Driveway Status: Determining Factor

Early February driveway conditon: icy  and frozen.

I look forward to early March when we set our clocks ahead an hour. Commuting to work is not a problem. It's the shortened light at the end of the day that's an impediment on narrow country roads. So obstacle #1 will soon be behind me—yay! This will allow extra minutes to dawdle, to observe emerging buds, and, of course, ample time because I lack cycling fitness. It takes about two weeks to get in the groove, gaining strength and stamina; until then I can't wait for the ride to end.

Late February driveway conditions: snow, covering dirt. It's lovely when it's like this.

Once the time changes, the second barrier is the mile long dirt driveway to my workplace. It's pretty tricky, starting with a descent onto a flat plain, which can be flooded, frozen, heaped with snow drifts, or a mud quagmire. After 10 miles of riding paved roads and nearly an hour on the bike, I don't relish trudging through adverse conditions—not to mention the extra time involved at the end of my ride. An hour ride each way seems plenty long enough.

Last year I started commuting late March; the year before it was mid-March. Currently, the driveway is a muddy mess. So, I'll be driving for at least another two weeks, waiting for sunshine and dry, warming weather.