iRide.2020.02.21 Wearymiles

I have often wondered why sailors need nautical miles rather than ordinary miles. They were keeping it simple: one nautical mile is one minute of latitude (one sixtieth of a degree). It is now defined internationally as 1852 metres (approx. 6076 feet or 1.15 statute miles). Having to travel an extra 796 feet to complete every mile is about 15% of additional distance.

There are several other kinds of mile. It seems that everybody wanted their own mile in the past. Today I joined those people by discovering the weary mile: it is the only mile that is exponential. The more weary miles the traveler becomes then the longer the weary miles become in direct correlation with the suffering being experienced. I distracted myself by riding slowly in low gars and enjoying the warm sunshine and interesting surroundings.

I had hauled the DSLR with me to take a picture of the wall decoration I saw yesterday. It turned out to be more of a flaming sun than a star. Astronomers will protest that they are one and the same, but ordinary folk will understand the difference. I assumed that the object was decorative, although it may have some symbolic meaning that went over my head.

Some weeks past, I saw a group of surveyors by the roadside. After they departed they had left behind five studs surrounded by pink circles located on the southbound shoulder of the Southern Parkway between the north cattle guard and Sand Hollow Top. Today, I saw that a right of way marker had been installed. What, if anything, this might mean for the ordinary traveler is unclear.

As I reached my second turnaround at Sky Ranch the cloud was beginning to build to the south and west. A 97% probability of rain is forecast for tomorrow with a winter weather advisory for noon Saturday until 09:00 Sunday. Oddly it seems to be just a 24 hour event with a quick return to conditions much like today. This is fortunate because we are expecting visitors who are in turn expecting the eternal sunshine of rain-spotless southern Utah.

I struggled the last few miles as the golden hour bathed the countryside in a warm glow. A pilot ended his flight in one of the fields after doing a couple of spiral movements that had me concerned for a few moments. The soft light on the Anderson Benchmark was a delight to behold. Finally, I made it home and was disappointed to find that my tracking app had only awarded me the usual number of miles. Clearly this will change once news of my discovery reaches Strava headquarters. Expect an update from them in about five years from now.

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