Jumping seasons

...from chilly visions of snow to warmth & red rocks

I woke this morning to a blue sky and winter temperatures, but it was to be a day of jumping seasons. From a cold morning to a nice warm afternoon...

First things first though. My bicycle and my body insisted on a quick ride before I headed to the airport. Out the door, rolling down a dry road surface, looking at the snow still blanketing the ground. It's hard to believe that I actually rode in shorts just two weeks ago. My riding attire today returned to winter layers as dictated by a thermometer hovering around 29 degrees. Luckily I haven't lost the skill of dressing to ride in cold weather.

Home again, time for a shower and a snack before heading to the airport.

Boarding a plane, sitting, waiting just a short while for our journey down the runway... Our takeoff was a smile-producing moment, not because of anything unusual with the flight, but because of the (loud) exclamations of a fellow passenger. A women sitting a row back from me apparently was on her first flight. She had her eyes covered at first, then changed to look out of the window with a hand still clasped against her mouth. Oh! Oh! She continued to make excited noises as we rolled down the runway and as the plane traced a steep angle into the sky. Funny, she apologized after the plane leveled off - but she made quite a few of us laugh. No apology needed!

I really wish that there was a magic form of travel that allowed me to snap my fingers and be instantly transported across the country, but I suppose I'll have to continue using planes as my fast transport method. I can't complain about today's flight though; we actually landed 45 minutes early. I walked out of the airport into a warm afternoon. 88 degrees was quite a change from the 29 degrees of my morning bike ride!

Time to drive... I spent just under two hours speeding back toward the north and east from Las Vegas, rolling along I-15 through Nevada and then across the northwest corner of Arizona. The road passed through dry and rolling terrain with folded mountains off in the distance. And then... the speed limit dropped from 75 to 55 MPH, and the road started winding through red rocks tilted upward, following the Virgin River. The sun was sinking, but it was still light enough to soak in the beauty of the land that I was swiftly passing through. I ended the day just inside of Utah, in St. George. Just under two hours of driving after my cross-country flight was enough; the two-lane road leading to Zion National Park can wait until tomorrow.