what I call California weather for the last 2 days. Sunny, cool, 68-75. Perfect for some riding. Hope you get some good riding weather soon!
I love your blog. It gives me inspiration to ride for more than just fitness :)
@ the Merry- I don't care about the wet, I have clothing and a bike that handles that well. What gets me is that no matter which direction I go, I have to start off on a 30 MPH street that feeds a freeway and has no bike lanes. As cars pass me in heavy rain I get the tripple wammy of rain falling on me as displaced rain is pushed in my face as road water is shot up at me, usually while I am being passed with less than 3 feet of clearance. You can triple that if it is a bus passing me : ) I am by no means a timid rider but even I have a limit.
ReplyDeleteNow, if I had a solid bike lane and a slower street I would ride in anything up to hail (been in that on a motorcycle and it hurts). Seeing as I don't and hail and lightening were also in the mix, I think I can hold my head up in the "I'll bike in the rain" conversation : )
This particular storm is what has brought SF to be declared an area in a state of emergency.
I don't really mind the rain, but I'm very happy for the break this weekend.
ReplyDeleteYes -- I do think you're brave to ride in SF traffic, didn't mean to imply otherwise. When I lived down there, I was a wimp.
ReplyDeleteI'm not one for riding in the snow so I've been bike free for the last few weeks for the most part. Biking in the snow doesn't work for me so until Flagstaff is more bike commuter accommodating I probably will keep bike commuting limited to the dry days, which is most of the year.
ReplyDeleteLol at the californians and their 'weather'!
ReplyDelete