Shoveling, Shoveling, Shoveling and Riding
Perhaps you heard Minnesota got a pretty big snow storm this week. It was on the national news. I think MY Town got about 18 inches. That’s okay, because I kind of like snow. I even like SHOVELING snow. It’s my second favorite wintertime activity. Bicycle riding is my #1 favorite, of course. After a regular snowfall, I get to do BOTH in equal amounts. After a blizzard, the balance is weighted much more toward the shoveling. Here is my story about that:
The celebration didn’t last long though. I knew my task was far from completion. The driveway is much bigger and has about 40 times more snow on it than the sidewalk. In addition, I had to remove the blanket of snow from my car. I’m also the neighborhood volunteer for shoveling the snow from around the fire hydrant up the street.
All that work took almost two hours, but I wasn’t done yet. I still had to dig trenches in the back yard for Diggity. He can, and will, plow through heavy snow when he has to use the great restroom outdoors, but I know he appreciates it when I make things a little easier for him.
After all that work and sweat (yes, lots of sweat) I was too worn out for even a small sample of my favorite wintertime exercise. Yet, with all the snow removal taken care of, I knew I could get an early start the next day–which is today.
The good news is that I really was able to get an early start. The bad news is that a cold front had moved in. It was four-degrees below zero (F). I rode my bike, but not for very long or very far.
gregblood
Hi. My name is Greg and I ride my bike a lot. That is to say, I ride my bike almost every day. I go on long rides and short rides. Sunny rides, cloudy rides, and rainy rides. I like commuting, errand-running, day-tripping, overnighting, and touring on my bike. I ride on city streets, highways, gravel, single track, and snow with equal enthusiasm. Sometimes I ride fast and sometimes I ride slow. I try to keep my feet on the pedals at stop lights and I do not dismount when I hop up on a curb. I have a roadie bike, a mountain bike and a touring bike. I try to accept any challenge a bike ride can throw at me without complaint. But I don't like bugs.
5 response to "Shoveling, Shoveling, Shoveling and Riding"
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That definitely counts as a significant snowfall. While I don’t really mind shoveling snow, I don’t think I could quite muster that smile about it that you have. And I’m sure Diggity appreciates that extra effort!
That is a LOT of snow!
Any idea how many pounds or tons you moved? Alot!!
Max just smiled at Diggity and headed for his litter box 🙂
Speaking of new Bicycles . . . . .
Here is an All Wheel Drive one well suited to MN winters:
https://cyclingtips.com/2020/07/this-all-wheel-drive-fat-bike-is-built-to-cross-continents/
My goodness. That’s a heap of snow, difficult to imagine. Our home here in Santa Rosa received a few flurries overnight, which is highly unusual for this area. What’s more, the nearby hills received far more snow than anyone has seen in at least 40 or 50 years. Naturally, I had to head to higher elevations to check it out, and there’s a bicycle involved. I’ll try to post that when I get a chance. But what I really wanted to mention is that after seeing all your labor, I’m really, really, really glad I don’t need to own a snow shovel!
WOW. Just WOW. Not only for the unbelievable amount of snow, but for your community service, which might not seem so much to YOU, but I think is highly important; for your dedication to and love for Diggity; for the amount of work you not only did, but liked doing and smiled about; and for riding for 30 minutes in THAT. You da man.
Thirty minutes in -4F is heroic!