How Cold and Wet Does It Have To Be Before you Cancel A Bike Ride?
- Thread starter SierraSlim
- Start date
My brother has lived in Mendota Heights for the past thirty years. I only visit during the summer for obvious reasons. I remember a few years back they had to postpone Halloween due to three feet of snow. The winter in New England is mild compared to what you have to deal with.
Wow. I don't like to get wet, but there's a lot of nice biking to be done in the 50s and 40s, even 30s.
For riding in sub-zero, I had a specially-set up helmut. The front vent holes were all taped off, and I had a face shield from a motorcycle helmet attached, cut off at nose level. I could point it down to ride and it would block the wind, but it was open enough that my breath didn't frost the inside. Cheeks still got cold, but a balaclava helped. And I was only riding a couple of miles at a time.
For riding in sub-zero, I had a specially-set up helmut. The front vent holes were all taped off, and I had a face shield from a motorcycle helmet attached, cut off at nose level. I could point it down to ride and it would block the wind, but it was open enough that my breath didn't frost the inside. Cheeks still got cold, but a balaclava helped. And I was only riding a couple of miles at a time.
LOL....
Well, if you went to school at the big 3M campus on the East side of St. Paul, I think that might be 3M's headquarters, then I live about 2 miles South of where you went to school.
My suburb didn't exist in '66 though, it would have been nothing but deer woods back then. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif
Wow Dave, what a small world!
One of my favorite ride routes ends up in Mendota Heights. Here's a pic I took at the Big Rivers Trail Park (I think I got the name of the park correct /img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif ) in Mendota Heights just a couple of weeks ago.
This is in the vicinity of Mendota Heights Road and Old Highway 13 looking West across the river valley at the start of the Bloomington strip and the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. You probably won't recognize it, but I bet your brother will know where it's at.
Im sure he would. He is an active runner and cross country coach in Hastings. He has run the Twin Citys Marathon 25 consecutive years as a qualified runner. He is always running around the lakes in the area. You may have seen him in the past he runs with his dogs quite often. Small world for sure.Originally Posted by 64Paramount .
Wow Dave, what a small world!
One of my favorite ride routes ends up in Mendota Heights. Here's a pic I took at the Big Rivers Trail Park (I think I got the name of the park correct /img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif ) in Mendota Heights just a couple of weeks ago.
This is in the vicinity of Mendota Heights Road and Old Highway 13 looking West across the river valley at the start of the Bloomington strip and the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. You probably won't recognize it, but I bet your brother will know where it's at.
Living in the Seattle area, if I wasn't willing to ride in the cold or the rain, I wouldn't ride very often. My thinking is that I will need to take a hot shower afterwards no matter what the weather is like, so I may as well get out and ride. Except in true downpours or sub-freezing temperatures, I'm willing to go.
Of course I do dress appropriately (fleece, Gore-Tex, et cetera), so I can more or less mitigate the effects of the weather.
Of course I do dress appropriately (fleece, Gore-Tex, et cetera), so I can more or less mitigate the effects of the weather.
