Day 14 of 30: Camp Chasing the Wind

As the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Rest assured, my 30 Days of Biking did not come to an end:

That streak is still very much alive. However, my commuting via bicycle streak is over after 9 consecutive work days. It's not a big deal, and as I mentioned last week, I'm just grateful to have a commute. Just one of those random things I think about and will just as easily forget, because I have every intention of riding to work tomorrow, too.

So what happened? With a lackluster forecast looming yesterday, I poked my head out my front door early in the morning and was greeted with a downpour and lightning. I've biked under some pretty crazy circumstances before, but knowing that a full day of outdoor work lay ahead of me, enduring an arduous ride before an arduous day just didn't tickle my fancy.

I instead opted to throw the bike in my car and drive to work. It felt strange. If the calendar is telling the truth, I'd last driven to work on March 20th, more than three weeks ago. Stowing my bike in my car to ride after work is never my first choice, but it's better than not riding at all.

Some time mid-morning, the fiercest of rain showers had moved out, but the wind really picked up as a cold front moved in. I ventured out to the Camp Chase Trail after work, looking more like I was prepared for mid-Winter than mid-Spring:

I mean, we're supposed to be covering our faces in public anyway, right? It may look like I went above and beyond, but believe me when I say that it was worth the effort. Riding westward into the wind was quite challenging. I actually went all the way down to the granny gear for a short stretch. We're all going through challenges nowadays, small businesses included. I chose another local coffee shop as my intended destination, Third Way Cafe:

In addition to selling to-go coffee and bags of whole beans, they've got an interesting approach to this whole situation. Since no customers are allowed to stay in the shop after purchase, they've decided to use this time for renovation. It's a pretty good idea for those businesses that can afford to make that kind of investment right now.

After picking up a bag of locally-roasted coffee, I was on my way back east to the shop. This ride was much easier, as you can imagine. It was only about a 3.8 mile round trip, but mileage doesn't matter this month - only riding! I did my part for the day, so I kept myself inside the remainder of the evening.

Despite some near freezing weather in the forecast for today, I do plan on getting back to my "usual" morning commute, and starting a new streak. Whatever you do, I hope you have a great Tuesday. Be safe, be well.


30DoB Mileage Total: 134.9