March 17th, 2011. I fully did not expect to be on my bike again this early in the season. I had heard 58 degrees for today’s forecast, and had my fingers crossed that the rain would hold out. Driving home today, the temp officially reached 70. I was taking the bike out even if it meant around the block. Being it was St. Patrick’s Day and knowing that the green beer started flowing at 7am, I was hesitant to be out on the roads into the evening, but there was no other alternative after driving home with the windows down and my winter coat tossed into the back seat.
Deciding on a route is once again an issue, and determining the path with the least monster potholes was definitely a factor. We decided to take I-275 south and see where it took us. 275 is in pretty good shape, not like the surface roads! We headed south and took the Carleton Rockwood exit west, and then turning south onto Grafton Rd. How I LOVE this stretch, which took us to Telegraph and into Monroe. We cruised past the vast fields and I imagined how it would look in the next few months. Today was warm, but overcast. How I long for bright sunshine and blue skies.
As I posted tonight on Facebook, if it snows again I will cry. We are often teased in early spring by an unseasonably warm day, only to lapse back into freezing temps and snow for another month. We rode almost 70 miles today, and I’m so thankful for this piece of spring/summer that we got to enjoy. A reminder of what’s to come.