Hesitation

Whew.  It's been a bit since the last bit of writing.  Been busy on vacation and then getting back to life after vacation.  We spent the better part of the first month of the year in Australia.  First time I've been there.  Wonderful country.  Hope to go back some day.  So many places to visit!  Anyway, that's not what this post is about.

This morning dawned snowing and cold (5 degrees cold).  Beautiful day really.   Thick snow coming down in torrents.  Cold squeaky snow under foot.  Had to clear 3 inches off the bike rack to get the bike on the car.  Great day for a ride.  In a younger life I wouldn't have thought twice about leaving the bike at home on a day like this because I'd have been going skiing.  It's what I should have done.  Dropped the kids at school.  Gone to the local area and skied until I was numb with cold and my legs were jelly.  Damn, now why didn't I think about that this morning?  Instead I was pondering (hesitating) the bike. 

Normally I wouldn't have given it a second thought.  Heck yea, I'm riding.  There is a certain challenge in slogging through 3 or 4 inches of powder on the roads.  If you can stay out of where the cars have driven it's a breeze.  If the cars have packed it out nicely it's nice.  Once the plows and their magnesium chloride get to it all bets are off.  Salty sludge isn't the best riding material!  But I digress.....I was hesitating because I was feeling a bit punky and thinking the family cold was coming my way.  I was looking at the thermometer and the snow and thinking it would be nice for my wife if I parked the car at my office instead of at school.  Both weak excuses to not get on the bike.  In the end I rode.  It was great.  It was hard.  It was sketchy.  My helmet gave it up when I mashed it over my hat.  Guess that plastic has seen too many sub-freezing mornings.  I'm glad I rode.  It's hard when I hesitate.  It's pretty easy to come up with reasons not to ride.  Today was no exception.  To make things more complicated I would have been riding to a friend's house after work for dinner and meeting everybody there.  Instead I'll be driving.  My wife's bus never came.  In fact three of them never came.  She was left in the lurch with 5 minutes to pick the kids up from school.  I bolted out the door and rode there as quickly as one can in slushy/snow packed/wheel rutted roads.  Wasn't too bad and in the end it was pretty fun riding up there.  I dropped the kids at the house (yes, my wife made it home finally) and drove to the office to clean things up and then it'll be time to go pick everyone up for dinner.  A fine day indeed.  Tomorrow will be even better.  24 and sunny is the guess.  Should make for some nice riding!