Today I left a little late. I was completely disorganized and shocked to discover that it was almost 80 degrees at 6am—in October. I am completely bored with my normal route, so I took Mississippi Boulevard north after the Ford Bridge and took Summit to downtown. I encountered far more commuters this route. My normal route usually feels like biking on the outer edges of the planet. Downtown Saint Paul was more lively in the West Seventh Street area near United Hospital and the arena. I connected with Warner Road near the Science Museum. As I zipped around the corner I encountered the Mississippi Queen- a tall-stack ship that takes multi-day river cruises. Unfortunately, there were semis, trucks, police cars all parked on the bike lanes, and taxis actually driving on the jogging and biking paths. Judging by the people boarding (or “de-boating- I couldn’t tell which), this was not an expedition for today’s youth.
I hit the Cemstone factory at the one hour mark- which is pretty fast considering my lesser exertion. Taking Summit seems further, since I need to ride north to pick it up, but ultimately I believe it is faster and more direct.
I hope the weather holds out today. At least it is warm. I no longer care about anything but snow- I am ready for all weather.
1 comment:
Heh, we're having the same fall here too! I had a ride today and yesterday and I could have sworn it was summer... not October!
It's always nice to switch the ride up a little. I do that from time to time, but then I get all messed up with my average times and speeds (Yes, I am a little statistic-happy).
Glad to hear you ran into a good number of commuters though.. even though the weather is still nice here, the number of bikes on the racks in the morning has been steadily dropping... soon I'll be the only one!
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