a breath of fresh air

I've been taking the bus lately. There has been so much snow and sketchy weather that I just haven't felt comfortable driving to my Park-and-Ride spot.

Today I was going to take the bus. I actually went to the bus stop and paced back and forth a few times before deciding that I was ready for a breath of fresh air in the form of a bike ride. The roads didn't look too bad, so I walked back home, swept the snow off the car and got behind the wheel. It was kind of slow going into the city, but I had left early so I had lots of time.

As soon as I hopped on the bike, I knew I'd made the right choice. It felt so good to be riding again. I wasn't too cold -- even my feet were fine. I wore my new Olympic mittens, and turns out Son #3's ex-girlfriend wasn't lying when she told me they were warm enough for -15 C. My hands were toasty warm. Can't wait to try the mitts for cross-country skiing.
 
I wore my wool tights and my cross-country tights, and on top of those I wore my MEC Adanac tights. A merino turtleneck, a cashmere sweater and my pea coat were the perfect combo. A cashmere scarf around my neck, a toque on my head under my helmet, a pair of socks over my tights inside my tall boots, and I was not too hot, not too cold, but just right. Once I arrived at work, presto-change-o, I slipped into a wool skirt.

Saw the cyclist I see almost every morning on the 100 Avenue shared pathway. I wonder if he's missed me? 

Saw the pretty blue Christmas tree at LeMarchand Mansions. 

Rode through my share of oatmeal and on some nice hard-packed snow. Took lots of sidewalks (something I normally would die before doing.) 

Made it to work in about 1/2 hour. Not bad at all for winter.  

where does the sidewalk end and the road begin?

The ride home was also pretty decent. By that time it was snowing steadily and the accumulated snow on the streets and walks made for a challenging ride. But even so, I was so happy to be on the bike instead of sitting on the bus or in a car. I did have to drive home from the west end, but all in all it was a happy change from the past couple of weeks of taking the bus.

when I ride in winter I can check out how I'll look when my hair turns grey!