Today's Forecast: INVALID

[SpeedRacerOnline]

Everybody in Michigan knows that here, if you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes; it'll change. We also know that meteorologists cannot be trusted. It's not that the person is not trustworthy or doesn't know their job; Michigan is just very unpredictable. That said, it's not usually THIS bad! I checked the forecast at 5:30 am when I headed out the door, and it said 68 F and cloudy today with a 20% chance of showers at 6 am, no rain through the morning, and a 20% chance of showers/t-storms at 3 pm (just when I clock out). That usually means the ride in will be fine (that's all I really care about so I'm not wet at work all day), and there will probably be no rain in the afternoon either (but I don't care if I get wet on the way home, anyway). As I walked out to the bike, I felt a couple random raindrops, but not enough to care about. I clock in at 6 am, so I figured I might see a sprinkle on the way, but nothing much.

I live in Michigan. I should know better.

About halfway in, it started raining; not real heavy, but it was raining, not sprinkling or "showers". I was soaked. My "waterproof" Firstgear Jaunt jacket is definitely NOT waterproof, but it kept me mostly dry. I don't have pants yet, though, so my jeans, socks, and shoes were saturated. Then, I had a little scare when I tried to pass a slow mover on a side road. I've noticed the road is particularly polished looking before, and my rear tire started to spin when I grabbed the throttle to pass. I let off and tried again more smoothly, and fortunately, nothing came of that but an increased heart beat!

I made it to work, and spent the first 4-5 hours at work cold in the A/C with wet clothes. Unfortunately, it didn't stop like it was supposed to. It rained all day long. I ended up staying at work until 5 pm to make up some hours, and it was still raining! I had to drive home in soaking rain, and in the middle of 5 pm traffic, so there was tons of road mist. This time, the jacket didn't do as well. I was totally thoroughly saturated when I got home. Believe me, the picture doesn't do it justice. I had to wring out my socks, water squished out of my shoes when I walked, when I hung my jacket up it dripped from the sleeves, and my shirt was all-over damp. Heck, I even had to hang my boxers up to dry!

Welcome to Michigan; where Mother Nature tells meteorologists to screw off.