The only way to enjoy the outdoors during a heat wave is
either by staying up late or getting out early. This morning I opted for the
latter as I set out at 7:30 on a four mile trek from my house to Main Street
Ellicott City and back.
As I wound my way past the Worthington Dog Park , the mercury had
already climbed past the mid seventies but there was also a light breeze. Soon,
I was in the shaded confines of New
Cut Road and it was just like any other summer day, warm but not oppressive.
Although there isn’t a sidewalk or much of shoulder on New Cut, at this time of
morning I saw just as many cyclists as I did cars.
I passed a couple of runners too.
Before long I reached the outskirts of the historic district
and worked my way down to the Bean Hollow coffee shop for a quick coffee and perusal
of the morning paper. The heat wave made the front page, above the fold.
Before heading back home, I stopped and snapped of picture
of an artist painting a picture as part of this years Paint It! Ellicott City !
For the return trip I headed up College Avenue , a decidedly steeper route
than New Cut. The developers of a housing development called Autumn River
are installing a new traffic circle on College near Sheppard Pratt. The work has been
stalled as they wait for BGE to move the old poles that are now in the
relocated road. I imagine that this work is a little low on the utilities priority list right now.
By the time I turned back into my neighborhood, the temp has climbed to the mid eighties and I was ready to reenter a climate controlled world. For me anyway, the best part of the day was over.