February 3, 2023

IT'S COLD AND WINDY TODAY and going to get colder before it moderates next week.  Looking at the forecast though, it appears that by Tuesday of next week we're likely to be experiencing very mild weather: daytime temperatures between 55° and 60°F, nights in the low to mid 40s, and sunny skies.  It would surely be a waste not to plan an outing of some sort, wouldn't it?

Cunningham Falls State Park is just an hour's drive from home, yet I've never camped there.  For one thing, during the peak season it's difficult to get a campsite reservation especially on weekends.  When I was a working stiff that was pretty much the only real option for me, but now that I'm (ahem) a "gentleman of leisure" midweek excursions are much easier to manage.

The park sits smack dab in the middle of some of the most pleasant cycling territory (in my opinion) that Maryland has to offer.  I've ridden many hundreds, perhaps a few thousand, enjoyable miles along the bucolic, (mostly) gently rolling rural roads in Frederick County but none recently (within the past few years).  That makes me overdue for a return.

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My plan is to drive up, establish my base camp in the park, and roll out about 100 miles of riding over the course of three days.  By making it a car camping trip I can include certain creature comforts that would be difficult or impossible on the bike.  Among those would be a double thickness sleeping pad, both my backpacker's quilt and mummy sleeping bag (I absolutely hate sleeping cold), real food (as opposed to the dried backpacker's meals I carried on last summer's tour), my two-burner Coleman stove (plus sufficient fuel to operate it), etc... It seems the ideal compromise.

I've laid out three rides, two to the east and one to the west, that start and end at my campsite.  The campground sits at the east base of the ridgeline that comprises the Catoctin Mountains.  The land to the east of the ridge is open and gently rolling; to the west it's a bit lumpier but there are still plenty of miles of easy riding once you make the climb up and over the ridge.  That seems just the ticket for winter legs, don't you think?

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February 6, 2023

But first, before I go, there's a minor errand to be seen to.  I have, or perhaps had, a pair of lightweight long-fingered gloves that were perfect for riding in temperatures between 40 and 60 degrees.  I've looked for them repeatedly over the past few days, in every spot in the house I can think of where I might have absent-mindedly stashed them after the last time I wore them, but to no avail.  They haven't turned up.

They aren't in the pockets of any of the coats I can recall having worn.

They aren't tucked into the pockets of any of my panniers, nor have they stowed away in the waist pack I wore on our hike just before we went to Hawai'i last month.  Since that pack also made the trip to Hawai'i and was repeatedly gone into while we were there, I'm certain I haven't overlooked any stowaways.

They aren't lying in either of my bike helmets, and they aren't in the canvas tote bag I use when carrying gear out to the car if I'm starting a ride from someplace other than my driveway.

They're not in the caps-and-gloves box that lives on the shelf of our entryway coat closet.

Are they hanging from the arms of the wall-mounted bike storage units with the bikes?  Nope, not there either.

Lost on my desk, perhaps?  By a fluke the desk is less messy than usual and I don't see them.  Besides, why would I have worn them all the way into our home office and then taken them off?

So, as far as I can tell, they're lost.  It's not the end of the world by any means but I would like to have them, or an equivalent pair, for the coming trip.  The weather being mild today, I guess I'll ride down to the outdoor gear store a few miles away and pay the "stupid / careless tax" to acquire a replacement pair.

The ride is easy and, at a bit over six miles each way, not especially taxing.  It's just 50°F, gray, and the wind has picked up, though, so I'm glad to have thought to layer up before heading out.  Without long gloves I get a clear reminder of what it is I'm after but other than that everything's fine.

I've stuck my point-and-shoot camera in a jersey pocket in hopes that something photo-worthy may cross my path but it's for naught.  Pictures of ordinary unremarkable suburban sidewalks and residential neighborhoods don't interest me, and you've probably seen enough of the same to understand that you're not missing anything noteworthy.

Reaching the store I am pleased to find that my needs have been anticipated: they've rolled some of their mobile display racks containing winter riding gear to a point just inside the entrance.  It looks like they're starting the process of clearing space for the spring and summer goods, but I don't care: what I seek is conveniently placed right in front of me.  In fact, I have options and choose the pair that has a windstopper layer on the back as well as a slightly longer cuff.

Selection made, I browse a few other areas more from habit than "need" then escape the store without adding anything else to the haul.  On the way back home I'm glad to have the long gloves; I'm now riding more into the wind than with it so the gloves immediately earn their keep and do what they're supposed to.  Success!

It's tempting to stop for lunch as I pass through the center area of town but, somewhat out of character, I exercise self-discipline (that's twice in a single day!) and proceed directly home.  I'm glad to get there and finish the ride: looking out the window as I type I see the weather getting progressively grayer and breezier, therefore less appealing to be out.

The weather forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday still looks good but the rain that was originally expected Friday has moved forward a day and is now supposed to begin Thursday and occur again Friday afternoon.  The rain chances are still under fifty percent for each day, so perhaps it'll require a game-day roll of the dice and decision.

Stay tuned!