Vehicular cycling in the rain

It has been about a month and a half since I started biking Hen to school and I am liking it. I don't appreciate the hills I have to tackle on my way up the mountain but everything else is pretty great. Darr is awesome and has been biking with me so I get off easy for the first three miles of the journey as he trailers Hen during our ride downtown. When we get to the nice hilly part, I take Hen and he jets off to work. Ah, me and the hills. What can I say? I hate them. Hate. Them. They are mean and big bullies and no good can come from them, unless you are traveling down them at high speeds. Then they are fun and they are your friends. Can I take a moment to tell you the story about how, during our half century Tour de Whidbey bike race, I got my bike up to 40 mph going downhill. 40 mph, people. On a frakken bike. I am just that awesome.

It takes us/me about an hour to get from our house to the school and I shave about 15 to 20 minutes off that on the ride home. Since it would be Crazy (with a capital "C" Cah-razy) to ride back home after dropping Hen off and then ride out there a second time in order to pick him up, I've been taking full advantage of TaborSpace. Sometimes I grab a carrot and zucchini muffin, sometimes I order a tall glass of o.j. and, heck, I've even napped there - setting my alarm clock so I wouldn't be late to pick up Hen. Did I mention there is free wi-fi and there are comfy couches? I'll say this, though, setting up your coffee shop with suggested donations instead of actual prices is genius. I paid $5 for a glass of o.j. because that is all I had on me. (They don't give change, you put your donation in the provided box.) And I don't have the balls to go in and ask for another glass of o.j. to even out the score. TaborSpace 1, Me 0.


Here's what I've learned/observed/etc. about biking so far...

1. Portland is awesome for biking what with all the sharrows and bike boulevards.
2. It is cold in the morning in November in Oregon. Often it is raining. This makes roads slippery.
3. The trees are shedding their leaves right now, which makes the road a bit treacherous for us bicyclists. If you're ever driving behind one and get pissed because he/she isn't riding closer to the curb, it is probably due to the huge pile of leaves there. Might as well be riding on ice with as much traction as I'm able to get when on those dang leaves.
4. I like using my turning signals. 
5. I have no problem taking a lane.
6. I will ride on the sidewalk if necessary. 
7. It takes a lot longer to stop when you have 50 pounds of trailer and kid attached to the back of your bike. 
8. If you do not have fenders and it is raining outside, your butt will get wet.
9. Second to hills, I hate headwind.
10. I really enjoy my bike. Her name is George.  
11. My toes are frozen by the time I get to the end of the Springwater Corridor near OMSI. It might be time to invest in new, weather-appropriate shoes.
12. Market Street and Stark Street are relatively flat and provide a much-needed reprieve from the never-ending climb up to Hen's school. There's a reason they don't call it Tabor Hill.
13. Your tires can and will get caught in the railroad tracks at some point and you can and will go down and it will hurt. I did that this morning, attempting to give an oncoming biker some space to cross I turned the wheel at exactly the wrong moment and angle and I crashed hard. Now, I am sporting a bruise on my arm (near the elbow) and on the palm of my hand. I fear a bruise on my thigh will follow shortly. The palm bruise is creeping me out. Turns out my palm hitting the unforgiving ground is defined as blunt trauma. I just brushed my arm against the blankets on my bed and it feels as if my arm is ON FIRE. Ouch. 
14. If you have a Darr of your own, he will be so excited you're biking again he'll do your bike maintenance and even buy things (like fenders and tires) and put them on your bike for you.
15. Hen eats lunch and naps in the trailer on the way home. The one time he didn't nap on the way home he had already napped on the way to school. Apparently, all we need to get this kid to sleep is to put him in a bike trailer.