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13 April 2011

Bike-commute day 14—gym & home

When I was back on the bikeway after stopping at the gym, I used my body clock to check that I had enough time to make it home before dusk. I stretched my left arm out toward the sun, thumb up and little finger out horizontal at the horizon. The sun was a good 3 inches above my thumb tip. I was sure to arrive home at least an hour before sunset. I know it will be a race with the light if the sun touches my thumb.

My day is often regulated by the sun: I wait for full sunrise before I start out; I feel the first warming rays at my desk as I close up my computer at work; I measure the sun's distance from the horizon to judge how much effort my ride home must explore. No wonder that my day seems less purposeful when the skies are overcast.

Temperature: 63 to 68°F at 17:15, 61 to 66°F at 19:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: 1 layer (skinsuit); ankle socks.; open-finger gloves.
Time: 1:02:00 for 15.77 miles
Bikeway users: 43 cyclists, 29 pedestrians, 2 dogs

18:11—depart from work.
18:29—arrive at Cardinal Fitness.
18:54—depart from Cardinal Fitness.
19:05—trestle remains at Linden.
19:16—west gate to Eastwood Park
19:25—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway.
19:38—arrive home.

1 comment:

SoFrankly said...

This is a great way to judge the sun. Amateur astronomers the same method to determine how long a star or other object will be visible. Sadly, so many of these skills are lost today.