While the start of winter is defined as a date on the calendar, specifically the winter solstice on Dec 21st, around here winter comes more in layers than by date.
That is, there is already snow in the high country, you can see it right out the window.
Meanwhile in Salida it’s sunny and a temperate 60 degrees.
And while I know that’s how it works, what I didn’t appreciate is from a practical standpoint, that means you can choose your season by simply changing your altitude.
Today I left the sunny, warm fall weather of our neighborhood and climbed up to the Rainbow trail at around 9,000 feet where winter already has a grip on things. Which meant I got to ride in snow! Granted, only about an inch or two, not enough to warrant the new fat bike, but it made for an entertaining change of scenery and bike handling technique.
I rode for 30 minutes or so in the white stuff just to get a taste of winter then descended back to the Little Rainbow trail network at 7,600 feet, and back to sunny fall riding. A pretty nifty manual override!
