-15 and -27 are NOT the same!

So I did make it out this morning. Up at 3, coffee, oatmeal, and business. I left the trail head at St. Joe a bit before 4:30...it was, I think, -27.
The start was fine. But as the bike cooled and the grease and oil thickened it was like someone was shifting my gears. Shifted in to an easier gear and held a steady pace towards Avon.
My plan was to ride to Albany, hit the trails down to Richmond, and back towards St. Joe. This would have been my longest Friday morning ride and possibly put me late for work. Buy hey, I know a guy.
Well about half way to Avon I thought I would stop at a gas station in Albany, check in with Jen (she was worried), assess how I was doing, and move on. My hands would fluctuate from fine to cold but I was able to manage. My feet started to chill, but they usually do, then maintain themselves. Well, not this time. By the time I got to Avon my feet were pretty damn cold.
I decided to head back to St. Joe and see how things were going. If I felt fine I could continue on to St. Stephen, etc.
Nope...I was ready to be done when I got back. Both my hands and feet were cold, the kind that hurts. Before I got to the car my hands were coming back around!
In the car I sat and waited for the screaming barfies, and yep, they came. Good times. A tad over 2.5 hours. My camera, GPS, and phone didn't work. I managed to sneak one photo from my phone before it died. It's blurry but you get the idea.

I am a bit bummed at how I fared, but also glad, since I learned what I will need to do if the Arrowhead is this cold. I have back up plans so it's time to put them into play. It was a good shake down ride.
The bike worked like a champ, absolutely love the set up. I am going to put my rear rack back on and use some panniers too. I am able to carry everything "they" require but that is it. With this being my first Arrowhead I want to bring some extra stuff along, like a jacket, socks, shirts, etc. to switch out at the checkpoints.
Next Monday it's on!

Later.