Date: 14 July 2006
Miles Riding: 18.70
Weather: 1o9°F.
Bike: Night Rider aka Commuter
July Bike Mileage: 40.47
Welcome to Arizona. This is the kind of day in the desert where it expresses its force in angst. Rattlesnakes belly up beside the road -- crows dodging cars to pick at them. Fierce winds overnight rollover into a dust storm blast furnace by mid afternoon. In this morning's wind I saw a soda cup lid on edge rolling down the road like a tumbleweed, driven by unrelenting hot winds. Today we had a monsoon. Wind driven dust in the form of haboob, blasting away at everything, giving way to the virga finally breaking the surface tension of the earth to throw half-dollar size dollops of water and lightning firmly at the ground. The desert becomes wet. It hurts to hear the droplets hit. Children run out to catch the droplets on their tongues. It feels good.
The short rain and thunderstorm repeal the blasting heat (113°F.) and humidity (a mere 23%) of today, if only briefly. I rode in to town for dinner and then rode back after dark, stopping for groceries, batteries for the light, and a flat. I believe the monsoon season is officially on.
I know -- you all must be thinking that darkness makes it cooler. Not true. It's just less sunny.
1 comment:
Holy Cow, that's a warm day by midwest standards, I bet you're glad to see some rain! One thing about the desert though, I lover how it smells right after a rain!
Post a Comment