The Seasons are Changing

There was quite a chill in the air this morning. I actually had to put a tuque on under my helmet to keep my ears warm and my fingers had that all too familiar sensation of cold biting at their tips despite my efforts to keep them otherwise. My daughter likes crisp mornings like this. She says they energize her. I ponder this thought while I think about the fact that it is only 40 degrees this morning and soon enough it will be -25 degrees. If 40 is energizing, is -25 super charged? Hmmm.

The reward to the cold this morning was a perfectly blue sky. Yesterday morning, it rained so hard I actually had to pour water out of my shoes when I got to work. Blue skies are much drier. Blue skies allow for awesome views of the mountains. Depending on my mood, I either get lost in my thoughts gazing east towards the Chugach or west to the Alaska Range. Mountain gazing prepares me for the work day. Get’s me in my zone so to speak. Today, I chose the Alaska Range with all of its big, snow covered peaks. The ridge line was highlighted with the pale blue of morning light. How I wish I could just stop and watch the light change to the dark blue of the mid day sun and then on to the pinks and oranges of the sun setting. Soon enough, my commute will be in the dark both ways as the Alaskan sun heads south so I relish these views while I have them. Somehow, heading in to work to check email seems so insignificant in the face of such mountains. Sometimes I think the mountains are laughing at us silly humans running around in our little rat race—always in a hurry to get somewhere.

For today, I’ll ride a bit slower and keep my eyes to the west. And my fingers in my gloves.