Yet more crackers on this thread - seems autumn's been very kind to us so far
By contrast, my contribution has somewhat less sun..
Today has been crap for various reasons, with the cabin fever mounting as the evening brought more unpalatable events.. I needed to go to the shops and this seemed like a good opportunity to make myself feel marginally better than totally useless.
Once the decision was made the appropriate gear was cobbled together pretty efficiently - the one sticking point being the bike mount for my torch (which appears to have evaporated) so I set aside my reservations about head torch battery life / brightness, scooped all of the house's AAAs into the rucksack just to be safe and set out on the Fuji.
It's been ages since I've ridden in the dark, and typically I've only done so regularly in urban areas. This time it was straight out onto the unlit country roads; the mild air saturated with the rich, comforting aroma of earth and the beginnings of gentle autumn decay.
I decided to take the scenic route as the traffic's typically lighter and half the point was to get out of the house. The head torch gave ample light, its 200ish lumens focused into a tightish spot far enough ahead to press on comfortably, but angled down so as to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic. This seemed to work well as I got no complaints and the numerous drivers who failed to dip their headlight in a timely manner soon obliged after a quick sweep of my beam across their windscreens.
The route took me through a few local villages on B-roads and bridleways. It was generally pretty peaceful and quiet, with highlights of the journey out including dodging an unconcerned toad and hearing an owl pretty close.
Upon arrival at the supermarket it took around three minutes of mincing to get the bike sorted (lock and cable out of pannier, looped through various bits, easily-detachable thievables pocketed, bags off and into trolley). Once inside I didn't want a lot, knew what I needed and smashed my way up and down the relevant aisles at a purposeful pace.
Reassured by the bike remaining visibly unstolen through the window at the far end of the shop I made my way back to the self-service checkouts.. to be held up by some ignorant / oblivious woman statically browsing the tat in the narrow lead into the checkout area. Once she'd finally deciphered the meaning of my trolley being 2" away from her and slowly closing everything was efficiently banged through the till (with the exception of the apples, which unfathomably have to be rung up individually).
Before I could pay I waited for an apparent eternity while the vacuous 12yr old "managing" the area was attempting to pork his co-worker... after being bluntly reminded of my presence my vodka-eligibility was confirmed and the transaction continued, however I still had to remind him to remove the security cap
Once paid for everything was hurled into the bags and it was out to the bike - progress hampered for a third time; this time thanks to the situationally-unware three-a-breast familty in front of me. Once outside I chose to re-pack the bags as I'd done a crap job, and in future I think I'll just fill the trolley post-payment and take my time packing once I'm outside. That was thirteen minutes inside with maybe another five outside. I stopped again before leaving the car park to stuff some more air in the rear tyre and tweak the friction shifter for the RD, then it was homeward bound.
Having had time to cool down in the shop I was a bit chilly once back on the bike, and I stopped again a few miles in to don my gloves - which instantly made everything much nicer. I'd gone prepared but fairly lightly dressed in thin walking trousers (black) and a long sleeved merino base layer (orange). While putting on the gloves (green) I was struck by how well it all co-ordinated and echoed the bike's colour scheme
Not a lot to report for most of the journey home; I was pleased to get up a short 9% stretch fairly comfortably without leaving the middle ring despite the additional 10% of mass I was now lugging. I did start to feel the tiredness setting in and my attention wavering a bit, but I managed to keep out of the hedge.
Maybe halfway back I stopped for a leak near one of the many local airbases and snaffled a quick pic (of the bike). Pressing on there was a fair bit of elevation change and it was interesting to note the very obvious drop in temperature when descending into the cooler, damp air hanging in the low points.
Coming to a narrow uphill bit I signalled and nipped into the mouth of a driveway to let a car behind me pass - my reward being their swift passage past so I didn't even need to slow down before re-joining the road behind them; their appreciation shown by a flick of the hazards. If only all intereactions on the road could be that pleasant for all concerned.
A bit more climbing saw me back on the road along the ridgeline that runs into the village, and then home
This has been another good learning experience. The (propriatory Li-ion) battery in the head torch performed well, suggesting that the rechargeable AAAs of similar quoted capacity I had been using might be past their best so they can live out their days in less demanding household roles. Similarly I got home to find the rear light dead, confirming my suspicions about the pair of cells in that too, so it looks like some new, higher-spec AAAs are on the cards.
Having got my "First big utility run" badge a week or so ago I've now done the same journey in the dark which feels like another milestone reached / mental barrier passed, while this time my yield came to around 9kg with no obvious ill effects, and as always I feel a lot better for just having got out.
The ride came to about 18.5 miles at probably about 13mph with another three quid saved in fuel.. which nicely filled the void between the available, promo Smirnoff and the non-existant fifteen quid own-brand stuff rampant inflation has typically reduced me to.
Anyway, time for bed - I suspect the world will seem less rosey in seven hours when I have to drag my creaking frame out of bed for work.
Bonus points to those who made it all the way through this latest bout of semi-coherent, needlessly detailed rambling..
With a light headwind and the wet roads swishing under my wheels I tried to press on like I had with the Raleigh, but with this being a heavier bike my legs felt strained so I had to take it a little easier as I don't want to do myself a mischief.
