ICE...and Now SNOW!

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Nuts.

Not long ago I was crowing about how good a place South Carolina and its surrounding states are to ride in -- temperate all year, good roads, interesting places to see, etc., etc.

Well, the weather has taken a turn for the worse.  Much worse. 

Take a look:

And look here:

Those are my front steps.  That's not just snow.  There is ice first, then show mixed with sleet on top of it.  Not much accumulation, but no good for walking or driving or riding on either.

Here is a view of my street:

Slick, frozen-over road.  Nobody is moving.  The milk and bread are sold out in all the super markets.  Businesses are closed.  It is supposed to get down to 26 degrees tonight, so it won't melt until late tomorrow or the next day.  Then the roads will be a mess of sand and salt and such. 

I have not been out riding since New Years Day, and then for only a relatively few miles.  I'm having withdrawal symptoms.

I am yearning for some of this:

Skyuka Mountain Road

NC-80 during the Rally to Ridgecrest, 2013

Top of Mount Mitchell off the Best Road I Know Of, the Blue Ridge Parkway

Dark and cold, but rideable, on the way to Rally to Ridgecrest, 2013

Highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Mmmm, mmm.  Bring on the warm weather.  I can feel it now.  

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Update.  The next morning.  

Well, it snowed all night.   We have an accumulation of four or five inches.  The temperature is just under freezing. 

Only the kids are out playing in it.   So, I take a walk.

The little pond in the back yard is frozen over.   I wonder where our resident frog has gone. 

The greenhouse is cozy despite the snow and cold. 

The road is covered with packed snow, so a few people have been out. 

The sky is a pretty color of blue, with some wispy clouds, and the sun is shining.  It feels good. 

A trail nearby is so far untouched, so I take a short detour.

 In an hour, some of the roads have begun to thaw a bit.

The temperature is up to a balmy 36 degrees.

The low is supposed to be 19 tonight, so it will get icy and treacherous.  But the high will be 48 tomorrow, and most of it will be gone.

Hallelujah.   Maybe a ride is in order later in the week.  I can't wait!   
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New Years Day Meander

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Many of us are fortunate to live in places where we are able to ride almost year around.  South Carolina, where I live, is one such place.

We have had lots of rain over the past two months, so I have not been out riding much.  But today -- New Years Day, 2016 -- I was able to go out for a few hours.  The temperature was in the high 50s, so it was a pleasant ride.

With all the rain we have had, I had to watch for washed mud, and sand, and gravel, however.  Like this:

And this:

So, I didn't ride up into the Blue Ridge Escarpment, but, rather, kept to some flatter roads with some sweeping curves just south of there.

I ran across a sports car rally in one place on highway SC-11: 

The payoff today, though, was that the skies were not overcast everywhere.  They were blue with these pretty clouds: 

Ya' can't beat a beautiful picture like those, can you?   

How about you?  Did you get out on New Years Day?  What sights did you see?
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