"What I Learned Today"

1)Its getting cold outside.
2)It's not much fun to ride your bike when it's cold.
3)No matter how many pairs of gloves you wear they are not the same as mittens.
4)Shot Bloks no longer taste like ju-jubes in the cold, but rather they taste like frozen ju-jubes.
5)It takes almost as long to dress for cold weather riding, as the ride itself.

Of course any day that you learn something must be a good day eh, so lets call it as such. I will be better prepared next time. As it was I had 2 bottom layers, 3 top layers, 2 pairs of socks, and 2 head covers but I still have layers I can add. The biggest mistake I made however was the gloves. I had put some of those ju-jube things in my new little bag(whick I really like by the way) and realizing that with my heavy mitts on I would never be able to extricate them, I chose to go with 2 pairs of goves instead. I should know better than that.
It occurred to me that the gloves/mittens choice could kind of be a metaphor for life within society. When things are good(when it's warm) wearing gloves is like living in your own little cocoon, safe and protected from the world. But when things turn tough(when it gets cold) you will appreciate the closeness of friends and family(the shared warmth of a mitten) that you may not have relized you needed in better times. The warmth that you may have actually even turned away, to avoid the closeness(the skin contact of the mitten).
The big problem is of course the wind. It just cuts through everything when your riding against it. Claudette had a great idea which means more sacrifice on her part but it is something I will have to take her up on at times. The thought is that she will drive me and my bike upwind so that I can pedal home with the wind or vice versa, come and get me from wherever the wind blows me. When you think about the effort on her part, if I decide to ride 15O kms, she will have to drive 300!! Thanks dear!
Other good things...my new helmet was super. I never pushed it off my forehead once. Also the camelback drinking thing worked very well. I was pleaseantly surprised. And probably more importantly than my fingers, my toes were pretty good. I don't know if I mentioned it but I have a pair of winter cycling shoes that I bought when I got my bike. I think that with one more pair of wool socks I will be fine for even colder weather. Not that it was that cold today....just above freezing when I left, but like I said...the wind is the killer. It was 20 kph when I headed out, and over 30 when I got back from my abbreviated ride.(35 kms)

I wish to dedicate day 54 to my nephew Jeff for whom I wish success with that guitar.

"And every man knew, as the captain did too, twas the witch of november come stealin"---Gordon Lightfoot

love
peter