50mph winds + downpour = Optimal conditions for cycling

So the bike valet continued its sweetness tonight. We're still tinkering with the route to Nats Park to best avoid rush hour and tourist madness, but we did cover the distance in under half an hour this time.

I opted not the bring the camera this time--it's time to settle in--and of course our Capitol Riverfront ad came on the big screen. There goes Flatlandish's baseball, and his dock, and his Metro roof. And there's the 40-foot-tall image of the banner. Way cool.

The ambiance was great. The weather was lovely, the crowd was into it (and seemed bigger than the announced 28,051). Chico pitched a hell of a game. Maybe someday the middle of the lineup will figure out what those wood things are they're holding. 3-159, here we come! Oh, but those three...how I long for those days...

We stayed after the game for the little fireworks show--the first time I believe I've ever seen fireworks that weren't accompanied by John Philip Sousa. As we ambled out with the crowd afterward, I felt raindrops.

Crap.

We got the bikes out and had traveled about a mile when the skies opened. And the winds blew. My bike went sideways a couple of times.

As of this posting, I have slept two hours out of the last 41. Thanks, work. I managed to stay upbeat and productive all day, but standing in a bus stop, soaked to the bone, watching waves of rain pour down, that was when I crashed. It was a furious ride home. Raindrops that hurt, wind blowing us all around, shiny streets obscuring everything from potholes to bumps to deep puddles.

And as we opened the gate to the Mews, the rain stopped. Of course.

I'm going to bed. Fresh start tomorrow. And never again staying for the fireworks.