A Mouthful of Spring

As you can probably tell from the picture there's been healthy precipitation this spring. Normally spring is a season I avoid. I prefer not to be in the rain, I don't like to feel soggy, temperatures aren't warm, just not freezing, and the sun normally doesn't find its way through the thick cloud cover. Cycling to work has given me a slightly different perspective of spring and its storms.

Just as the rain suddenly washes away the snow and makes everything turn green, and calves and lambs and other sorts of tiny animal clones start popping up on fields, storms are preceded by unusually warm weather here in Utah. So as the temperatures hover around 40ºF rides start becoming very pleasant. Once I'm warm things are easy going and the largest puddles aren't half as hard to navigate as the tiniest ice patches. I can stop worrying about surviving the ride and focus on just enjoying it or making good time.

Except today. Late the previous day, before the storm, some rancher had driven his herd to the field across the road. I didn't see it, but it wasn't hard to tell judging by the layer of mostly dry cow dung paving that portion of the road as I rode by. Harmless, really, and part of the experience.

Then came the wet afternoon ride. The temperature was comfortable and the winds were low. The rain wasn't bothering me at all. But that patch of manure on the road— now rehydrated— caught me off-guard. See, I've splashed slush, mud, dirt, and in the worst of cases they all taste pretty much the same. This does not. I'm not partial to the taste of spring.