After a couple of weeks of damp & cold rides on Skyline, we saw a ray of hope this morning! Actually, we saw something that looked more like a death ray coming straight down from the clouds, targeting the area around Facebook, as Kevin and I headed up Kings. But no reports of vaporization or mass alien abduction that I know of.

At the start it was just two of us; myself and younger Kevin. We enjoyed a moderate pace up through the park, noticing a woman jogger we hadn’t seen in maybe two years on Greer (used to be a regular sighting). Wonder if she was surprised to see we were still out there?

At the top we were a bit surprised to see JR, Scotty and… darn, don’t recall the other guy’s name! Kevin will remind me tomorrow. Heading south on Skyline we did hit a few damp patches again, a little bit of fog, but I think the coldest temp I saw was 52, which felt so much warmer than the 47 we’ve seen the past few rides.

Overall a nice ride with nice people. 

On a gray morning, would it even be possible to get moving without black coffee? I’ve often said I need contrast in my life and perhaps that’s why I like strong black coffee. It defines one end of the spectrum. Bright sunshine is at the other end, and this morning, we had the middle. Gray fog. Variably-wet roads. Cold but not epic by any stretch. 

Just me, younger Kevin and JR this morning. The other dat I asked JR how old he was, having forgotten over the past few years, or more accurately not forgotten but rather stuck, stuck at 62, same age as me. But how long ago was that? 5 years. He’s actually 67, and much faster than a 67 year old should be. Or maybe I’m slower than a 62 year old should be. At least today, I could hold my own against my son, who was taking it easy as his knee recovers, and a guy 5 years older. 

I am left wondering if it will ever be safe to clean my bike again, as we continue to encounter drippy and foggy conditions on Skyline.