I finished up a project I’ve been working on for some months today, so as a reward, I gave myself the afternoon to ride my bike around, drop into a National Park Visitor’s Center–you know, the usual Friday afternoon of a National Park/bicycle obsessed academic. I put my passport in my pannier and thought to toss a poncho in there, just in case. Well, I made it to the Pontchartrain Expressway underpass when the sky just opened up. Sigh. I waited for awhile underneath the expressway, hoping it was one of those momentary summer thunderstorms. I impatiently put on my bright yellow poncho, thinking I could make it to the Quarter, but man, that kind of rain, when you wear glasses? Impossible. I hung out under an overhang for awhile longer until suddenly the rain was just gone. Weather in this place is nuts. I continued on my way and took a left at N. Peters to shoot down to Decatur. I stopped to take a picture of this white brick building on the corner of N. Peters and St. Joseph. You can’t tell in this picture, but there’s a veritable waterfall streaming from the top of the building where pipes are funneling water away from the rooftop. It was beautiful, and the spray was all shiny in the sunlight. You can tell this happens a lot–check out the ferns that have found it a perfect place to grow. I wonder if it is all tearing that building apart, or if the place is abandoned. I dunno, but today, it was strangely lovely. After a stop at the NPS visitor’s center (why yes, I’d love to volunteer for your Battle of Orleans historical reenactment!), I rode around the Superdome, watching the place gear up for the celebration that is a Saints game, even if it is only preseason. Yep, I salvaged a lovely ride from the rain.