The fog gets even

In my last blog I talked about the fog. And while I did spend some time talking about the beauty it can create, I spent more time discussing its dark side. You know. The whole wet, cold, steals your motivation side. Well, I think that the fog somehow read all of that because this weekend it got even.

Saturday morning, at 5:30 a.m., was a beautiful, clear, starlit morning. It was also cold. A freezing 28 degrees. Still, there was no fog for the first time in days so I am heading out on the bike. I actually posted on Sarah's Facebook that I was testing my concept of preferring to ride when it is cold and clear versus fog. My hope is to leave around 8:00 and maybe, just maybe, it will have warmed up a touch.

So I get all the gear together, get dressed and go out to get the bike ready. The sun's rising and it is simply gorgeous. I can't wait to hit the road even though it is still only a brisk 30 degrees. As I start rolling out of the driveway, still under clear skies, I noticed that fog is forming to the east. Are you kidding me? I look to the north in hopes of clearer skies and I don't see them. However, as I look to west, towards the coast, there is still blue sky. So I head west.

About 3 miles into the ride I learn how a rookie quarterback feels when a veteran all-pro free safety baits him into throwing an interception. I was baited into going west. I am now engulfed in very wet, very thick and very cold fog. I decide to adjust my route and go looking for the sun. I also started riding more bike paths to stay off the road. I will probably cut the ride short from the 40 miles I was hoping for but I want to get in some mileage so I decide to simply endure the fog and keep riding.

While it was actually very pretty at times, it was mostly a cold and wet ride. In some places the roads were so wet I was getting road spray off the tires. In Windsor I was really starting to get cold so I grabbed a quick double espresso and finally headed for home. As I glance at the cyclometer it now looks like I will get my 40 miles so I am basically happy. At mile 35 the sun broke through the fog for half a mile. At mile 37 the sun and I started playing a little game of peek-a-boo. I would be fog-free for half a mile or so and then right back in it. This continued all the way to mile 39 when the fog at my house completely cleared and I rolled back into the driveway the exact way I began - under clear skies.

The fog also was a major player in Sunday's ride. It was Sarah's birthday and a bunch of her friends were coming up from the City and East Bay to ride with us. It was another cold and foggy day but we simply did not let that dampen our spirits as we headed out. It was a great ride of just under 40 miles with over 1800 feet of climbing. At one point, we almost climbed out of the fog but not quite. This was the first Sonoma County ride for some folks in our group so it was unfortunate that they did not get to enjoy some to the vistas we climbed up to. Still it was a great morning of riding with new friends. If you want to try and get a better feel for the day, check out Sarah's blog.

So there it is. I wrote about the fog and it tricked me into a ride. That would make the score 1 -1. I surely hope that by finishing the ride both days I have now paid my due respects and that the fog and I can declare a truce. I have never successfully beat Mother Nature and I don't expect to start winning now.

Is there a moral to this story. I think so. Never try to blame your lack of motivation on anyone other then yourself. And especially don't try and blame Mother Nature because if you do, you may just end up cold and wet.

Ciao!