October 18, 2015

October Ride




October in New England. Colorful, beautiful, gorgeous trees, blue skies, clear hilltop views. There's a picture, sometimes accurate.

I keep Metéo Arles on my desktop, don't ask me why: I am probably in wishful thinking land, or maybe denial. It is true that Mediterranean weather might influence my outlook. Today's Berkshire forecast: mostly sunny, high low 40s. Good weather for an autumn ride up to North Pond in Savoy with cycling buddy Susan.

The reality: snow-sleet squalls, each flake that hit our exposed faces as we sped downhill feeling like tiny violent needles. On the way back uphill, before the next descent,  I thought it would be a smart idea to zip up my jacket. We stopped. The photo looks out of focus and fuzzy. The world looked out of focus and fuzzy.







Soon enough, the sun came out. We continued, stopping to admire this handsome goat tethered on the side of the road.




We were headed to North Pond in Savoy, both of us feeling a bit sluggish... the 35 degree temperatures and wind? Riding our bikes with wider, more stable tires, me back on sturdy Papillon, my touring bike? Winter weather setting in, our metabolisms slowing down? A mystery. It was cold, and we thought of stopping for tea, but the sun returned and we turned north.

These beautiful black horses are not Merens, a breed of the Pyrenees, but they are surely handsome. And those white specks are not dandruff, but snowflakes.



Some miles further the snow squalls returned, our feet were as numb as our hands, and we turned back to find a cup of hot tea at the Savoy General Store.




7 comments:

  1. Oh Suze, It's been frigging cold here also with snow squalls. i broke out my long underwear and chemical warmers for my toes, just og get through a ride today. I'm in denial.

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    1. Hi Annie, Great to hear from you, I had such a lovely time in Burlington last summer, I look forward to returning! It is just beautiful there, and the urban-ness is a good change for me. Though I fear it is colder than here!

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  2. That really was a good-looking goat. Oh, and Arles is lovely today ;-)

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    1. Ha! You made me laugh!

      PS: Perhaps it is a new form of masochism that I am developing: wake up in New England, check the weather in Arles.

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    2. You're not alone. Coach Rob has Nimes meteo on his phone....

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  3. Not a happy read although the livestock was very charming. I hope that we are still some way off our first snow flurry.

    (Your blog won't let me comment under my usual nom de post at the moment)

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    1. I happily imagine it usually, maybe always, warmer where you are. That's based on your gorgeous botanical photos.

      I'll check my settings, but I suspect it is something about the WordPress, Blogger interface. I notice that Gerry's photo didn't come in either.

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