Before I started today’s ride I looked at the weather radar for possible rain. The forecast was for a cold front to pass through later this afternoon. There was a glob of rain storms to the north Livingston and I figured they would move to the east like they do many times. I put on sunscreen and got dressed planning to ride the “New Caney – Gene Campbell Road” route to the north. I left home at 11:19 with the sun shining and the temperature at 93 degrees.
After riding through Kingwood to add some miles to the route I headed to Loop 494 and US59 to begin going north. When I reached US59 I looked to the north to see some gary clouds in the distance. I still thought I could ride to New Caney but I changed how far north I was going to ride from Roman Forest Blvd to FM1485. Arriving in Porter I turned right onto FM1314 and rode to Loop 494. Once I was on Loop 494 I rode north towards the darkening sky. The further north I rode the darker the sky got. After passing New Caney High School and Eagle Drive I decided to turn around and get back home. I took Loop 494 south to Porter and then got on the southbound US59 service road keeping an eye in my mirror on the approaching line of clouds. With the wind behind me I raced to Northpark Drive. Stopping for the traffic light to change a big gust of cold wind blew through and I knew the rain wasn’t too far behind.
Taking Northpark east I cut through the Showbiz theater parking lot to reach Loop 494 to ride to Kings Manor and into Kingwood. The wind was blowing in gusts and caught my wheels at time trying to move me to the side of the street. By now I was about 4 miles from home. I continued riding as fast as I could. It started to drizzle rain and I pedaled faster trying to reach home but when I got to the Bear Branch Park the rain picked up and I went to the pavilion for shelter. The rain and wind picked up and I was glad I found shelter. That sunscreen should’ve rain repellent as the wind started blowing the rain into the pavilion I was getting chilled. A rain cape would be handy. Before I reached the pavilion while riding on Cedar Knoll a large tree (12 to 15 feet tall) fell over in the front yard of a home from the wind. It looked like the trunk was rotted.
At the pavilion several close lightening strikes hit and lots of thunder. After 15 minutes or so the wind let up and the rain slowed down. Later it stopped and I left to ride the last mile home. When I got home at 1:19 I checked the temperature and it was 73, a 20 degree drop. No wonder I was chilled. The wind was from the NNE at 26 mph with 43 mph gusts. This is why I had trouble keeping my bike pointed where I wanted it to go.
The weather radar when I got home.
With the abbreviated ride I ended up biking 22.3 miles.
The weather should straighten out for tomorrow’s ride. I am at 851.7 miles for August and need 106 miles to hit my goal for August.
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