NYE TMR

"I just dropped in to see what conditions my condition was in."
The Morning Ride New Year's Eve Edition

At 5:30 the roads were damp and the temps were mid-30's. With no wind
it was actually quite pleasant out. I warmed up on BB and arrived at
DD in time to enjoy the corporeal delights of a cup of hot coffee and
a chocolate glazed.

As I finished my pre-ride snack SK rolled up to the front door. The
soundtrack for the ride was provided by Grover Washington Jr. with
"Just The Two of Us" and Bob Marley's "Mellow Mood".

We were surprised that nobody else showed, but we were not deterred.
We had a very nice ride to close out 2007. The pace was
conversational and traffic was even lighter than usual. We took the
trolley path for the climb out of the valley. I really dig that climb
in that the grade is constant and not too steep. You can just keep a
nice tempo and even effort all the way up.

By the time we entered the Park the temperature dropped enough for us
to notice. Fingers got colder and frost appeared on the sides of the
road. Out on Montgomery we had a few tire slips. The roads were
icing up in spots. We quickly learned to stay seated and keep a
smooth pedal stroke. No sudden movements or accelerations. No funny
stuff, Lebowski.

Making the right on Montgomery after Giant to head over to Rockburn
the ice was very evident so we rode even more gingerly through there.
It was fine as long as you didn't get silly.

It was kind of cool to see the conditions change like that. Driving
into work I heard stories of black ice and typically arrogant
motorists arrogantly ignoring the conditions. Not surprisingly the
I-83 skating rink was closed (or would that be open?). A number of my
colleagues have still not made it in.

Anyway, it was a very nice ride to close out the year. I'm glad I got
this one in. Thanks for the company Steve.