Start as you mean to continue! Sam takes her own advice on this cool, dark, damp morning

Friends who live north of me are posting pictures of snow to their social media accounts.

It’s not quite snow season yet in my part of the world. However, it is the start of the dark, cold, and damp season.

The overnight lows are approaching freezing. There is a week of single-digit highs and rain in the forecast.

This morning I was sleepy, not my usual perky Monday morning self. I’d been at a conference all weekend. If I were a regular faculty member, I would have felt okay sleeping in on a day like this. But I’m not. Many meetings await, and so I needed to get to campus.

The real question is whether or not to ride my bike or get a drive.

I have learned from past experience that I must keep riding. If I don’t get used to riding in the sort-of-cold, it will be impossible when it gets to the really-cold. Start as you mean continue! If I want ride my bike through most of the winter, I can’t skip the first wet, cold mornings.

So I took the longer, more scenic route to work on my bike.

I wish I’d taken pictures.

The bike path was covered in bright orange leaves. They’re a slip hazard on pavement, but on the gravel path, they’re okay.

There were also so many kids out on their bikes. They all say hi.

I started to feel good about my choice!