November 18, 2020

From Gerald R. Lucas

Colder Today covid-19: day 241 | US: GA | info | act

In Reedy Park, Greenville, SC.

Man, it’s cold this morning. In the low-30s. We plan on waiting until after lunch to pick up the bike, but the high is only 62° today. Hopefully, the additional layer I brought but did not need yesterday will be enough. I’ve graded a bit this morning and answered some email, and now I’m waiting on Giles. Breakfast was decent for a hotel. Watching CNN and the Republican attempt to decertify the election results in Detroit, Michigan. I cannot wait until Trump is gone. Will it ever happen?

I was insomniac last night, up from about 2 until 5:30, or so. I probably dozed a bit after reading for an hour. My mind was going nuts. Anxiety about everything trivial and not. The early morning hours have a way of doing this to me. I feel OK now. I just received a call from Touring Sport: the bike is ready and a new key (if I want a second one) would be about $300. Sheesh.

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We went to Reedy Park and took some photos. By 11 am, the day was gorgeous, especially in the sun. We wandered with the cameras for about 30 minutes before picking up the bike.

Highway 72 Boat Ramp.

$170 later (for an oil change!), we headed south to the boat ramp we missed yesterday. I noticed that the mechanic did not reset my service warning, so I’ll have to figure that out myself when I get home. Today was definitely cooler, and I felt it on the bike at speed, even with another fleece layer. By the time we reached our slight detour, the Highway 72 boat ramp, I was cold and had to pee. I probably didn’t need that extra coffee. After a brief stop with a bathroom break and a couple of photos, we were on our way to Trader Joe’s in Athens. Of course, it should have been about an hour’s ride, but the GPS took us through Athens, which added another 30 minutes to the route. Jesus.

By the time we finished shopping, it was past 3, and there was still 80-or-so miles to go. Usually, this would be no problem, but today when the temperature has hovered in the 50s and the sun was sitting low in the sky, I felt a bit more urgency to get moving. We had not had lunch, so Giles stayed to get a bite while I started south.

While cold, the ride was otherwise peaceful. The late autumn afternoon was peaceful for the most part, especially south of Madison. The sun had set a bit further in the south-western sky, and that was the way I was headed. When the road was just right, I couldn’t see much in front of me. Who needs to see, right?

I was at my door about dusk, shivering but smiling. Giles showed up about 20 minutes later with my Trader Joe’s sacks, and I sipped a bourbon while warming up by the fire. Note to self: temperatures below 60° are not conducive to comfortable riding. This trip might have been a bit late in the year, but it was a fun couple of days.

Leica Camera and Lens Information
📷: Leica M8 (09/2022–) • Leica M (Typ 262) (01/2017–12/2020) • Leica SL (Typ 601) (12/2020–). Leica Lenses: Leica Summicron-M 2/50 (Typ IV)Leica Summicron-M 2/35mm ASPH (Typ V). Other Lenses: Asahi Super-Takumar 1.4/50 8-ElementAsahi Super-Takumar 1.8/55Asahi Super-Takumar 2.5/135Canon 1.4/50 LTM Helios 44m-4 2/58Industar 61 2.8/55Jupiter-8 2/50Jupiter-9 2/85Konica Hexinon AR 1.8/40Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 2.8/100Olympus Zuiko 2.8/24Olympus Zuiko 2.8/28Olympus Zuiko 1.8/50Olympus Zuiko 2/85Vivitar 2.8/28 • Voigtländer Nokton Classic 1.4/40 MC • Voigtländer Ultron 1.8/21Voigtländer Ultron 2/28. Processed with Capture One Pro.