Everything was green and rich and full. Here's a view of the trail running down to Troy from Moscow. this is pretty nearly any time of the year. Today was special though.

"Now I'll have to carry my jacket all day," Gary complained.

The forecast for Saturday had been excellent all week. Keith Havens, KLEWs weather guy, could hardly contain his joy in the foecast for the weekend on Thursday. But come Friday, that forecast was for 40 to 50 per cent chance of rain.

That forecast dampened my mood a bit. McCracken and I had planned to ride the reverse of the loop he and Roy and Lee McCarely had done the week before (when I was riding CHafe). I wanted to start at 8 but Jim was thinking the longer rided which would take us not only htrough Kendrick but back via Wawawai Canyon.

So we agreed to start at 7:15 and make a decision in Pullman about extending the ride.

Bright sunshine wasn't going to fool me into tackling this ride without rain gear. I've been rained on more the last two years than in all the time I've been cycling in the last 10 years in the valley. I don't like it.

Jim saw the forecast the same as I did showing up with his Stow-a-way, like mine, holding rain gear.

Gary took a look at us and said, "I guess I'll have to wear my vest."

But we never needed any of it. Climbing the Troy grade out of Kendrick felt distincly summerish. Billowing clouds did loom especially to the east but Gary said they were just fluffy and innocent. Turns out he was right.

The wind forecast was wrong as well. Weatherbug on my phone said the wind was onlly 4mph out of the west when I checked it in Pullman. That didn't agree with our experience riding from Moscow on the Chipman Trail. Nor with Lee's assessment. "You'll want to go back on 195," he said. "The wind's in your favor."

Finally, a perfect day for bicycling.

For the Ride of it Corrie