Back on the bike: and getting paid to do it.

I felt I'd given the knee sufficient rest for the past 3 days and wanted to ride yesterday. In the evening my employer had it's Annual Meeting (it's a boring non-profit thing: speaker, voting in new board members) and it was taking place this year over at Station Square: just a few miles away. This was bike-able! I'd planned on riding there and back instead of driving, paying for parking and charging my employer for mileage. I wore some bike-to-work clothes with a pair of super thick wool leggings. It was going to be in the 20s. Brrr.

I went out on my lunch hour and tried to see if I could squeeze past the PennDot sign on the Fort Pitt bridge. The bottom bars have been bent back to let pedestrians through, but I can't cram Fizz through there. I'm tempted to go at it with a wrench to remove the bottom bar.

It was rather cold, and not many people out. The first cyclist I encountered gave me a nod. Oh, yes! The 'Hey there, fellow cold-weather cyclist!' nod! I remember those! In the summer, there's so many people on bikes that saying hello to and nodding at every passing cyclist is a chore, I don't do it. But, it's 19 degrees: everyone on a bike in these temperatures deserves some "Dang, you're badass too." props in the form of The Nod.

I heard there was a new Dero Fix-it station down by the Bastille/Alcosan and I love the air pumps with PSI gauges, so I rode down there to get some air in the back tire. Thanks, Alcosan!

I love a firm back tire.

The gauge is a little difficult to read. 

Su stopped by the office in the afternoon with her new Phattie. So jealous. That is a nice machine.


Then, an emergency! We needed door prize tickets for the meeting tonight! The only place that sells them is in the Strip, no one wanted to drive over there and hunt/pay for parking for this $6 item. The parking might have cost almost as much as the item.
"Hey, send Speegs on her bike!"
Muhahahaha! My plan is working! They're sending me on errands on the bike!

I've Jedi-Mind-Tricked them into thinking any task that requires difficult parking should be performed by the resident cyclist.

So, off I went to the Strip to find this roll of tickets.

Mission accomplished.

I knew I'd be returning late in the evening and in the dark, I brought all the lights and the pink vest.
I had the misfortune of passing through the intersection where two pedestrians were injured and killed less than 8 hours prior. There were fresh spray paint markings on the ground where the incident occurred. I'm at that corner frequently early in the morning. It brought levity to my commute.

Parking at this hotel was difficult: no racks anywhere.

I locked to a bench in front of the hotel lobby and made it known to the staff that I was forced to do this due to lack of parking. Pretty odd for a hotel right at the end of the GAP.

My travels were peaceful and serene. The cars played nicely with me. It didn't rain on me. Yesterday was a good day.