February 2011

I don't mind riding in the snow, but I also won't mind not riding in the snow. It's February, winter can end any time.

We have had a pretty constant snow cover since December. The sidewalks have been snow and/or ice covered that whole time. And it's been pretty chilly, with morning temperatures often around 10˚.

We had a major storm this week, which dumped 12" of snow. I lucked out when the university closed, so I didn't need to try to ride through it while it was still coming down. But the sidewalks still aren't plowed, even two days later, so I have been riding in Grand River Avenue, the major four-lane commuting artery. It's OK at 6:00 am. Not so OK other times. Yesterday I just walked my bike through the deep snow on the sidewalk.

But here's a nice mid-winter tip: Staying warm when the temperatures are in the single digits has not been a problem for most of me; I just layer, cover every inch of skin, wear goggles and thick socks. But my hands have still been getting painfully cold. As an experiment, I put a pair of plastic bags over my mittens yesterday, and VOILA! warm hands. It may be funny looking, but at 6:00 AM who sees it?