Water, Wasps, and Waiting to be Rescued

Riding in the heat has always been harder for me than riding during the cooler months. Give me a frigid winter day anytime over a humid sauna-like summer afternoon. And yesterday afternoon was one of the hottest I can remember. It had been at least two days since I had been on my bike outdoors. The last few days had been rainy and I was indoors on the trainer. But I decided today I was going outside, even if it meant dealing with a little rain.

I started out at my recovery pace and immediately I noticed the traffic was heavy. I cut through an adjacent neighborhood to avoid the wheeled cages and make my way to some back roads that I know will be less traveled this time of day. As I am pulling up to a four way intersection a feel a few drops of rain on my face. I was a little discouraged but the sky was still mostly blue so I decided to press on.

A short time later I come to the first climb on the route and I notice a substantial drop in the temperature and the air feels a little humid. At the top of the climb I can smell a little water in the air. It reminds me of the feeling I get when traveling to the coast and I get that first smell of the ocean. My resolve to ride outside was still pretty strong, but I knew I was looking at the very real possibility of riding back in the rain.

By now the western sky is darkening and I am headed right for a very ominous looking cluster of clouds over the lake. I catch some lightening out of the corner of my eyes west of where I was. I come to a bridge and the first drops start falling. Not so bad I think but not more than five minutes later the rain is coming down in torrents and I cannot see more than a few meters in front of me. I remember that there is a hiking trail not far ahead on my right and there is a small covered bulletin board at the trail head. The plan was to wait out the rain there then ride back as safely as I could on the wet roads.

After creeping along in the rain for a few miles I saw the trail just up ahead and I rolled off the road onto the wet gravel. At this point I am far less concerned about crashing than just getting out of this down pour. I headed directly for the covered message board and there is a box with a glass door that seems to be blowing in the wind. I put my hand on the glass door to close it but it would not stay closed and I surmise that it must be broken.

At this point I noticed a buzzing sound and through the fog on my glasses I saw several black specks flying out from the glass case. Wasps! Fuck. Just my luck. I was ready to be stung so I just prepared for it but I noticed they are not going for me. They quickly retreated back into the case and seemed to not really notice me at all. I did not want to question good fortune, but why was I not swelling with multiple bee stings at that moment? Then it came to me. The door is always blowing back and forth in the wind, since it does not lock, and the wasps must be used to it.

So here I am in the pouring rain, sharing a hideout with a bee’s nest, trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to arouse the wasps. The rain was giving no sign of letting up so I decided to make a call and get a ride. I had to be careful not to get the phone wet since I had already trashed 2 phones this year riding in the rain.

As I waited there, just me and the bees, I could not help but notice how beautiful the water covered world was. I was in a pine forest and seeing the steam rise through the forest was a stirring sight. I felt so connected to the world, and in an odd way, thankful that the rain had given me the opportunity to stop and notice it. It is easy to get caught up in the things that we set before ourselves to do. Work, family, training, hobbies. It is in these moments, when we are forced to pay attention to something other than ourselves, that we remember how nice it can be to just enjoy a rainy day.