Speaking of bicycle therapy, I took the Surly out noonish today, intending to spend the afternoon revisiting some old haunts. All this depended on the weather behaving itself, of course, but I had hopes based on the forecasting I had seen/heard. The first leg of the planned route was to follow the Minuteman out to Depot Park. This was a pleasant ride, not crowded, not frantic, a relaxed but efficient spin. My fellow trail users seemed like nice people, not like bad monkeys.
However... when I reached Depot Park, the sky looked ominous.
The weather radar looked worse. Seems conditions had deteriorated rapidly. I decided that if I were going to get soaked, I'd rather it happen when I was on my way home, on a familiar rail trail, rather than while heading Out Yonder, on roads that might be familiar enough, but which were populated by Massachusetts drivers enraged by the sight of weather. I turned the bike around and headed East. At Tophet Swamp, the clouds suggested I make all deliberate speed, so I did.
Shortly thereafter, a teasing drizzle started, then stopped. This became a steady shower, that came to visit whenever there was a gap in the tree canopy. After a bit, it was just rain, and it was playing Soak the Cyclist with gleeful abandon. Being a good sport, I did my part, and got soaked.
Had a nice ride in the rain, exchanging more or less good-humored greetings with other cyclists passed or passing, occasionally ringing the bell to manage the odd group of three-abreast pedestrians or divider walkers. The rain began to subside, and I knew it was over when the young woman folded up her pink umbrella after the couple on the tandem passed her.
So the old haunts remain to be revisited. It's possible that I wouldn't have gotten any wetter if I'd hewed to my purpose, but some of what I was seeing on the weather radar looked a good deal more intense than the polite and sportsmanlike soaking I got, so I'll haunt them again some other day.
rod