Today the autumnal equinox arrives at 4:02 pm EDT.
I'll be on my bike by then. In fact, I might have even finished my ride.
I haven't decided where I'm riding. Then again, apart from the usual changes (Is that phrase an oxymoron?)--you know, the shorter days and the changing colors of the leaves--we never really know what a new season will bring, do we?
For that matter, you or I can take a ride we've taken dozens or even hundreds of times before. We know the way; we know the terrain and the road conditions. But we don't always know what lies ahead on any given day, on any given ride.
Out for a ride. On to a new season.
The weather during the ride I took to Connecticut on Monday was a sign of Fall's impending arrival. Today, during--you guessed it--another ride to Connecticut, I saw yet another sign the season will soon be upon us:
This trail, part of the East Coast Greenway, connects Pelham Bay Park, City Island and Orchard Beach with Westchester County. Along the way, it passes by a horse riding academy, golf course and the shores of Long Island Sound before twisting its way through woodland that straddles the line between the upper Bronx and Pelham Manor.
Although the temperature was slightly higher (rising to 25C by mid-ride), it really didn't feel that way, in spite of the bright sunshine. As I mentioned in my post about Monday's ride, the days are growing shorter, so the ground and buildings aren't absorbing as much heat as they did even two or three weeks ago. But, perhaps more important, the wind was even more brisk: At times, it reached 40 KPH. And, yes, I was pedaling into it on my way up.
The wind didn't deter these folks who were enjoying the light and vistas of Mamaroneck Harbor:
Back to the subject of signs: When you ride, you see the kind I've mentioned as well as the ones posted on buildings. I hope this isn't a sign of things to come:
All right: The name of the bowling alley has nothing to do with firearms or survivalists. Rather, it's located near the intersection of Gun Hill (great name, huh?) and Boston Post Roads in northern Bronx. What amazes me is that the sign looks so pristine while keeping to the look of the 1950's or early 60's. I don't believe it's anyone's attempt at self-conscious irony: There are no hipsters in the neighborhood around it. (Most of the residents are Caribbean immigrants or their children; not long ago it was a blue-collar-to-middle-class Italian-American neighborhood.) I think life throws enough irony at those people.
Seeing such a sign on an absolutely beautiful and bright day, as Fall knocks at our door, is plenty or irony for me. I love it!
The other day felt autumnal. It wasn't just the cool, crisp air or the fact that I was in Connecticut. I couldn't pinpoint exactly why I felt the fall had begun, or was well on its way, but I think I now know why.
Today the temperature reached 31C (88F), but the day still seemed autumnal. Granted, we didn't have the sauna-like humidity we had during an earlier heat wave. But there was something else. At first I thought it was just a feeling, but I realize now it was as visual as it was visceral.
Before going to work, I managed to ride by the Concrete Plant Park along the Bronx River. I could swear I saw the first tinges of yellow and orange in a few trees:
And, because there is less daylight every day than there was earlier in the summer, the sun isn't as intense, and the ground and buildings don't have as much time to absorb the heat. So, while the air temperature climbed over 30C, the heat didn't feel as oppressive as it did a few weeks ago.
There's one more signal of Fall, for me. My rides, whether to Connecticut or the college, seem easier now. That is one of the things I've always loved about cycling in September and October, at least in years when I've done a decent amount of riding: I can climb hills in a gear or two higher than I did in, say, April or even June. Also, on my ride the other day, I was pedaling into a 20-25 KPH wind most of the way to Connecticut and barely noticed it.
Since I have never farmed (and probably never will), the kind of cycling I've experienced this week is probably the closest I will come to a harvest: I am enjoying the fruits of all of the pedaling I've done over the past few months.
