Perfect February weather for a ride

Wow.
That's all I can say.
Wow.
It does not get much better than sunshine, 50 and no wind smack-dab in the middle of February.

I hurried with the PhilCast show and the chores of the day to try to get out before lunch. I was so looking forward to a winter riding adventure today, and that is what I got.

Two minutes in I had to wait forever for the train from hell. I rode the third-string bike today, the Trek 7500FX this time, and boy was it (and I) a mess at the end of this 2:44, 36-mile ride down into Franklin and back.

I chose this bike rather than the 4th stringer because I knew I wanted to explore my old Three Bridges route today and would want to feel 'more normal' riding this bike as opposed to the old Navigator 400 I rode outside earlier in the week.

I took the early detour on my route because the path off Bluemound is still jammed with snow. I would find out however, that most all the other path areas on my route were indeed clear enough to ride...most.

The detour, once a road marked by potholes as big as Glenn Beck's ego and as frequent as hookers at Charlie Sheen's doorstep, is now in fact paved and boasts a bike lane. No problem riding this now.

I wanted to test areas that had been closed down last fall. The big one was Root River Parkway, which is now coated with a fantastic layer of smooth blacktop.

And the greatest surprise of all was the fact that the bridge just before Loomis, closed for half a year or more, is finally complete!

Take a look at the bridge with this short video I took.

Coming up on a bridge overpass on the path it was tough to see due to all the wet and glare. I had some doubts about the path ahead and hit the brakes which SCREAMED and scared me a bit because they were all wet and gunked up. At the same time I hit a patch of slushy ice and the bike jumped out on me. I corrected and kept going, but that sure did get my heart rate up there in a hurry.

I took the hilly route back, making a complete loop rather than take the path back. Yes, I sang "I'm Free" by The Who as I went past the prison, my SOP there.

On the way in I thought I would try the Greenfield Park area rather than the detour, just to check it out. The path is now clear enough to ride at the golf course, but the gate at Greenfield Ave. is still locked shut. This was one of only two places on the entire ride that I had to do a little cyclocross, carrying my bike over the slippery stuff.

In the end I had to backtrack a bit due to that early patch of bad stuff approaching Bluemound. But all in all things are open already. Messy as hell, yes, but open.

Yuk... like I said...what a mess! But it was worth every bit of grit and grime to be back out on the road.

As much as I stay connected to the world each and every day via the internet, there is something to be said for unplugging and just being out on the road.

No emails. No texting. No phone. No Twitter. No Facebook. No PhilCast. No internet.

Just a bike and a road and a nice February day. It doesn't really feel like spring yet out there...too much snow all around yet. And I know this is just a tease. But I'll take it. Boy will I take it.

2011 Miles: 49