Treading Water

This has been a tough two weeks for my biking schedule.  Last week the car broke down on Saturday, so there went my Saturday and Sunday rides, and this week our Saturday schedule did not permit a bike ride.

Well, it did, if I don't mind riding in the late afternoon heat, which I most definitely do mind.

But as fall begins to approach, I know that I won't have to limit myself to early morning rides to avoid the heat.  This will give me a lot more flexibility, and I might even be able to get rides in during the week as well.  In order to have a decent ride, I need at least 1 hour of riding time, as 10-11 miles takes me right at an hour or a few minutes over.  Then I need time to shower and drive from my house to the bike path and back, which adds another half-hour to my workout time.  This summer other things have taken up my time - gardening, my mother visiting, keeping my school child occupied.  Fall means the gardening falls off, the daughter is back in school, and we don't have a lot of visitors stopping by.

But it also means that the weather will be turning toward the chilly, and as winter comes on, getting three rides a week in may be difficult.  Last winter, I was riding up to the weekend before I fell and broke my leg.  If I waited until late enough in the day, when the temp could get up to at least the mid-40's, I was able to ride.  While I was laid up for the 12 weeks I could not bike, there were days that would have been perfect for a bike ride.  People think of Colorado as being this bitterly cold, snowy place, but it is not necessarily.  If I lived in the mountains, then yes, that would be winter.  But here, on the high, semi-arid plains, snow happens but it doesn't last, and many days end up in the 50's and 60's.  Mid-40's is all I need to ride.  If you dress right, you can ride in many different types of weather.  I've ridden in a wet snow, and rain, and hot sun.
This morning's bike ride got me a pretty close look at a turkey buzzard.  I knew they were around but I was less than 30 feet from this one so got a good view of him.  Also saw some of my "regulars" including the cute young guy who roller-blades the entire train (I do only half).  He always gives me this huge grin and a wave.  Also had a short conversation with a fisherman just headed out to catch some trout on the river.  He and I both agreed that the sleek little animals we'd been seeing around were not mink, but otter.  I feel validated!