I ordered rain gear. I ended up ordering from amazon because i had a gift certificate there. This is the one i ended up with:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MWU9EQ/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

I'll post a review of it once i get it and try it out!

And yes, of course it's pink!

    So, a few days ago  I was out riding and a young person in an SUV (who was probably talking on the phone or texting) came into my lane and hit me. Her tire left some lovely marks Babybike's saddle bag, but otherwise, there was no damage to me or the bike. BUT I DIDN'T GO DOWN! I got the bike uprighted, I got myself under control, and I got off the road. I didn't go down.
    The extra fun was when the driver, convinced she had done nothing wrong, followed me off the road and tried to run me down so she could take a picture of my license plate. 
    There was no damage to her car, no damage to the bike and therefore the police were not amused by the call. Afterwards, and after the requisite visit to the police station to exchange information but to not file a report because there was no damage done, it was time to get BACK on the same road where i had gotten hit and drive home.

Um? Really? I just got hit by a dumb cager on my first real trip on real roads and now i have to ride home IN THE DARK on the same road where i got hit while my heart is pounding out of my chest and i'm a nervous nellie? Really?

Yes, really. And i did it. I got right back on the bike and rode home.

I had major nightmares for 2 days and anxiety for a week or so. My heart still pounds a little bit when i think about how bad things COULD have been.

So here are some of the lessons i took away from the day.

• keep your "head on a swivel"--always looking at what's around.
• don't get too comfortable or too confident. Confidence is great, but don't let it control you.
• ride with friends. Having my riding mentor nearby when this all went down is what kept me from  really getting upset or or completely paralized by the fear.
• Wear your gear-- i was fully geared up-- chaps, armored jacket, gloves, and helmet. Had i gone down i might have had a chance at survival. Without my gear? I don't know.

Ultimately, I'm still a little shaky about riding next to giant suv's on curvy roads, but I'll keep learning and keep practicing.

AND I'll keep wearing all of my gear :)