Riding under overcast skies

Although temperatures were in the 40s most of the day, I spent the morning, while it was sunny, doing work. I was done by 1:00 PM and headed out west under now overcast skies on Belleview avenue out of the Denver Tech Center towards Cornerstone Park. It's just west of the intersection of Broadway and Belleview. The sign says Progress Park but the actual entrance sign says Cornerstone Park, weird.

You head in on a dirt parking lot towards the western edge of the park where you can see the Front Range mountains in the distance:

Looking west from Cornerstone Park's parking lot

The parking lot surface was muddy with a few icy spots that were melting. No real problem navigating that stuff.

I headed back towards the Denver Tech Center and posed Brigitta at another favorite spot for pictures. The entrace to Westlands Park:

The archway entrance to Westlands Park

I headed out of the Tech Center by way of the Cherry Creek Dam Road. Today the traffic was very light and no one was behind me so I was able to stop midway along the top of the dam and back Brigitta onto the service entrance to the control tower.

It's a narrow little roadway which leads to a concrete tower in which I imagine the Army Corps of Engineers houses the mechanisms to control the water level in the reservoir. The skies made it all feel very gray today, so I thought I'd post this in B&W, following the recent lead of fellow bloggers:

Yeah, that's a thin layer of ice on top of the water in the reservoir, it'll be gone soon

One thing that had also changed was the wind conditions. The winds had been really strong in the morning as I headed towards the work site. I tested out the tip from Ken Bingenheimer to deal with strong winds. You force yourself you take the pressure exerted by the hand away from the wind. In other words, if the wind is hitting you from the right, relax the pressure on the left hand grip or even hover your hand above the grip. I had my doubts but after trying it, it really helps!

Of course, if the wind is hitting you strongly from the left, you relax or hover the right hand over the right grip.

Pretty sedate riding I must admit. I believe the weather forecast is calling for temperatures in the 40s and 50s this week so Brigitta will be my steed. Not to mention, I am waiting on a replacement clutch lever perch since I need the Italian one, not the Russian one to go with my new clutch cable. It should be here on Wednesday.

On a repair note. My kudos go out once again to my riding mentor John, aka Sanoke. His "temporary" welding job not only did the job but has lasted way past the point I think either one of us expected it to. Thanks again John! I removed it this afternoon from Natasha in preparation for welding by professionals tomorrow.