Cold! (or: wimping out from too much time in California?)
I believe that I’ve got motorcycle parts waiting for me at my mailbox and I’d like to get some time at my friend’s garage to do some work on the bike this afternoon, so I got up early this morning and headed in to the office before sunrise. It was a brisk morning and I didn’t think to bundle up with any extra layers, just put my jacket and riding pants on over my work clothes and got on the bike to get to work.
I took Hwy 101 thinking (correctly) that traffic would be light enough that I could make it to the office quickly. I was surprised by how quickly I started to feel the chill. By the time I passed the turnoff for the San Mateo bridge, my electric handgrips weren’t doing enough and I started reaching down to put a gloved hand on my valve covers, and even there the heat didn’t thaw out my fingers.
I guess it’s always darkest (and coldest) before the dawn, but I simply hadn’t considered whether I was wearing enough to be warm. It was only a 33 mile ride in to the office but I was very very pleased to arrive and warm my hands up with a cup of coffee.
I checked the weather to see what it would be like this weekend and saw that in the “hourly temperatures” listed Palo Alto dropped to 32 degrees at about the time I was on my way to the office.
If I’d been thinking in terms of 32 degrees, I’m sure I’d either have worn a sweater, different gloves, or taken the train. I doubt that I’m the only oneâeven among those in typically colder climatesâthat thinks that 32 is too cold not to put on some extra clothes.
