It's cold—wind chills were 20 below before the sun rose[1] —so I dug up this image from a couple of years ago, which I would've taken on a sunday bike ride. Since I don't bike below 15 degrees, the temps in the picture are definitely warmer:) In fact, technically it's shot during Autumn!
snowy field, 28nov21. Panasonic DMC LX100, f/4.0, ev +0.3, 1/3200s, ISO 200, WB: auto; the foreground snow is lightened in gimp;[2] also scaled and slightly cropped.
Although I find the “intense”[3] cold “difficult” still I'm grateful for it, not least because a good hard week long cold snap will kill a lot of bugs.
I started doing these bike rides during COVID, with a friend, who kindly accompanied me on them for nearly four years; as the world has slowly re-opened, I've had to do them on my own, which I find myself doing less and less. Since it's the peace and quiet that most attracts me to the dirt roads on which I ride, it saddens me that I cannot find the discipline to go out more on my own.
People[4] are strange.
[1]I wrote this the same day I posted, 15jan24
[2]looks as if I shoulda lightened it more, too...
[3]Only by today's standards: when I was a child, living in zone 5 meant temps went down regularly to 20 below (albeit usually only when dark), with wind chills down to 50 below. I used to deliver newspapers in that, with much less effective gear than I have now.
[4]I don't think I'm alone in this sort of behaviour. And to be fair, the other half of the excursion was coffee and homemade baked goods and especially conversation to follow, and while I can do the first two by myself, the last is a bit tricky.
Unless otherwise noted, text, image and objects depicted therein copyright 1996--present sylvus tarn.
