A Mirage!

Nothing like finding some hills at last to ride my bike up! Woo hoo! Where did they come from? Anyway, with the sun in my face, I headed to the East. The morning sun even felt warm for a change. (You know how even if it's brisk out but you look into the sun you can feel that radiant heat?) Nice. As I approached the foot of a climb that appeared from I don't know where, I shifted into my 39x19, got out of the saddle and settled into a nice uphill rhythm.

There were even a few steeper sections and so I down-shifted again as the last mile or so appeared to be about 7-8% gradient (or thereabouts). "How did I miss this place" I wondered out loud? I have to remember to tell Mike about it when I get home. We always call each other when we're out on a ride and we see something really cool or find a nice road somewhere. I would have called him right away, but you know how bad the cell phone reception can be when you're riding up a climb. As I ascended the last 200 meters to the top, I looked out and saw the Ocean.

Wait a minute? An Ocean? In Minnesota?

...and then I woke up.

Sigh! One of Mike's famous sayings to me, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is (too good to be true)". Sigh again...After my dream, I looked outside and checked the weather. Hmmm? 39F, feels like 29F---warming up to a balmy 42F. Rain and wind. This is more like "reality", huh? Is it already winter or what? I even drove Mike to work for the first time since we moved here. (He's actually ridden everyday but one though---he can squeeze in a ride since he's got that fender-bike...plus way warmer riding gear than I) And when he gets off of work, it's supposed to quit raining so he'll likely get a ride in today as well---we threw his bike on top of the car just in case.

As for me? I'll be riding in my garage listening to the Cowboy Junkies and the Indigo Girls, singing at the top of my lungs, and dreaming of mountains and oceans and sunshine---If you are reading me in California, GO OUTSIDE and RIDE to the coast for me. Do the BIG coast loop. Take the day off of work!

And if you work at PAB and are reading me...did the Falke base-layers in XS ever arrive and do you have any left? At least my San Diego sister called me last night to tell me she is sending Peet's! (small miracles do happen)

And so, with that, and with a smile (still) on my face, I will ride my bike absolutely nowhere really...to another "mirage"!