One Bike Story

My trusty steed

I think I've biked more miles here in Michigan since August than I did the entire rest of the year in Seattle. (the lack of hills here helps a lot.)

On Mondays, I have a class from 2-5pm. I always ride my bike to campus because it's free, and it allows for some brain clearing time. My ride is short, only about 12 minutes. And flat. Regardless, I enjoy it and know that I'm not doing it for exercise. This past Monday, I rode to class, knowing that there could be rain later in the day. So I packed some rain pants. The weather here in Lansing moves in fast. And it changes the temperature sometimes quite drastically because the weather is coming off of the great lakes. (So cool, right? Weather off the great lakes!?) Forecast for Monday, thunderstorms around 5pm.

All during class I've been looking out the window, trying to predict when that thunderstorm will come. Finally class ends, and I fast walk to my bike, look up in the sky, and see a streak of lightening in the distance (about two miles away.) I hurriedly pack my things up on my bike and roll out. I see two streaks of lightening and I start peddling as fast as I can. Three other bikers join onto the same road I'm on and we are hauling. And I mean HAULING ASS. It was a 7 minute sprint on my bike with thunder overhead, lightening getting closer and closer, and a darkening sky.

I screamed into our driveway feeling slightly wild, and about one minute later. Hail storm. Power outage.

It was exhilarating.