I have less than a week left in Panama. The weather has been very challenging the last week, obvious to me by my sudden lack of riding. Violent thunderstorms have been an everyday occurrence. Anywhere from 3" to 6" of rain in the afternoons. Lighting has knocked out the internet at the house I am staying at, and electricity was off for 15 1/2 hours one day. It goes off for shorter periods every day. Even the entire town lost internet for a full day, and even now is on very weakly. It is impossible to use VOIP services or any sort of streaming. Makes me feel like a bit of a hermit.
I now spend my mornings carrying the laptop down to the library to work on Race Across the West details, check email, and finally will update my blog for my most recent ride.
I rode down the the library carrying my cell phone and looking for a usable wifi signal. I arrived just before they opened, and used some time to visit with a couple that was house hunting and waiting for an Uber ride. We all noted some rapidly approaching clouds.
Within a few minutes thunder was crashing and rain was just pouring. Luckily I was inside the library by then, but unluckily, I'd have to ride back up to the house with just a pair of gym shorts and a cotton t-shirt. I did have a plastic sandwich bag to keep the phone dry, and a lightweight backpack to carry it in. It still wasn't too much fun. Before the afternoon was over, nearly 6" of rain had fallen. When I was complaining a bit on Facebook about my situation, a friend reminded me that skin is waterproof. It might be, but it still isn't fun to cycle in rain that hard without proper attire. The only saving grace is that it was warm rain. In Oregon I would have had hypothermia.
When I got back up the hill and could safely take my phone out of the bag, this is what it looked like:
3.8 miles
378 ft
and thoroughly soaked!
If this weather continues, (likely) I'll probably not get many more rides this week, if any. It is easier to walk to the library with my computer and an umbrella, than to try to keep it dry while riding a bike.
........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ......0.................0..................4....................0............4
Jan.........26................ 0................0.....................0..............26
Feb.........7..................0................0.....................0...............7
March.......5.................0................0.....................0...............5
April.......0.................0...............66.....................0...............66
May.........0..................0..............72......................0...............72
YTD.........38...............0...............145.....................0.............183
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