It's not often that I head out for a ride in total darkness, but today's Cyclopath ride, a week before Daylight Savings Time ends, had me riding blind. I headed out at 6:30 a.m. in the dark, taking the rougher roads to downtown Salem because I knew those roads had the most light. (By "rough" I mean potholes, cracks, debris and glass... Canal Street is the pits to ride on.) There I met 8 other Cyclopaths for a very cold ride to Larch Row and Wenham, with the temperature registering a bare 44 degrees.
Despite being bundled in layers, the chill still managed to sneak through to my bones -- especially to my toes and fingers! Winter is here. It really is. I know the calendar claims it's fall... but I am calling it winter now. (Frankenstorm is expected to bring snow to the area next week, which just backs up my declaration that it's winter.)
I'll probably skip next week's ride if the plan is to head out at 7 -- It's just too cold and dark at that hour (for me) -- though the glorious sunrise over Beverly Harbor this morning, as we left Salem, almost made it worth the effort.
