The Vanimal

#31daysofbiking Mileage Counter: 197.1

I've reached the end of this absolutely hellacious work week in which my team processed more laundry than I think I've ever seen in my life...combined. You've seen this guy before:

My spatial awareness game was on point. Why the hell they put bollards that tight on a loading dock, I don't know...

I rode my bike to pick up this worthy ZipVan today, at about 7:30AM, when it was already Florida hot at 82°F. It rose to close to 100°F not counting the heat index, and I was more than thankful for this beast while moving nearly 500 pounds of sleeping bags for Outward Bound and over 1,000 pounds of pillows for Temple. Of course, I only snapped this pic out of all this madness, but in this heat, I think you can understand:

Fluff off, heat wave.

I can deal with heat. It's actually been the humidity that has bothered me the most, as I'm sure most of you will agree. On days like today, sometimes I'll soak a hat or bandanna that I wear under my helmet to keep me cool. Other times, I'll just use my shirt and go total ridiculous, because why the hell not? I mean, I was off the clock at this point:

I am likely one of the many half-naked people you saw in North Philly today...

Somehow I've logged close to 200 miles in this heat, and really, it's not so bad while you're in motion with the wind, the breeze and the adrenaline to numb the other senses. Once stopped, it's apparent that this struggle is real...

I had grand delusions of riding to Red Hill for a Summer celebration tomorrow, but that's not going to happen. I do place value on my own life, contrary to popular belief. However, I'm gonna try to sneak in an early morning ride of semi-equal adventure. Let's see how it goes. Happy weekend, everyone. Drink (water) up!