20081214snow-night-1 Snow at night makes neighborhood streets almost magical... especially by bike.

Snow makes people happy.

Maybe not all those poor east-coasters and mid-westerners who have to deal with it in unfathomable quantity, but here on the west coast there is no denying it – snow taps into some primal childhood glee.

And it doesn’t take much, either.

A light dusting. A few errant flakes. We’ll prepare for a week in anticipation of the 1/16th of an inch that the weatherman has predicted.

“Hey, did you see the weather report?”
“Yeah! Storm of the century is coming!”

Snow in December only sweetens the deal. Unlike many of my cooler, more hipster friends, I have not lost my healthy love of all things Christmas. I play the carols, drink the cocoa, and hang the garland. I put my tree up on the day after Thanksgiving.

Without apology.

So yesterday morning when the flakes started floating down slowly, I couldn’t help it. I ran to the window and shouted, “SNOWWWWWW!”

And then I set about getting ready to see the show from the best seat I could imagine – my bike saddle. Sal threw the gnarly knobbies onto my Veloforma ‘cross rig and pulled out his 29er mountain bike for the occasion.

Clad in wool, wool, and a little more wool, we hit the neighborhood with the helmet cam.

Fair warning. If you don’t like Christmas carols, you’d better turn the volume on your computer down. Bing and Frank will get over it, I’m sure.