Do you ever get those, "Did I leave the curling iron plugged in?" moments? Those things you do so much by rote that your brain doesn't register the action as a memory? This morning, I was about a click and a half from home, and I suddenly thought, "Did I leave the garage door open?" I mean, of course I didn't, because I never do, but I had no recollection of closing it. Normally, I would continue to work and phone my wife when I got there, but she's away for a few days with the kids. So, I turned around and rode back home to check. Yes, it was closed.
I then decided to try another route to work. It's a bit longer, but there's some impending construction along my normal route that might force me to an alternate anyway, so I tried it out. Besides, I was already late for work, so why not add a few more minutes? It's a route I've ridden many times recreationally, but alway in the opposite direction. There's a long gravel descent that I don't care much for, but overall the route is okay. There's a section of road that I've long suspected has a subtle slope, imperceptible to the eye, but I've always flown down that road. Going the other way, I can confirm that yes indeed, the road is sloped. Maybe half a percent, but it's enough to feel the extra effort in the legs.
Hazy and warm this morning. Some evidence of showers from last night, but boy do we ever need more rain. We're in an historic drought here, with less than half the rainfall over the past couple months as our previous driest year.