Foggy Mountain Ride Around

This is what a thug looks like when it is 1 degree C and foggy (and chewing a TERD)

A long chilly ride in the fog that was 0C (32F) when we started and 1C (34F) when we finished.  On my feet I had thick wool socks, a toe hot pack, my shoes, fleece toe covers, fleece shoe covers and rain covers.  Sounds pretty invincible doesn't it?  My feet got cold about half way into the 80k ride.  The good news is once you lose feeling, your feet aren't cold anymore.

In the afternoon Hottie and I were in the car and I had the temp turned up to 78 degrees and I was still cold.  This freezing weather has lost its novelty. 

On Thursday the temps were below freezing and the fog had frozen and it looked like sugar had been spilled on the ground. The surface wasn't white like snow, but it reflected my headlight like diamond dust or and handful of tossed sugar.  I slipped in a couple places, but the spots where I slipped were pretty predictable and I wasn't in danger of going down.

Speaking of sugar.. On last Sunday's birthday ride as we made our way over hill and dale in the park I saw a phenomenon that I had never seen before.  The grass and leaves had a gloss on them as if they were wet or had been shellacked.  As a tire rode over it, the coating, which was in fact ice, cracked leaving what looked like a path of sugar where the wheels traveled.   It was pretty cool.

The group that day was large and the ride today was just The Judge and me.  Others would go out later, but it was nice to ride with such a nice guy and share both kind words and cruel suffering.