Warmth

Not that long ago, I wouldn't ride alone in the dark. Hadn't even thought of riding in the city, or for that matter, considered my bicycle as practical transportation for even the shortest errand.

How long ago were these rules in place? A year ago, this would have been inconceivable to me. My friend Heather in Chicago, I thought she was shot out of a cannon because she rode to work (downtown, on the Loop, about as urban as it gets) all the way down to 25ºF.

I have good gear. Lobster claw mittens, a rain suit, balaclavas, etc. The coldest temperature I've ever ridden in was 2ºF, and that's plenty cold. But the suckiest weather to ride in?

Dark, 42ºF, raining and a stiff northwest wind. That is a big bowl of shit no matter your gear. Psychologically, it helped that I had Corinna's car at my disposal. When I got off work, knowing the weather was like this, I could have easily hopped in the millstone and driven home. Driven back to work the next morning when the weather wasn't much better, too.

I had two close calls on the way home, one a UPS truck that passed me very closely (I assume he didn't see my seven flashing lights, professional drivers are usually the least of a cyclist's worries), another a car turning in to a UPS facility on James Street in the West Bottoms. I'm guessing that one saw my lights but didn't realize I'd have to slam on the brakes to avoid being a hood ornament.

Anyway, with all my lights and helmet mohawk and all that, I felt like a drowned Mardi Gras float when I finally got home.

I hung my gear up to dry and went upstairs to the best warm-up meal ever. Corinna had made Dump & Stir burritos with pico de gallo with the last peppers and tomatoes from the garden (along with tomatillos, cilantro, etc. from Bonito Michoacan). The pico de gallo was the hottest I've ever had (our garden had almost no mild peppers this year), which was kind of nice as I defrosted.

And best of all, she'd bought some Guatemalan cream on the way out. We usually get Mexican crema from the butcher counter, but when she remembered, she was already at the checkout. The Guatemalan stuff is more expensive, no doubt because it has to ship refrigerated from the equator, but it's fantastic. The nutrition label reads like straight butter, and the first three ingredients are heavy cream, cream cheese and sour cream. It's salty, too, probably helps it travel well.

I doubt my burritos would have been as good if I'd hopped in the millstone and driven home.