I was relegated to the fitness center bike again.  I do admit that riding a stationary bike with a bank of TV’s in front of you is kind of easy.  I’m impressed with my speed also, averaging in the high teens.  On the plus side, the weather is forcing me into cross training with my two dogs.  We go out for 90 minutes or more in an area called the “Bogs”, where we meet lots of other dogs and their companions.

I do spread seed in both my front and back yard every day and am visited by the locals. If I’m late with the food, the blue jay’s let me know with their screeches.  Other birds fly by my bay window back and forth letting me know it’s time to eat.  It’s pretty cool.

 

Bitter cold and icy conditions kept me off the bike a few days this winter. Other than those eight or ten days, I have been able to do short rides, all under ten miles.  Yesterday, Sunday was showed promise of a decent length ride on the East Bay Bike Path (EBBP), in Rhode Island.  The start however showed signs of a potential failure.  Ice, lots of ice at around the half mile mark.  We had to walk around it and once we did, the 14 mile remainder only had a few patches of questionable traction.

We got 27 miles in at a decent clip considering the conditions.  That is, when we spotted standing water on the blacktop, it was difficult to see if it was icy till we rode over it. A few times I unclipped just in case.

On the down side, or up side if you happened to be my riding partner. My camera battery died during the first video.  I had to buy a replacement battery when the original no longer held a charge and apparently I put the old one back in.  So, I have to settle by using a couple of photos I shot with my phone.  Oh the humanity.

No riding for the past few days because of the weather.  The highs have been in the single digit and low teens with a very dangerous wind chill. For example, this morning, it was -3 with a wind chill dropping the temperature for mammals and humans to -16.

Around noon, the winds dissipated, the sun shone brightly and the temperature topped off at 18 F, (-8 C).  It felt a little like spring after what we experienced over the past few days.   By Thursday the temperature is expected to top off at around 50 F (10 C).

During the winter months, we put food out for whatever critter or bird wants to eat.    Except for those of the same breed.  The blue jays fight with each other, the squirrels, and cardinals do the same.  Oddly enough they don’t fight with those outside their family.