musings on my commute

With my new job my bicycle commute has gone from 16 to 30 miles, round trip, and now includes some serious elevation. The new route is traffic-nuts, but also sublime, taking me right through Torrey Pines park, beaches and estuary. To my point; things one experiences on a bike vs a car. Riding home the other night (with my Light & Motion headlamp beaming) I had a bat come zooming in from my right and miss my head by just a couple inches - got my attention. The night was cold (for here) near the water and I made my way down to the coast highway. Then, not a couple miles further as I began to climb the Torrey Pines grade the temperature changed suddenly, becoming for some reason quite warm. Immediately my glasses and rear-view mirror fogged-up and I rode blind for a few meters, chuckling to myself at the experience. Insulated in a car, I would never have experienced any of it. Just the little things.