Twelve Clues of Commuting

Riding to work today in the fog wasn’t the best idea I have ever had.

The first clue was that it smelled like Lewiston when I opened the garage door.
The second clue was the shiny layer of ice developing on my driveway.
The third clue was my neighbor who never scrapes his windows scraping his windows.

I overcame those clues and rode anyway. But more clues came…

The fourth clue was the ice buildup making my glasses unusable in the first mile.
The fifth clue was the ice on the pedestrian button that I had to push to cross Eagle Rd.
The sixth clue was that I had to use the pedestrian crossing at the intersection to cross Eagle Rd, because I couldn’t see far enough to cross at my normal place.
The seventh clue was the de-icer truck that drove past while I was waiting for the light to change.

Well the de-icers are out, so it must be ok to ride right? After all, I had already gone almost a mile and wasn’t dead yet – what’s another 11?

The seventh clue was that I was riding faster than the cars were driving on McMillan Rd.
The eighth clue was when I missed one of my turns because I couldn’t see it in the fog.
The ninth clue was when I noticed the layer of ice on my clothing.
The tenth clue was when I noticed the thicker layer of ice on my bike.

Well hell, halfway there – can’t stop now.

The eleventh clue was when I got to the greenbelt and realized my gloves were frozen into place on my handlebars.
The twelfth clue was when I blinked too slowly and my eyelashes froze together.

Then I got about three miles from work and the fog disappeared. I knew it was a good idea to ride today!