Today I got out for a brief spin on Marianela. I didn't go much beyond my neighborhood. But it's nice to loop through side streets that are mostly free of traffic. I was surprised at how clear they were: Just a few days ago, there were patches of ice on even the more heavily-used thoroughfares.
The temperature reached 40 F (5C), which is about normal for an afternoon at this time of year. However, the wind made it feel a good bit colder. According to a weather report I heard, we had wind gusts of 40 mph (about 65 kph). I don't think I was riding into, or with, anything so strong. But I certainly did feel it.
Usually, when most people think of wind, they think of open, flat areas. I think of the creation stories and other lore of the Native American tribes who lived in the plains and the desert: In them, "it is the wind that gave them life," as it did in the Navajo chant I've quoted. And in the places where they lived, when there was wind, there was no escaping from it. On the other hand, if there isn't wind where you're pedaling, you're not likely to encounter any for a while.
On the other hand, the wind seems to be a more capricious part of urban cycling. Sometimes buildings can act as wind blocks. However, long rows of the same buildings seem to create a "wind tunnel" effect. At other times, they are a kind of "valley" of stillness among the relative turbulence.
Now, it's been at least three decades since I took a Physics course. So I'm sure I've forgotten a lot. Did the instructor, or the textbook, ever explain why the wind that's blowing in one part of town is stopped by one block full of buildings but intensifies in another.
Anyway...The ride was pleasant, if unremarkable. My only complaint was that my camera's batteries were dead and I didn't find out until I tried to take a photo. Oh well.
The temperature reached 40 F (5C), which is about normal for an afternoon at this time of year. However, the wind made it feel a good bit colder. According to a weather report I heard, we had wind gusts of 40 mph (about 65 kph). I don't think I was riding into, or with, anything so strong. But I certainly did feel it.
Usually, when most people think of wind, they think of open, flat areas. I think of the creation stories and other lore of the Native American tribes who lived in the plains and the desert: In them, "it is the wind that gave them life," as it did in the Navajo chant I've quoted. And in the places where they lived, when there was wind, there was no escaping from it. On the other hand, if there isn't wind where you're pedaling, you're not likely to encounter any for a while.
On the other hand, the wind seems to be a more capricious part of urban cycling. Sometimes buildings can act as wind blocks. However, long rows of the same buildings seem to create a "wind tunnel" effect. At other times, they are a kind of "valley" of stillness among the relative turbulence.
Now, it's been at least three decades since I took a Physics course. So I'm sure I've forgotten a lot. Did the instructor, or the textbook, ever explain why the wind that's blowing in one part of town is stopped by one block full of buildings but intensifies in another.
Anyway...The ride was pleasant, if unremarkable. My only complaint was that my camera's batteries were dead and I didn't find out until I tried to take a photo. Oh well.
