First Rain Of The Season

I awoke yesterday morning to thunder and lightning! I was happy and sad all at the same time. Is it really going to rain? Will I NOT be able to go on my daily bike ride? On the other hand, I love the rain and all the clouds. Both are a rare sight in Santa Clarita, CA. This is considered the High Desert and most of the time all you see is glaringly blue sky. Pretty boring to an artist. Seeing a cloud is quite a treat - well, for me anyway. I checked radar online and there seemed to be a very large break between downpours. So, I headed out for a ride around 6:30 a.m. and managed to get about 7 miles out before another downpour came. Luckily it was right at the point where a coffee shop was located. All this stress would have been eliminated if I had some rain gear....which I promptly went out and bought after I got home. My ride today was GREAT! and I managed to avoid all the downpours going home. My new bike [27 speed Trek 7.5 WSD Hybrid] is amazing and it seems I will be able to traverse the steep hills here with ease - and a lot of practice. My old bike, a Raleigh Venture, is a joy to ride but with only 7 speeds and weighing in at 29 pounds (without any gear) I really couldn't do the hills here in California. I spent the summer in Ohio and Florida and the Raleigh was great to ride there, especially after I changed the knobby tires to slicks. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings! :-)