My ride home on Wednesday was a soggy one.  I had planned on a little drizzle, but what I got was a downpour.  I forgot to put on the fenders so I had water, mud and road grit striped up my butt and bag.  It made for an annoying commute, but it was a self-created annoyance.  I should have dressed for the worst and fendered-up.  On the positive side, all the cyclists who clogged the Interurban Trail last week in the sunshine were gone and there were only a hardy few, sporting full rain gear, lots of lights, and waterproof panniers.  Last night I came home on my normal apres-work 3-mile loop.  By the time I got home, my shoes were water-filled and heavy – let’s call it resistance training.

Yep, fall is officially here.  My strawberry plant’s leaves are turning red, the heirloom tomatoes that I have fought to save all summer are finally turning from green to red, and it is now time to install extra lights and the fenders on my commuter.  This time of year is both comforting and scary for us lovers of the two-wheeler.  The trails and paths are free of our spandex clad brethren on their first ever “road bike”,  there are very few kids on big-wheels to dodge, the ladies after-work-walking-club (the one that walks 6 abreast on the trails like a Spartan phalanx) has retired to the treadmills at LAFitness.  I find that my ride is quiet and boring and drama free…  Except that drivers tend to lose what little ability they had to see cyclists.  Even with three blinking lights attached all willy-nilly, fall and winter commuters are spooky around intersections and shared roadways.