On The Road Again (at least for a day)

50° 36°

At long last...the weather forecast I have been longing for! Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day, pretty much as predicted above. I do freelance writing from my home, which generally requires a good deal of self-discipline. One rule that I have set for myself, and which I RARELY break, is that during the hours when my preschool daughter is at school, that time is strictly for working. Some days lend themselves much easier to this constraint than others, and I don't think I need to explain that any further. Days like yesterday are REALLY tough.

Long story short, it was more than I could stand, and I wound up playing hooky. Actually, I feel like God gave me permission. Two of the most pressing projects that have been looming on my desk this week were mysteriously postponed by their clients, and I was able to tiptoe out of the office without being noticed. :) I actually held out until about 1:00, then I threw my bike on my car rack, and drove a few miles to a parking spot near a loop that I've been wanting to try. The parking area is near one of my favorite local spots, a picturesque "4 corners" with rolling white fences surrounding large herds of alpacas...yes, I said alpacas. Seems kind of out of place in NJ, maybe that's why it's so cool. (If you think I'm making this up, check out their website: Brookhollow Farm). To top it off, on the one corner that doesn't have alpacas, there is a sheep herd protected by a large llama. Really.

Anyway, I wound up making a nice loop on my bike which turned out to be about 11 miles with a few decent hills to tackle. I felt pretty good when I was done, and then asked myself, "OK, now could you do that 5 more times?" (average daily distance on the bike tour is 67 miles) The answer was "Hmmm...maybe not today." One step at a time...we'll get there.

Today's forecast wasn't quite as promising, especially since I had a meeting to attend for most of the morning...

47° 36°

Still, the weathermen kept saying that the rain was supposed to begin "late in the day." I got home around 1:00, inhaled some lunch, threw on my bike clothes, wheeled out of the garage, and was immediately pelted by the first few raindrops. I optimistically told myself maybe it would let up, but after about a quarter mile, it was obviously NOT letting up. Now, I know that on the tour, we are not going to be able to choose whether or not to ride in the rain, but for now, I exercised my right NOT to (and I don't think it'll be 45 degrees in late August).

So, back in the basement I went, and spent a half hour going nowhere on the trainer...sigh. The sun'll come out...tomorrow?