Red Trike

This trip was full of minor disasters, but, hey, we made it!

Raffi posed, partly, with some deep autumn reds. These colors might be all we get this year; at the rate leaves are falling, there won’t be any left by the first frost.

There was a fine mist in the air when we left, but I gambled and set out anyway. I doubt that Raffi is truly water-proof, and, as he’s essentially irreplaceable at this point, I’m disinclined to gamble with any exposure to serious rain.

We made it to a favorite park, and took refuge in a gazebo. I set out my small picnic: a can of La Colombe, per the coffee requirement (though, in fact, virtually any beverage is allowed), the usual grapes and water biscuits, along with goat cheese mixed with rosemary and garlic. So good!

Mindful of  the previous ride’s La Colombe debacle, I trustingly reached for my tab opener. The tab on the coffee can bent forward, but failed to open the can correctly. Sigh.

The plastic rim on the can, meant, I assume, to make drinking more pleasant, made it difficult to make the opening wider. I emptied my water bottle, and trickled the coffee into it. This was messy, and involved coffee spilled into the goat cheese.

Canned La Colombe is infused with nitrogen, which gives it a marvelous froth and texture, but also makes it fizz — all over, when poured.

In fairness, the cans warn against shaking. It’s possible that cycling with La Colombe is a shaking equivalent, smooth though our rides are. At any rate, lesson learned; I’ll brew my own coffee in the future, and save the La Colombe for other times.

The sky seemed to clear while I picnicked, but clouds were moving rapidly, and, on our return, we took refuge under a bridge, hoping that the light drizzle would stop. We waited next to a creek, where evidence of Ida persists, as it no doubt will for quite a while.

The rain persisted, and in the end, we had to call for rescue. Raffi folds up beautifully, so we popped him into the car, and headed off for home, having only just barely met the 2 mile/3.2 km minimum requirement for a Coffeeneuring ride. Good thing, too, as, having missed the first week, I had no days to spare.

Mileage: 2.02 miles/3.2 km