I was up by 4:30 a.m. and soon after in the car and driving to the farm. I like to beat any cars to the lot because it is so much easier to push the snow with no vehicles to obstruct me. I’d had to shovel an additional two inches from my own drive before leaving and was anxious to get there and get started.
As I drove closer to the farm however, I began to notice less and less snow on the ground and when I finally arrived, was pleased to see there wasn’t enough to plow. This would give me the day to do normal chores and hook on the plow and salt spreader and be sure that all were in working order. I did have lots of salting to do and then discovered another surprise.
“John…the handle on the hydrant by Dillon’s stall seems to be frozen. We can’t get any water from it,” one of the barn staff informed me.
Not good. If one was frozen, others would likely be as well. The barn is not heated and since it was 5 degrees outside, it was pretty much the same inside. I spent six years in the car wash business though, and have a pretty good idea how to approach freezing water lines. I grabbed my torch and made my way to the barn.
An hour later, all water was flowing and a more serious emergency had been avoided. Mitch arrived and we hooked up the plow and salted the main parking lot, which was icy. I drove home in the knowledge that the predicted overnight snowfall would be no problem to handle. I was ready.
I spent some time on the trainer, continuing to watch ‘Mad Men’, which I find fascinating. I haven’t been so hooked on a drama series since ‘The West Wing’, but I’m going to have to find another to ride to since I’m closing in on the final season. With some luck, the winter will stay warm and I’ll be doing some outside riding and not need a TV to distract me. I see some possibilities for early season hikes coming though, and so I need to stay conditioned throughout the winter.
Bike duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 135 bpm.
Calories Burned: 750.
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