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]Hi, Y’all![/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]I’ve been battling a nasty bronchitis bug the last couple days so sort of out of commission here (though lurking and peeking to see if anybody taught me something new, lol). But I’m getting way behind![/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]KDelong—you’ve had ride-induced hypothermia?? I had no idea you could GET that, though now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense. How did they treat you? (I was a medical transcriptionist, so I’m all about the details, lol.) I will definitely remember not to let that happen. And I’ve told Frugal Hubby that I need some of those roller things to set my cruiser on, once I get my new bike, in the spare room in front of the television on nasty-weather days. I understand they even have bike-path videos you can watch while you ride, which would be infinitely preferable to most daytime TV![/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]Davereo, your ride home fighting those winds does NOT sound like fun! I’ve only been out in bad wind once, so far, and could not BELIEVE how much harder it made it. I mean, I expected it to be harder, but this was like exponentially harder. Thought I would die. And I think they said it was only 15-20 mph or so. Can’t imagine more!![/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]NMCycling, me too! Hate getting wet, that is. If I could figure out a way to shower without it, I would, lol. As I said in an earlier post, I’m so blind without my glasses that I can’t ride in the rain, in any case. But I wouldn’t, even with 20/20 vision, because I can’t stand getting spattered and splattered. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]BHOFM, I love that you remembered Rocky and Bullwinkle’s hometown! I remembered them well, but not their town. Those were the days…. My very earliest cartoon memory is a little guy that looked like a tornado named Tom Terrific; I think that was pre-Captain Kangaroo, even! Sierra is showing her age… [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]Swampy, potholes covered by puddles isn’t something that had even occurred to me. Wow, that could be bad. You see why I need to hang around here and pick y’all brains??? Like you, I also have asthma and a predisposition to bronchitis and pneumonia, so frigid air and I must keep our paths separate. No excuses. Just fact. Can’t ride the bike in a hospital bed![/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]Paramount, that was one thing I didn’t understand about Sioux Falls. I figured, if they were always the coldest place in the U.S. in the winter, at least they would have nice summers, right?? But noooooooo…. I remember my daughter being born in May. It was 106 degrees, and I was trying to figure out how to nurse her without either of us touching each other, lol, because we were both so hot. I H-A-T-E-D that place.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]Blazingpedals, I love the sound of your helmet! When I was so cold last week, I wondered if cyclists ever wore motorcycle helmets to keep their faces warm. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]I love the family reunion that you 3 are having, Paramount, BHOFM, and Davereo! The world gets smaller all the time.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]PTricky, I remember Seattle well… one of the few vacations I ever took where we had to be inside the entire time because all it did was rain…. So you have my sympathies in having to ride in it all the time! I would have to find another form of exercise, lol.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]Well, this is probably one of the longer posts, so I'd better get off before I get kicked off. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/rolleyes.gif[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]Thanks for sharing, and happy pedaling![/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]I’ve been battling a nasty bronchitis bug the last couple days so sort of out of commission here (though lurking and peeking to see if anybody taught me something new, lol). But I’m getting way behind![/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]KDelong—you’ve had ride-induced hypothermia?? I had no idea you could GET that, though now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense. How did they treat you? (I was a medical transcriptionist, so I’m all about the details, lol.) I will definitely remember not to let that happen. And I’ve told Frugal Hubby that I need some of those roller things to set my cruiser on, once I get my new bike, in the spare room in front of the television on nasty-weather days. I understand they even have bike-path videos you can watch while you ride, which would be infinitely preferable to most daytime TV![/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]Davereo, your ride home fighting those winds does NOT sound like fun! I’ve only been out in bad wind once, so far, and could not BELIEVE how much harder it made it. I mean, I expected it to be harder, but this was like exponentially harder. Thought I would die. And I think they said it was only 15-20 mph or so. Can’t imagine more!![/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]NMCycling, me too! Hate getting wet, that is. If I could figure out a way to shower without it, I would, lol. As I said in an earlier post, I’m so blind without my glasses that I can’t ride in the rain, in any case. But I wouldn’t, even with 20/20 vision, because I can’t stand getting spattered and splattered. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]BHOFM, I love that you remembered Rocky and Bullwinkle’s hometown! I remembered them well, but not their town. Those were the days…. My very earliest cartoon memory is a little guy that looked like a tornado named Tom Terrific; I think that was pre-Captain Kangaroo, even! Sierra is showing her age… [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]Swampy, potholes covered by puddles isn’t something that had even occurred to me. Wow, that could be bad. You see why I need to hang around here and pick y’all brains??? Like you, I also have asthma and a predisposition to bronchitis and pneumonia, so frigid air and I must keep our paths separate. No excuses. Just fact. Can’t ride the bike in a hospital bed![/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]Paramount, that was one thing I didn’t understand about Sioux Falls. I figured, if they were always the coldest place in the U.S. in the winter, at least they would have nice summers, right?? But noooooooo…. I remember my daughter being born in May. It was 106 degrees, and I was trying to figure out how to nurse her without either of us touching each other, lol, because we were both so hot. I H-A-T-E-D that place.