Cool Runnings / Riding

Today's non-GPS plotted route

We've been so busy working on the house issues that I haven't had much of a chance for triking since LAST Sunday.
One big milestone done this week was FINALLY getting our water line replaced between the street meter and the house;  about 90 feet worth.
In my crawlings under the house hooking up gas lines for the kitchen range and water lines for the new refrigerator ice maker and new kitchen sink, I - early on - noticed the very corroded galvanized water line coming out of the ground, with very damp earth all around it, even after days of dry weather and no known leaks.  We talked about this maybe being related to our unusually high water bills ever since we moved in.  Deciding it must be the over-50-year-old pipe, we contacted a local plumber to do the nasty replacement for us.  I was pleasantly surprised to get a quote of
$750 labor for the job, plus pipe and parts.  The big problem since then has been the extremely unpredictable weather, with sub freezing temperatures, ice, snow, and rain popping in and out.
One date planned for the work was drowned out with 5-15 degree weather.  The next proposed date was for Friday, 15 November.  Waiting for the day was difficult, still worrying about a possible big failure of the main water line, with several more days of spotty weather.
Finally the big day arrived, and contrary to fears, the weather was great.  AND, instead of taking all day and half the next, as I had worried, they were done shortly after noon.  Happy Camper, Me.
I actually had to work up a sweat a couple times helping the digging plumber get a hole dug underneath our foundation so it could be buried below the freeze danger line without having to build a protective insulating box around it on the surface.
Thus, after taking a relatively restful day off Saturday, moving the kitchen fridge around and peeling up old tile and laying new flooring, enough to roll the fridge back over, I took a ride while resting after Church this afternoon.
Today was a bit overcast, with the sun peeking through the clouds.  However, instead of burning off, the clouds totally obscured the sun most of the day.  By the time I decided to go for a stretch-ride, the temperature was not all that warm:  46 degrees.
So I dug out the cold weather gear, felt skull warmer, hunting mittens (with openable finger flaps), etc.
From experience, I did not wear any heavy layers over my shirt:  Just two layers of lightweight windbreakers.   Even though it was chilly I did not get overheated, and actually had to unzip the jackets about halfway through the ride to let some cooling air in.
It seems a bit more difficult to motivate myself to ride in cold weather, but the lower blood sugar is worth it....

Ride Started:    3:47 PM      Ride Ended:  5:15: PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.8  Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9   Lowest Voltage:  12.9

Beginning Blood Glucose:  171      Ending BG: 96

Lowest Temp:  46 F    Highest Temp:  46  F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:   6.00
Distance Walked: .6 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  4.6 MPH                             7.0 MPH               21.5 MPH 

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 1 hour 18 mins                    52 minutes           27 minutes