This winter,
it’s seemed that days without precipitation have been merely interludes between
snowstorms. The funny thing is that none
of those storms has left a particularly large accumulation of the white stuff.
The worst
part, though, is that the temperature has rarely risen above freezing on those
days when it hasn’t snowed. So, if the
snow wasn’t plowed, shoveled or salted, it sits on top of the stuff that
already covered the ground. The deepest
parts have turned to ice.
Much of the
glacier-in-the-making I’ve described has formed on the streets I normally ride
to work. Even the main streets and
roads, which are plowed more regularly, are dotted with ice patches and lined
by what look like stretched-out icebergs.
In other
words, conditions are treacherous for cyclists.
I haven’t been riding to work, let alone for sport, because I simply
don’t see the point of risking myself in that way. Perhaps if I had studded tires, I’d take the
chance. I’ve never bought a pair because
winters like this one are rather unusual for this part of the world: In most years, there might be only a few
years in which such treads would be useful.
Although I
miss riding, I don’t feel guilty about not being in the saddle. About the only riders I’ve seen during the
past couple of weeks are men—yes, men—delivering lunches, dinners and snacks
from restaurants and pizzerias.
This
weekend, I participated in a retreat about 100 km up the Hudson River, near
Ossining. I was without my, or any
other, computer and my cell phone was turned off. I remained offline yesterday, the day after
I returned.
Of course, I thought about how I could have ridden
to the retreat had the weather been different.
There was even more snow and ice up there and the bike lane along US 9
was not plowed.
Still, I
enjoyed the retreat. How could I not,
given its setting?
It’s been
years since I’ve seen so much of the Hudson River frozen. Of course, one day—perhaps weeks, perhaps a
couple of months from now—it will thaw and the bare trees will bud. Perhaps I’ll ride up there for another
retreat
