Beating the Storm

This morning was bright and beautiful, with a little breeze and a steady stream of leaves tumbling down from the trees.  I was planning to ride my bike to Takoma - about 3 miles away - for a noontime yoga class.  When I checked my phone for the temperature, I noticed that rain was predicted starting as early as 1pm, but only a 60 percent chance by 2pm.  I decided to ride anyway, taking an umbrella and rain jacket in case I got caught out in a downpour.   By the time class ended, the sky in the west was getting dark.  I set out on the way back, down the hill to Sligo Creek and then up the creekside path.  The breeze had picked up and the temperature was noticeably cooler.  Each time I came out of the trees in sight of the sky, the cloud bank was thicker and darker.  I found a gear I could pedal against with just the right resistance, and came spinning up the trail, faster than I usually ride.  I slowed from time to time to make space for dog walkers and people pushing baby strollers, then brought the speed right back up.  I was working, putting my aerobic exercise training to good use, not sure if I would make it home before the storm, but giving it my best.  At the three main street crossings, I was fortunate and had to stop, just briefly, at one.  When I crossed Colesville Road, about a half mile from the house, the gusts grew stronger and more frequent, each one feeling a little cooler and showering leaves upon me.  As I reached the street a block from the house, I felt the first raindrop.  I shifted to a higher gear and stood to power up the hill to the drive, arriving right at 2 pm.  I took the bike inside and went upstairs to change.  I was standing in the closet, which has a large skylight, when it began to drum from the cloudburst that had just opened up.