At the end of the workday yesterday (Tuesday, I guess, even though it felt like Friday), I snuck in a ride to St. Paul and back. The road was closed, but I saw a guy who accurately described the existing water on the road as passable.
Lilydale Road on Tues night |
It rained all day Tuesday despite the forecast being clear. I figured I lucked out and that the water would be higher today, especially downstream from the Mississippi/Minnesota confluence. So, I decided to ride upriver today and see what happened.
It was supposed to be 90 with the heat index at 100-something, and the rain wasn't expected to hit until 1:30 p.m.
Well, I got to the Coon Rapids Dam at about 9:15 and was greeted by storm clouds that quickly turned into a 45-minute downpour, lightning, and thunder, and then drizzle afterwards. (And then more of a downpour once I was back home.)
The Mississippi River, looking north from the Coon Rapids Dam |
The ride to the dam smelled of barbequed meats and was very philosophical in nature (e.g., people on fat tire bikes on shared ski and bike trails in the winter are probably as annoying as people on those fake ski things on the bike trail in the summer) and rather sweaty. The ride home was remarkably cooler, drenched, and largely isolated.
I stopped for a latte at a coffee shop close to home, which I drank on the outdoor patio due to my soggy gritty nature and planned out my process for cleaning up at home without getting wet grit all over the house. It was good training for the Ride Across Minnesota - hot and unpredictable.
Last year at this time, I'd ridden 700 miles more than I have ridden this year. This might explain why my clothes are a little more form fitting this year. I'll be fine for the upcoming week-long ride and I'm pretty okay with this more slacker-y year (see my last post), but I suspect - considering how fun my rides were the past two days - I'd be a little more content if I rode more frequently in 2018. I am really looking to riding for 5 days straight the week of July 16!
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