Think cold thoughts

[eminva]

Okay, what way was the wind blowing? Others are complaining of a headwind, but I felt like I had a tailwind.

I love the hot weather. I never complain in the summer — I save all that for the winter. Once a Gulf Coast girl, always a Gulf Coast girl. . . .

Liz

[KLizotte]

Last night I did an evening ride on the MVT heading to Mt Vernon. Holy cow, coming back thru the woodsy curvy bits at 8:30 pm got me into the biggest swarms of bugs I have ever seen in my life. It was disgustingly awful. It was like biking through a hail storm – the bugs were so big I could feel them hitting me all over and when you go thru a big enough swarm, they make a noise I can’t describe. Having my lights on made it worse because I could see the swarm before I went into it. Many of the little buggers made it down inside my bra – not sure how they managed it but I have never jumped into the shower so fast. Thank god none of them were biters. I don’t even want to think about the number of bugs that made it into my hair. Once I got to the airport, things got better.

From now on, I’m sticking to the city for night rides. Fewer bugs. NPS really needs to import a bat colony; talk about fast food for them.

Avoid the south end of the MVT during warm summer nights. The bugs are simply out of control. You have been warned.

[Dirt]

@eminva 20807 wrote:

Okay, what way was the wind blowing? Others are complaining of a headwind, but I felt like I had a tailwind.

It was a cross wind on the W&OD home, and protected by the trees pretty well. I felt it when I crossed Washington Blvd at the Falls Church line. Heading south on the MVT and doing laps at Hains Point were fun. There were white caps on the Potomac.

[KelOnWheels]

@rcannon100 20795 wrote:

I don know Kel, that “bicycle” your sitting on in your pic – it looks like it has motor assist. Doesnt that thang result in miles getting subtracted? :p

I wished I was on the moped trying to get up That Hill tonight!

[PotomacCyclist]

I’ve seen massive bug swarms on the bike path between the 14th St. Bridge (George Mason) and the Jefferson Memorial. Huge clouds, always in the twilight hours. I try to avoid wooded areas around dusk because that’s when the gnats seem to come out. But sometimes the critters decide to fly around at other times of the day too.

[off2ride]

Yes, the bugs are out in force. Gnats especially. Very annoying while riding. Luckily the speeds are low so there’s no mess unlike riding a motorcycle in the summer months.

@KLizotte 20808 wrote:

Last night I did an evening ride on the MVT heading to Mt Vernon. Holy cow, coming back thru the woodsy curvy bits at 8:30 pm got me into the biggest swarms of bugs I have ever seen in my life. It was disgustingly awful. It was like biking through a hail storm – the bugs were so big I could feel them hitting me all over and when you go thru a big enough swarm, they make a noise I can’t describe. Having my lights on made it worse because I could see the swarm before I went into it. Many of the little buggers made it down inside my bra – not sure how they managed it but I have never jumped into the shower so fast. Thank god none of them were biters. I don’t even want to think about the number of bugs that made it into my hair. Once I got to the airport, things got better.

From now on, I’m sticking to the city for night rides. Fewer bugs. NPS really needs to import a bat colony; talk about fast food for them.

Avoid the south end of the MVT during warm summer nights. The bugs are simply out of control. You have been warned.

[dbb]

@eminva 20807 wrote:

Once a Gulf Coast girl, always a Gulf Coast girl. . . .

You’d be loving it today. Bayou la Batre and Biloxi were toasty today. Expecting similar in NOLA tomorrow.

[GuyContinental]

@eminva 20807 wrote:

Okay, what way was the wind blowing? Others are complaining of a headwind, but I felt like I had a tailwind.

I love the hot weather. I never complain in the summer — I save all that for the winter. Once a Gulf Coast girl, always a Gulf Coast girl. . . .

Liz

There was a pretty stiff headwind on the WO&D EB between Sterling and Reston but as Dirt said it became a cross wind by Vienna and then seemed to swing around by Falls Church. Heat wasn’t that bad but I find wind pretty dispiriting at the end of the day…

[vvill]

I grew up in a climate where it never gets much below 40F, and we would go riding on 100F+ days (although at least our destination was the beach). Anyway, I don’t mind hot weather either, or at least I used to not mind it. I seem to have adjusted my body through the last few winters and even 90F feels really warm now.

I think the winds were from the south yesterday – at least when I was crossing the Roosevelt Bridge.

[consularrider]

With the threat of severe weather last night and strong southerly winds, I opted to just head home via the Custis so I got something of a tailwind instead of the full on headwind I would have had heading down the MVT. Since there was no rain when I got home I kept going so that I wouldn’t lose milage on the day. At Columbia and Lee Highway I had a driver lean out his window and comment on how I had chosen a hot day to ride, and I was feeling refreshed because of the cooling breezes and it was much more pleasant than my long weekend rides.

[eminva]

@dbb 20817 wrote:

You’d be loving it today. Bayou la Batre and Biloxi were toasty today. Expecting similar in NOLA tomorrow.

You are going in the right direction! Say hi if you get to Galveston.

Liz

[Dirt]

DaveK posted this elsewhere. I thought it was interesting.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/how-your-body-beats-the-heat/2012/05/25/gJQAsvvEqU_graphic.html?hpid=z4

[KelOnWheels]

I’m really good at the turning red part.

[Dirt]

@KelOnWheels 20840 wrote:

I’m really good at the turning red part.

I keep trying to turn pink. NOt having too much luck yet.

[brendan]

@Dirt 20839 wrote:

DaveK posted this elsewhere. I thought it was interesting.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/how-your-body-beats-the-heat/2012/05/25/gJQAsvvEqU_graphic.html?hpid=z4

The part of the diagram labeled “Extreme: 3.7 quarts”? That’s me.

Brendan

[Author]

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