Sun bathing by bike

I'm not a fan of sun bathing really. In the Summer, I don't like to be in direct sunlight too much and when I go on bike rides, I prefer roads with tree shades. However, direct sunlight during Winter in Portland can be a rarity at times and I am missing it much more. This week had been particularly dreary with gray skies and raining almost everyday. So, when I noticed sun beams shining through the window yesterday, I dropped everything and went out for a ride.

I'm fortunate that I work at home and I can just go for a ride on weekday afternoon if I wanted. I was in middle of work, but I thought if I waited too long the Sun might go away. So, out I went and just being out and basking in the sun really "brightened" my day. There were some errands I could run, but it wasn't pressing, it was enough just to be out and feel the sunshine. I'm not one to sit or lay out somewhere to sun bath, but riding my bike really slowly and just absorbing the sun rays was enough for me. There were some people running and biking at a fast pace, but for me I'd rather ride slow and enjoy the rare sunshine. As I had predicted, by the time I was on my way home, it was cloudy again and starting to sprinkle. I'm glad that I didn't hesitate to go out or I would have missed the sunshine as the window of opportunity was rather slim.

I forgot to bring my camera though. Otherwise, I would have taken a picture of the shining river which looked particularly beautiful. Instead, the picture above is one I took last Spring at one of many Portland public parks. It's a different setting, but I think it conveys a similar feeling of the warmth of the sun.

It looks like we have a few more cloudy and rainy days before finally having some consecutive sunny days. I've been noticing some new plants and leaves are stating to sprout here and there, so the coming sunny days might really be the beginning of Spring here.