Yay! - today is finally Friday. It seemed like a simultaneously long ass week - yet a really fast week. Just the finality of it all. Work was a busy mess of just ...well, work. It flew by really fast. Then in the afternoon, it suprized us all - began to rain. Was not in the forecast. I was like...oh well..I'll just bike in it.
Which is what I did, and after 38 miles - I was completely soaked. Not to mention, releived - seems that there's a new sheriff in town (or something). I biked from Sterling to Hamilton tonight, which is a really remote bike ride..there are 5 mile stretches on the trail which there are no intersecting roads or what not. Just me, the cows, deer, rabbits, rain, cold, darkness... So I sort of blocked my mind the whole recent debacle of the police presence - "just keep it in mind" thing...I enjoyed my entire ride out, despite the crappy conditions. I saw many bikers on the way out....not too many coming back...in either direction.

On the way back, I was almost delerious at how great the ride was until I see ahead...a pair of red lights...dots, slightly moving - about a mile ahead. I say to myself..."shit...those look like tail lights... " (as in tail lights on a police car - there are NEVER cars on the bike path, the only car[s] that would EVER be on the trail would be a police car). I slowed down and pulled to the side, turned off my headlight and reached around and turned off my flasher - but I was far enough behind them for them to really see me. I sort of sat there for a few minutes, in the rain, dark, cold, farmland wondering...what next? I was way the fuck out in the boonies - I'd have to wait for a while to continue (he looked to be travelling about 10mph..I'd catch up to him in no time)...or bike back 5 miles to take an alternate route (on a highway..very dangerous)...or just bike for a while without my lights on (moon was out...I could see path)...and stop every few miles while he moves ahead....great plan..except I had another 8 miles to go (I was on the end of my ride back).
There I was biking for a few miles... at a really slow pace..so I'd not catch up, then I'd duck behind trees when there was a patch of light (it was odd, it was raining out..but really light from the moon and distant light pollution). Eventually, the car turned off near Rt 28. I felt really stupud and sneaky...but I was able to get back without hassle.
Got back to car, dried off, and drove home..had dinner, then spent almost 2 hours cleaning my bike, re-lubing it. Gee, just finished a hot date with my bike on a friday night, (rolls my eyes).
The only cool highlight of the day was illustrating the above picture from scratch.