Stupid Weather.....

After such beautiful weather last weekend, it has been rainy and COLD here for the past two days. The high is supposed to be higher than the 50's in the South.

To make it worse, Rozmo, Katydid and I are headed out for another 3-day bicycling event tomorrow afternoon. We are headed to Florida, but the cold weather is supposed to FOLLOW US there.

Crap.

I have some cold-weather cycling gear, but not a lot because I generally avoid cold-weather cycling. Period. I have a huge duffel bag packed with stuff for this weekend, and I just keep cramming more stuff in it. The lows are supposed to be in the 30's and the highs MIGHT reach the 60's. Sixty sounds warm, but considering it doesn't get there until we are usually finished riding for the day, we might have a couple of miserable mornings. We won't freeze, since we aren't tent camping (who DOES that in November?), and the RV has a very nice furnace. But there are only so many articles of clothing one can put on to ride a bicycle. I was so worried about packing warm clothes that I nearly forgot to pack my cycling shoes. And underwear.

We haven't done this ride before, but not many people signed up for it. Around 35, I think. More may show up and register on-site, but considering the weather I doubt it. I won't be surprised if a few people just don't show up at all and say screw the $130 fee. If it's as cold as they say it's going to be, I'm sure there will be moments when I would pay ANOTHER $130 just to go home.

There is a ride over in Charleston that I've done twice, and I'd like to do it again someday. One year it was very chilly and rainy, and the rest stops on this particular route compete for the best theme, the best food, the best atmosphere. My hands-down favorite food at a rest stop that year was chicken noodle soup.

Chicken. Noodle. Soup. At a rest stop. On a bicycle ride.

I thought I had died and gone straight to heaven.

That warm soup, the salty taste, the friendly church folks serving it..... It doesn't get much better than that. I'll have to harbor thoughts of that soup when we're riding this weekend.

I wouldn't mind the weather so much if we could just count on it being one thing or the other for more than three or four days. Hubby has a fire going in the wood stove tonight, and I am absolutely positive that we will have to run the air conditioner at least once more.

And for that I won't complain a bit.

Keep working on the list of the 50 new things I need to do next year. I have LOVED some of your suggestions so far. You guys are the bestest!