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]Blazingpedals, I love the sound of your helmet! When I was so cold last week, I wondered if cyclists ever wore motorcycle helmets to keep their faces warm. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]I love the family reunion that you 3 are having, Paramount, BHOFM, and Davereo! The world gets smaller all the time.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]PTricky, I remember Seattle well… one of the few vacations I ever took where we had to be inside the entire time because all it did was rain…. So you have my sympathies in having to ride in it all the time! I would have to find another form of exercise, lol.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]Well, this is probably one of the longer posts, so I'd better get off before I get kicked off. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/rolleyes.gif[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff][SIZE= medium]Thanks for sharing, and happy pedaling![/COLOR][/SIZE]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff] [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Ahhh, but Jimbo....[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]You don't see me skiing, either, lol! I am SUCH a creature of comfort -- or at least of wanting to be comfortable. It's why I would rather watch a football game from the recliner in my nice warm living room with a fire going in the fireplace, my slippers on, and my doggies in my lap, than sit on a hard, crowded bench in the bitter cold of a stadium. Mind you, I've never skiied. And as lovely as snow-capped mountains are, I might actually like it, were I to ever try it. But ice-cold air being slammed against my face and into my asthmatic lungs at 40 mph just doesn't appeal, I'm afraid. [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Now, a horse-drawn sleigh ride bundled under tons of heavy blankets with a thermos of something wicked to sip from... THAT I could get into! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif If only it burned calories....[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Have a good one![/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]You don't see me skiing, either, lol! I am SUCH a creature of comfort -- or at least of wanting to be comfortable. It's why I would rather watch a football game from the recliner in my nice warm living room with a fire going in the fireplace, my slippers on, and my doggies in my lap, than sit on a hard, crowded bench in the bitter cold of a stadium. Mind you, I've never skiied. And as lovely as snow-capped mountains are, I might actually like it, were I to ever try it. But ice-cold air being slammed against my face and into my asthmatic lungs at 40 mph just doesn't appeal, I'm afraid. [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Now, a horse-drawn sleigh ride bundled under tons of heavy blankets with a thermos of something wicked to sip from... THAT I could get into! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif If only it burned calories....[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Have a good one![/COLOR]
By skiing, I meant cross country skiing. It's pretty tough to hit 40 mph doing that. You might be cold (or cool) at the start, but after a few minutes you'll be pretty warm and after a few minutes more you'll be sweating and wishing you didn't have so many layers.
I think alpine skiing is lame - no real exercise value unless you walk up the hill first.
Anyways, the point I'm making is that no-one thinks it's odd to dress up and go outside to ski, so why would anyone think it odd to dress up and go outside to cycle.
[COLOR= #0000ff]G'day, Jimbo![/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]I don't think it's odd -- I just don't wanna DO it, lol. I have the utmost admiration for people who put themselves through all kinds of misery and can make themselves enjoy it. It would be nice to be one of them. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif But as Clint Eastwood says, "A man's gotta know his limitations." And one of my personal limitations is that, if I'm not enjoying it, I'm probably not DOING it. But that's what absolutely blows me away about cycling: It's exercise -- and I actually love it!!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Now, that said, I really didn't enjoy my first few bike rides that much, either, because I was so out of shape that just pedaling down the block did me in. But I did see the potential to enjoy it, because I loved the feeling of the breeze in my hair and the sun on my face, so I kept it up until I wasn't so miserable. So there is the possibility that cross-country skiing would eventually be enjoyable for me, too. And I do love being outdoors in beautiful scenery. So maybe... someday.... after I get healthier doing the EASIER sport, lol, which is biking, I'll give it a try. Although, living where I live, it was take some traveling. But anything could happen. [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Speaking of which, I just noticed where you from! No wonder you like snow sports. Y'all don't have any choice, lol. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Thanks for the input! [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]I don't think it's odd -- I just don't wanna DO it, lol. I have the utmost admiration for people who put themselves through all kinds of misery and can make themselves enjoy it. It would be nice to be one of them. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif But as Clint Eastwood says, "A man's gotta know his limitations." And one of my personal limitations is that, if I'm not enjoying it, I'm probably not DOING it. But that's what absolutely blows me away about cycling: It's exercise -- and I actually love it!!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Now, that said, I really didn't enjoy my first few bike rides that much, either, because I was so out of shape that just pedaling down the block did me in. But I did see the potential to enjoy it, because I loved the feeling of the breeze in my hair and the sun on my face, so I kept it up until I wasn't so miserable. So there is the possibility that cross-country skiing would eventually be enjoyable for me, too. And I do love being outdoors in beautiful scenery. So maybe... someday.... after I get healthier doing the EASIER sport, lol, which is biking, I'll give it a try. Although, living where I live, it was take some traveling. But anything could happen. [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Speaking of which, I just noticed where you from! No wonder you like snow sports. Y'all don't have any choice, lol. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Thanks for the input! [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]
I have to get in on this one... ...WHOA, this got long...sorry.
