These are the days

No I'm not going to quote Natalie of the 10,000 Maniacs. I am talking about the weather that we are having. These are the days that we live for here in NE Oklahoma. This is the perfection that we get for a week or two in the spring and then in the fall. Take your pick.

I don't know if I have a favorite, fall is great because we are getting the changing of the seasons, the leaves are turning. The crisp arm warmer morning air at the beginning of the ride, followed by the warm sun at the end of the ride. It starts out cool, then the warm up, then the heat of a sun headed to the South for winter. The colors seem cleaner, brighter, rich. The heat rays gone from the summer, brings a clarity. Maybe it is just the absence of sweat dripping on sunglasses or the stinging of salt in the eyes. The air is cool as it enters the lungs, no longer having to breath in a blast furnace. We use the word Fall to often, Fall to a cyclist is a bad thing, we should say Autumn. Saying Autumn is a pinkie raised drink of coffee.

Spring is the new birth of a season, winter is ending and life is being breathed back into the Earth. Flowers are blooming, birds are blah blah blah... I'm not going there. We start to get longer days the sun is getting warmer, the layers are coming off. Spring rains and thunderstorms make a check of the radar a must when wondering too far from home. Frozen toes and non-working fingers are a thing of the past, braking and shifting is something that you can actually feel. Spring is the beginning of a new season of racing. The first few races can be cold and windy, but no matter the weather they always hurt. Shaking off the long days on the trainer indoors. Learning to ride elbow to elbow, shoulder to shoulder. Drafting. It all comes back...Just like riding a bike.

These are the days that you cannot miss. I want to bottle days like today, so I can open one up in the winter and savor it like a good Amber Ale. Whatever you do, don't waste these days. They are few and far between, and they make living here worthwhile, albeit brief. Get out and ride, go for a hike, walk the dog, have your morning coffee outside. These days are like life itself, they are short...so enjoy.