No Bike Day

 They do happen every now and again. Last night snow fell, and it was really cold, which means the snow was dry, light, and powdery. I like cross country skiing, but unlike my dad, I will append that statement with, "...when snow conditions are good." My dad will revel in skiing on just about anything this side of molten lava, and that's a fortunate outlook for a skier living in southern New England, but for me, I enjoy skiing when the skiing is good. Last winter, I didn't ski at all, and I was ok with that.

This morning, when I woke and eventually, once the sun rose, saw a coating of powder on the world outside. I realized that not only were the conditions good, the nerve stimulus for my left arm was good as well, allowing me to effectively use poles. I was going skiing! And yet, I wasn't in a rush. The snow was powder because it was cold, no frigid, and even after shoveling a path down my 700 foot access and eating a really early light lunch, the thermometer was just edging past twenty degrees Fahrenheit, so there was none of the risk of warm, sticky snow that usually comes with a delayed start in my low latitude and elevation. Heck, it was cold enough for me to wear three thin layers on my upper body, which is unheard of for me skiing.

My range was further than the hunters, 

so I eventually had first tracks.

The snow was neither deep nor dense, so I thought I might punch through to rocks far too easily, but it seems the cold helped with that as well, and while yes, I did scrape my bottoms plenty, it never aggressively stopped my glide like I was used to in warmer conditions. Ok, I'll say it. It was good! It was the kind of good that reminded me, oh yeah, skiing can be pretty fun, and there are perks to living in an area where white stuff falls, and the roads turn narrow and less amenable a few months out of the year. Plus, a day off the bike every now and again can be a damn good thing, and that's even better when it's fun!

Reflecting on looking back