I live in Rapid City, SD. Last year was my first "Big Charity Ride"...I planned/trained all summer long for this event, so nothing was going to stop me. The ride was Sept 12-13th. The weekend before the ride was BEAUTIFUL!!! Looked at the 10-Day outlook...its looking good for my ride...Woo-Hoo!!! Could hardly contain myself...I had a hour countdown till my ride started and everything. As the week progressed the forecast got worse and worse. Temperatures dropping to the low 40's---highs in the 60's. Not bad...but the chance for rain was on the rise, by the day before the ride it was 60% chance of rain...and I don't have rain gear. Ugh...better at least get a rain coat!!!
Saturday morning, wake up to look at the radar **sigh** One of those sights that is just a bummer...the whole screen is GREEN with rain. So, I zoom out a little, then a little more, and a little more. I can see all of SD, ND, NE, and part of MN. The rain streaks all the way from about Fargo,ND...across and down through Rapid City...and moving south into NE. Its going to be an ALL DAY rain.
Get all my stuff ready (including my new rain coat), and a vest...for whatever warmth that might give me. I get to the start/finish line. You know, yeah, its 42 degrees and raining...but its not that "bad", and it will warm up throughout the day...right? So I decide to start with just my cycling gear and rain coat. Being to psyched up for the ride and not using common sense...I start the ride. Shortly thereafter, common sense starts to sink in. We are going to be gaining elevation (if I remember correctly about 2000ft in about 25miles, with the bulk of that being in the last 5mile climb). Anyway...as we ride, it seems to get colder...but then, starts to "warm up"? ...SWEET...I thought. Shortly before the last climb I had to ditch my riding glasses...the rain was starting to stick (20/20 hindsight...Ice up). On the climb, I thought I was toasty (although...I now don't remember really riding up the hill, hmmm). There was a rest stop at the top, yeah, we should stop and eat something. I remember having a hard time opening my Clif Bar...odd, my fingers don't want to work.
Anyway...one of the guys in my group suggested that we stop for a while and go into the visitors center that was nearby. Sounds Good! ...I now start realizing, something isn't "right". I had a hard time controlling my bike on the short little downhills (shaking to bad)...but I made it safely.
As we enter the visitors center people were looking at us like we were CRAZY...yes, we are, but still. Something else must have caught one of the ladies eye that worked there that something wasn't right. She took blankets off the shelfs (that were for sale mind you) and wrapped one around each of us...Suggested that we went into the "back room" because that was the warmest room, and brought us some free coffee.
After uncontrollable shivering/shaking/cant hold a cup of coffee for about 45 minutes, stuff starts to make sense. We must have been setting into hypothermia!!! We also find out that the temperature is now 31 degrees out. OH, Duh!!! So, after another half hour of figuring out what to do, we finally call for a ride and some warmer clothes. We get SAG'd around for a little bit...as the rain finally gives way, somehow. We get dropped off about 30 miles to the finish...and ride it in the rest of the way (we had a personal SAG, so she followed us...just in case).
