1.27.2011 Ride. Ice Patch

Wiiiinddddyyy today.  15-25mph wind but the temp got up to 53.  Added some weight to the pannier bags and, because of the wind, I was blowing around like crazy.  Sometimes when I was riding into the wind it felt as if I was dragging an anchor.  Though, I still enjoyed getting out there. 
The ice patch in the picture has caused some slight consternation for several days.  Even though the snow is almost completely gone everywhere else, this patch holds on stubbornly, despite reaching the 50s today.  It's near the end of a a downhill and since it's part of my neighborhood loop, I pass it several times during a ride.  The dry spot is fairly wide, yet when I go through it, I get filled with anxiety worrying that the wet spot has some how mysteriously freezed over even if the temperature is well into the 40s.  Doesn't matter that I may have just passed over it 15 minutes ago.  Today, because of the wind, the spot caused actual terror.  The wind picked up just as I was approaching, coming at me broadside from my right.  Because of the pannier bags, the wind pushed me right into the path of the ice in the middle of the road.  I thought wipe out for sure but I managed to guide the bike back to the dry area just in time. 
BTW:  The dead looking furry thing in the foreground is actually a stuffed animal that belongs to Hobbes, a dog who lives just off to the left.
Today's Ride: 15.24 miles.  53 deg.  15-25mph winds  WSW  Sunny