Biking lately.

The weather has finally improved. I have been out for some shorter rides and it is great to be out in the fresh air again. Indoor spinning classes are good but not nearly as much fun as biking outdoors.

Not long ago, I spotted 6.5 deer on a ride. Then more recently 7 deer were spotted on the way home. On another ride that was mid-day 4 deer were counted. I purposely like to ride down Forestway north of home to view wildlife. It is also nice to ride the forest preserve trails. We see many rabbits and squirrels of course and an occasional raccoon.

The rides have all been 25 miles or less recently. January and February were bad for biking in the morning which is when I prefer to ride. The mornings were too wet and the temperatures were below or around freezing. The danger of ice or the dreaded, invisible "black ice" was too great to risk riding and falling. I have fallen 2 times on black ice and don't want to do that again.

Let's all hope that the weather this spring & summer will be great for outdoor activities.

Tough winter for biking. Good winter for flying.

Just the other day, a patient mentioned to me that she was happy with the lack of windy days that we have had this winter. My immediate comment was that I had to agree. The primary factor that keeps powered paragliders grounded is wind. If it is blowing more than about 12mph on the ground, chances are that it wiil be blowing much harder a few hundred feet AGL [Above Ground Level]. There is a ground effect as a result of the 'friction' that trees, buildings, ... which slows the wind speed close to the ground. If the wind is blowing at higher speeds this generally means that trees, buildings, ... also have swirling air downwind from them which we call 'rotor'. In other words, low winds are best for us to fly powered paragliders.

This winter it hasn't been too cold but there has been a lot of moisture. The temperatures have tended to be below freezing overnight and above freezing during the day. This means that we can have ice or 'black ice' in the mornings on the roads. This is not good for bicycling. I rode my bike in the cold on New Year's Day and didn't ride again until last Saturday and Sunday. I have been keeping in shape by doing spinning classes pretty regularly at the local Lifetime Fitness clue that I belong to.

It is nice to have a taste of spring in the air. Let's all hope for a wonderful sping season.