Back Home Before Winter Really Begins

Today was nice, but that thin layer of ice on Barton Pond is a sign of things to come.

Wow, it was 56° this afternoon in West Bend—historically, the average high for December 8 is only 35°—and I was here to take advantage of it! I got back from Pennsylvania this morning at 3:30. By mid-afternoon I was ready to ride, but my start was delayed by a broken cable lock that had secured my Framed Gravier to my car’s hitch rack during the trip. Before leaving PA, I noticed that the lock was a little sticky. Somewhere along the way, it froze up, and that had nothing to do with the temperature. This afternoon I snapped the key inside the lock, and that was the final insult. Half an hour later, after much work with a hacksaw and even more swearing, my bike was free. There’s nothing in the forecast to match today. We’ll see whether today’s ride proves to be the last outdoor ride of 2023.