Frigid Shopping Run

Today's Chilly GPS Track

Yesterday, Friday the 20th of March, was rainy, drizzly, cold, and weeping FOG.  Springtime in Missouri, for sure.
Again I was surprised when the rain slowed and actually stopped later in the afternoon.  Temperatures were in the mid 40's or so, and WET/COLD, but I knew if I missed a riding opportunity I would regret it.
Since I was out of diet soda, I decided that would be a good motivational excuse to take a ride up to our local Big Box Store.  You know, the one that is sold out of toilet paper currently.
(Actually this applies to MOST stores nowadays?)
So I dragged the trike and doggie trailer out of the garage and hitched everything up.
Thankfully the new tire and tube on the rear wheel were still holding good air pressure.
It turned out to not be freezing, but pretty numbing.  Even with the cold breeze, as usual it was a nice mood enhancer to be out pedaling around like a loony bird.
I wore a light sweater over my shirt and my biking/yellow windbreaker on top of that, and stayed fairly comfy, and did NOT get overheated.  For my tender pinkies I wore my hunting mittens, with the flap that folds back for decent finger activities but keeps the fingers warm and together when covered, unlike gloves with separate fingers.
Why most passersby look at me weird, I have no idea.....
I arrived safely in the "Big Box" parking lot, and entered the modern day equivalent of Buyer's Panic Shopping.  A huge store like this, normally piled to the ceiling with everything under the sun, about HALF empty with huge gaps of empty shelves where few normal things are available.
I checked the toilet paper aisle, just for fun, and it wasn't fun:  EMPTY
I was surprised they seemed to have a decent supply of diet soda, and I got a couple of 12-packs, leaving plenty for other motivated buyers.
When my Dad was still alive he would often talk about some of his experiences during the Great Depression of 1929-1933.  He said often "There will never be another great depression!" 
I never thought I would see such dramatic conditions and panic as we see today, and "only" a couple of weeks of panic have resulted in thousands of closed businesses and lost jobs and stock market declines.
The trip home was not much different than normal even with the additional 20 pounds or so of soda pop.  The B.O.B. trailer is a wonderful accessory.  It's small but can haul a lot of weight and bulk without any trouble......
We wait and see how this all plays out in the end.
Maybe we'll be all riding bikes and trikes before long....

Ride Started:   4:00 PM      Ride Ended:  5:10 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.5  Ending Battery Voltage:  12.9   Lowest Voltage:  12.9

Beginning Blood Glucose:   86     Ending BG: 94

Lowest Temp:  39 F    Highest Temp:    42 F

Stats from the GPS:  Total Miles:   6.29

Distance Walked: .6 mile
Overall Average Speed       Moving Avg          Max Speed
  5.3 MPH                             7.3 MPH               23.0 MPH 

Total Trip Time                   Moving Time        Stopped  Time
 1 hour 10 mins                   52 minutes           19 minutes