Yeah, we should have figured out the hypothermia during the ride and called for a SAG earlier...but, whatever. One person did have to go to the hospital because of hypothermia...a SAG vehicle saw her and tried to convince her to get into the car, she refused. She later crashed because she couldn't stop shaking so bad (she did ride the next day). Most everybody shorted the ride to the 25 or 45 mile loop (or caught a ride with a SAG). There were a few (who were prepared) that made the full Century ride...7 riders, out of 150.
So, there's my story. Prior to the ride, and now, I call it quits when the temps reach 40-45 degrees. I'll ride in rain, doesn't bother me.
Sorry this got so long.
I live in Rapid City, SD. Last year was my first "Big Charity Ride"...I planned/trained all summer long for this event, so nothing was going to stop me. The ride was Sept 12-13th. The weekend before the ride was BEAUTIFUL!!! Looked at the 10-Day outlook...its looking good for my ride...Woo-Hoo!!! Could hardly contain myself...I had a hour countdown till my ride started and everything. As the week progressed the forecast got worse and worse. Temperatures dropping to the low 40's---highs in the 60's. Not bad...but the chance for rain was on the rise, by the day before the ride it was 60% chance of rain...and I don't have rain gear. Ugh...better at least get a rain coat!!!
Saturday morning, wake up to look at the radar **sigh** One of those sights that is just a bummer...the whole screen is GREEN with rain. So, I zoom out a little, then a little more, and a little more. I can see all of SD, ND, NE, and part of MN. The rain streaks all the way from about Fargo,ND...across and down through Rapid City...and moving south into NE. Its going to be an ALL DAY rain.
Get all my stuff ready (including my new rain coat), and a vest...for whatever warmth that might give me. I get to the start/finish line. You know, yeah, its 42 degrees and raining...but its not that "bad", and it will warm up throughout the day...right? So I decide to start with just my cycling gear and rain coat. Being to psyched up for the ride and not using common sense...I start the ride. Shortly thereafter, common sense starts to sink in. We are going to be gaining elevation (if I remember correctly about 2000ft in about 25miles, with the bulk of that being in the last 5mile climb). Anyway...as we ride, it seems to get colder...but then, starts to "warm up"? ...SWEET...I thought. Shortly before the last climb I had to ditch my riding glasses...the rain was starting to stick (20/20 hindsight...Ice up). On the climb, I thought I was toasty (although...I now don't remember really riding up the hill, hmmm). There was a rest stop at the top, yeah, we should stop and eat something. I remember having a hard time opening my Clif Bar...odd, my fingers don't want to work.
Anyway...one of the guys in my group suggested that we stop for a while and go into the visitors center that was nearby. Sounds Good! ...I now start realizing, something isn't "right". I had a hard time controlling my bike on the short little downhills (shaking to bad)...but I made it safely.
As we enter the visitors center people were looking at us like we were CRAZY...yes, we are, but still. Something else must have caught one of the ladies eye that worked there that something wasn't right. She took blankets off the shelfs (that were for sale mind you) and wrapped one around each of us...Suggested that we went into the "back room" because that was the warmest room, and brought us some free coffee.
After uncontrollable shivering/shaking/cant hold a cup of coffee for about 45 minutes, stuff starts to make sense. We must have been setting into hypothermia!!! We also find out that the temperature is now 31 degrees out. OH, Duh!!! So, after another half hour of figuring out what to do, we finally call for a ride and some warmer clothes. We get SAG'd around for a little bit...as the rain finally gives way, somehow. We get dropped off about 30 miles to the finish...and ride it in the rest of the way (we had a personal SAG, so she followed us...just in case).
Yeah, we should have figured out the hypothermia during the ride and called for a SAG earlier...but, whatever. One person did have to go to the hospital because of hypothermia...a SAG vehicle saw her and tried to convince her to get into the car, she refused. She later crashed because she couldn't stop shaking so bad (she did ride the next day). Most everybody shorted the ride to the 25 or 45 mile loop (or caught a ride with a SAG). There were a few (who were prepared) that made the full Century ride...7 riders, out of 150.
So, there's my story. Prior to the ride, and now, I call it quits when the temps reach 40-45 degrees. I'll ride in rain, doesn't bother me.
