The difference between miserable and exhilarated

Well, I wasn't singing in the rain... but it sort of felt like that when I rode home today.

I think that during the 20 minutes it took for me to get home tonight nearly an inch of rain fell. It had been raining on and off during the day, but when I left my office it was not raining. By the time I got to the outside door the drops were beginning to fall, big, fat rain drops - the ones that make splotches nearly an inch in diameter on the sidewalk. I was wishing I'd left my work clothing on instead of changing into my biking gear.

It was miserable and cold, and I was drenched before I even got to the bike path (less than 100 yards from the door). I worried that I'd hydroplane and go down or that cars and trucks wouldn't be expecting me to be there in a downpour (so I turned on my flashing taillight and was very mindful of traffic). The wind was blowing hard enough at times to turn the rain drops into stinging needle-like projectiles.  I couldn't tell if it was worse to wear my glasses that were so streaked with rain that I couldn't really see, or to go without them and try to squint enough to keep the above-mentioned stinging-needle rain out of my eyes while hoping that I could see enough to avoid any mishaps.

Oh, yeah, I really didn't appreciate the driver of the beat up pickup truck deciding to hit the gigantic puddle at full speed just as I rode by going the other way... luckily it was during the worst of the rain, so the debris got washed off pretty quickly.

Even with all that I have to say it was the most exhilarating ride - the most exhilarating thing - I've done in a while... totally worth being really cold, wet and scared. Strange how something so simple makes us feel so alive.

arriving home

Best of all - my new Timbuk2 backpack kept all my stuff mostly dry!