Well, we had our first real snowstorm, and true to form, we got freezing rain on top of it. This makes for an exciting mix of ice and slush and chunky snow. The trail is a mess, as you might have guessed. I rode the mile or so from my house to the shop today, grateful for my studded tires. I'm really not sure I would have been able to navigate this without them. I sure wouldn't have felt as at ease trying. They really do keep you stuck to the path!
The picture above was taken just on the western limits of town, heading in to downtown Vienna. It think it shows pretty clearly what the overall conditions were at about 10 am on Thursday the 29th. To the right is a closeup of the surface. As you can see, there's a lot of broken up chunks of ice and a very bumpy surface from footprints. All in all, a real challenge to ride on. I was fortunate in that a maintenance truck was working its way down the trail ahead of me, so when I could stay in the ruts from their tires, it was smoother sailing. The challenge of course is staying in those ruts!
Be careful out there. I'd suggest walking for now, unless you have studs. But if you have studs, it's actually kinda fun out there... just allow more time, as it's slower going.