Sorry this got so long.
[COLOR= #0000ff]Hi, RocketMan![/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Don't apologize for the post being long; I loved reading your story! I lived in South Dakota for 5 very long years, and know the vagaries of the weather there all too well. We were there in 1972, when Rapid City had flooding that killed people -- if I remember correctly, because of some cloud-seeding that went awry. But children died, and I had just had my first baby, so the thought was scorched into my mind. I was also there one November when I hung my baby's diapers out on the line to dry one afternoon (remember cloth diapers, anyone???), and forgot about them. The next morning when I went to take one down off the clothesline, it snapped in half like a saltine cracker, because it had frozen solid. Sorry, but I HATED that place, lol. Anyway....[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]How unlucky you were with the weather, and how LUCKY you were that someone at the visitor's center recognized the early symptoms of hypothermia! If they hadn't and had sent you on your way, people could have died. I can't even imagine riding in that. It was only down to 60 when I did the ride last week that precipitated my post, and even at that temperature with the wind and rain, I was shaking with cold by the time I got home. Not fun![/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]I wouldn't mind riding in the rain, if it weren't so cold, except that I can't see when my glasses get wet, and I can't see without them at all, so I'm doomed, lol. But if I COULD see, I think I might enjoy it, as long as I didn't run into puddle-hidden potholes or something, because I like walking in the rain with an umbrella and raincoat, and just listening to it all. We had an old farmhouse in Missouri that had a tin roof, and there was nothing more romantic than lying in bed at night and listening to the rain on it. But that's another story.... /img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Thanks for sharing yours![/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Don't apologize for the post being long; I loved reading your story! I lived in South Dakota for 5 very long years, and know the vagaries of the weather there all too well. We were there in 1972, when Rapid City had flooding that killed people -- if I remember correctly, because of some cloud-seeding that went awry. But children died, and I had just had my first baby, so the thought was scorched into my mind. I was also there one November when I hung my baby's diapers out on the line to dry one afternoon (remember cloth diapers, anyone???), and forgot about them. The next morning when I went to take one down off the clothesline, it snapped in half like a saltine cracker, because it had frozen solid. Sorry, but I HATED that place, lol. Anyway....[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]How unlucky you were with the weather, and how LUCKY you were that someone at the visitor's center recognized the early symptoms of hypothermia! If they hadn't and had sent you on your way, people could have died. I can't even imagine riding in that. It was only down to 60 when I did the ride last week that precipitated my post, and even at that temperature with the wind and rain, I was shaking with cold by the time I got home. Not fun![/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]I wouldn't mind riding in the rain, if it weren't so cold, except that I can't see when my glasses get wet, and I can't see without them at all, so I'm doomed, lol. But if I COULD see, I think I might enjoy it, as long as I didn't run into puddle-hidden potholes or something, because I like walking in the rain with an umbrella and raincoat, and just listening to it all. We had an old farmhouse in Missouri that had a tin roof, and there was nothing more romantic than lying in bed at night and listening to the rain on it. But that's another story.... /img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Thanks for sharing yours![/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]
I live in the Houston, TX area so there is no weather I wouldn't ride in here. Other than lightning & ice without studded tires, I'm there. I've even ridden in snow at night where I live once believe it or not. We got about 7-9 inches that night, great stuff. Getting surprised by pouring rain on some good singletrack at night was one of the most fun rides I have ever done. Had about 15 miles worth just to get back to the vehicles. Checking weather and having appropriate gear will make huge difference in the ride being survival to complete or soaking up the fun. Weather is OK to deal with, I mostly despise equipment failure or flats.
[COLOR= #0000ff]Impressive, i1toride![/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Can I ask what kind of gear you have that helps you enjoy such rides? I'm gonna need to know, cuz I need to be on the bike!! [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Thanks for the input![/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Can I ask what kind of gear you have that helps you enjoy such rides? I'm gonna need to know, cuz I need to be on the bike!! [/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Thanks for the input![/COLOR]
[COLOR= #0000ff]Sierra[/COLOR]
