Cold, wet and tired...not the perfect day!

                  

This is what we road in today.  We got up and the weather said "mix of clouds and sun".  That was OK with us.  We decided to do another long ride, back down to Palos Verdes (just like last Sunday), 50 miles.  It was cold this am, well, cold for Los Angeles.  I think the temperature was 50 degrees and it was windy.  So I bundled up, biking leggings with biking shorts over, performance shirt under my jersey, arm warmers and covered up with my warm biking jacket.  Also had my full finger gloves and headband under my helmet and my warm shoe covers - ready to go.  We went about 1 mile and I seriously thought I was going to have to turn around, it was freezing (much colder when you are going 18 miles an hour).  Bruce said to stick it out 5 miles more and then make a decision.  After 5 miles I was warming up, so we headed south. 

It was windy, but not too bad (just no sun).  We got down to Palos Verdes and decided to stop for some coffee and warm up.  5 minutes after we stopped it started to sprinkle, no big deal.  But then the sprinkle started to turn into rain and the sky looked very gloomy.  We were 25 miles from home.  So rather than sit there we decided to head back home before it got worse.  Well, the rain did get worse and it was actually pelting my face so hard that it hurt.  I was drenched!  30 minutes later after dropping down from the Palos Verdes Peninsula I felt a patch of sun on my back.  Ahh....le soleil, I love the sun!!!!

Bruce and I did a couple of back-country trips in the Sierras (one for 5 days the other for 7 days) and I would wake up in the tent and Bruce would be up making coffee but the sun wasn't on us yet....so I'd get up, bundle up in my jacket and gloves and hat and head to where the sun was hitting.  I'd sit there until the sun got to our campsite.  I don't do well in the cold.

Anyway, the sun hit me and I instantly felt good.  I figured it would be with us the rest of the way home (which was about 1 hour).  Thank goodness for the sun, because the wind picked up and it was coming straight at us.  After 40 miles I felt a drop of rain and the sun was gone, then it got worse and started to rain really hard again.  I was just about dry!  So, the last 7 miles were in the rain.  I was cold and tired and couldn't wait for a warm shower and a nap.  Both were great!

Comments

[megank4]

Hello. Thanks for your comment! My sister used to live in San Clemente, I went to visit her twice. How exciting that you might move to France- where and why?
It is tough learning french when you don't live here. Do you watch the french movies with english or french subtitles? It really helps to watch them with the french ones- you can start to recognize vocabulary, verb forms, etc. Good luck!