A week ago today the Seattle Seahawks were in the Superbowl.
That is to say, the American Rules Football team that plays here in my city were in the championship game. The Superbowl is an interesting sports event, because even people who don't care about the sport tend to watch it. It's a major national holiday. I, however, don't care about it at all. I do like that the Seattle team is named after Osprey, the eagle-like raptors that hunt fish in the fjord.
Seattle is a terrible sports city. The fans are not very passionate, and tend to not know much about sports... and the teams tend to be terrible. There is a long history of losing teams here and it's even become a national story in the last few years about how bad Seattle teams are. There was a hockey championship in 1902 and a basketball championship in 1979. And the Seahawks lost the championship game in 2006. Otherwise almost always losing seasons in all sports and the baseball team is the worst in baseball history.
Suffice it to say there was a lot of excitement about this game, nationally of course, but especially locally. Although i certainly wanted the Seahawks to win, i had no interest in watching the game. I planned a bike ride with a friend.
We drove in her truck about an hour and a half to Olympia and set out on a gorgeous trail through the forest. One reason we chose a trail was because this day, Superbowl Sunday, is one of the biggest days for drunk driving. Not being on roads seemed a good idea. We set out late, around lunchtime, on purpose.
We rode from across downtown Olympia to a new trail called the Woodland Trail. It was very short, about 3 miles, but it was gorgeous!! It was also very well signed. Normally the signs on bike trails are poor. This trail had signs with street names at cross streets, a great feature which is sorely missing on many bike trails.
Early in our ride there were a lot of people walking on the trail before the game, but before long we were alone. Neither of us had ridden long miles in quite a while and we tired quickly, but we pushed through it. By the time we got to the end of the trail we both felt like we didn't want to go back the same way (26 mi) we came so we decided to head out on the road.
When we got to the little town of Tenino it was as if it had been completely abandoned. No cars, no people, no activity. You almost expected tumbleweeds to be rolling through. We did find a grocery store, which had no customers, and we fueled up there. Then we set out on old Highway 99, up over a small mountain. This is a road i would not normally ever ride on, due to fast, busy car traffic. But on this day it was almost empty. We saw maybe a dozen cars in 12 miles! No people walking or outside in yards. Not even dogs. Sue kept joking that it was like the Zombie Apocalypse.
It was very strange having the whole world to ourselves. Even in the towns, while fast food restaurants were opened, there was no one in them, sidewalks were empty, busses were empty, parking lots were empty and there were NO CARS ANYWHERE on the streets. It was amusing and strange. We rode up through Olympia, which was also empty and packed our bikes in Sue's truck right at sunset.
It was a very very nice ride and both of us got stronger as the day went on. It took over an hour to drive back to Seattle. There were cars on the freeway but traffic was VERY light. As we drove into my neighborhood, we opened the windows. The bars were packed with people, but everything was silent. We couldn't determine the status of the game. As we were unloading the bikes outside my building we heard some shouts and whoops, but they were all coming from just one apartment. We figured that could mean bad news. They might be Denver fans.
But pretty quickly people started yelling out the windows of all of the nearby buildings. Horns started honking. This seemed like a good sign. A bottle rocket shot out of my own building! And then the blue and green official fireworks show started on the Space Needle.
That told me all i needed to know. I didn't care about the game (or the sport), i didn't want to watch, but i did want the Seahawks to win the championship and i wanted to hear about it from my neighbors. It was fun!!!
Showing posts with label bike ride report. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bike ride report. Show all posts
09 February 2014
22 May 2012
Dry Socks
I love the feeling of rain streaming down my face. We are in a pace line, flying down the Green River Valley surprisingly fast. The light rain we have been enjoying all day has turned into a torrential downpour. And we're loving it. We're talking about how much fun it is. My fenders are keeping the spray down and Nadine says that water is pouring down the inside AND the outside of my buddy flap! Dressed well, we're wet but warm. I'm wearing a poly turtleneck, wool shirt and wool socks and bike tights (kicking myself for not wearing the wool kinckers!). I'm soaked.
Earlier in the day we pedaled up the Cedar River Trail, which after it leaves the highway and the pavement ends, takes us through rain forest that is just so beautiful it is hard to believe. It fills me with joy. I love that trail and look forward to it, and i'm always surprised at how magnificent it is. Today, in the rain, the ferns and mosses, the cedars and alders were glowing. It feels so RIGHT to be in the rain forest in the rain. It just made me stronger, my legs had all the power i wanted pushing the bike up the gravel trail. It just doesn't get any better that that.
A few minutes later i found myself in a log shelter in a park eating a sandwich looking out through the rain at the moss covered roofs and trees. I couldn't be more happy.
My peanut butter looked exactly like the banana slugs we were dodging on the wet trail!
Right now, i'm sitting at home, warm and clean with wool socks on. Dry socks.
I love riding in the rain, i'm very happy getting wet. It feels good. And i love getting dry afterwards! I appreciate the dry in a way i wouldn't otherwise appreciate it. Warm dry wool socks feel so good right now!.
Earlier in the day we pedaled up the Cedar River Trail, which after it leaves the highway and the pavement ends, takes us through rain forest that is just so beautiful it is hard to believe. It fills me with joy. I love that trail and look forward to it, and i'm always surprised at how magnificent it is. Today, in the rain, the ferns and mosses, the cedars and alders were glowing. It feels so RIGHT to be in the rain forest in the rain. It just made me stronger, my legs had all the power i wanted pushing the bike up the gravel trail. It just doesn't get any better that that.
My peanut butter looked exactly like the banana slugs we were dodging on the wet trail!
I love riding in the rain, i'm very happy getting wet. It feels good. And i love getting dry afterwards! I appreciate the dry in a way i wouldn't otherwise appreciate it. Warm dry wool socks feel so good right now!.
24 April 2012
Tulips 2012
We had long been planning a ride in the Skagit Flats during Tulip Festival. This morning five of us piled into Nadine's SUV and she drove us to Mount Vernon. Karen & Emily & Nadine & i ride regularly on Tuesdays. Julie joined us, Nadine and i have know her for many years but this was the first time she'd ridden with us on our Tuesday rides. And a friend from volunteering at Bike Works, Sue, also joined us -- she arrived just after we did. It was very good to have both of them along.
There was lots of liquid sunshine in Skagit County on Tuesday. Riding warmed us up quickly. We rode west out of Mount Vernon and turned north on Avon-Allen road. The Norwegeian Stave churches dot the lovely wide open farmland, making this a very nice ride. We rode north towards the hamlet (ok, crossroads) of Bow and then west to the tiny town of Edison. We got to Edison very quickly, we were flying today! Nadine said it was the fastest average speed since she got her GPS unit.
Since i was the only person with full fenders and a buddy flap, i had to spend most of the time riding in front. There were some big rooster tails! The back of Nadine's jacket demonstrates the advantage of fenders.
Edison is proudly the hometown of Edward R. Murrow, the founder of TV newscasting. (OK, he moved around a lot. It's where he went to high school.) There were lots of photos. We stopped at a magnificent bakery called the Breadfarm. Across the street was a wonderful Murrow quote painted on the wall. He was obviously a smart guy.
We looked over the two cafes in Edison and chose this one. We invaded the cozy cafe with our wet jackets and excitement. The wait staff was very friendly and we had a great lunch!
Heading south out of Edison i suggested a detour to Samish Island. I'm always fascinated with little islands and areas like this. To my delight, everyone was eager to take a look. We rode into a stiff breeze along the reclaimed farmland surrounded by dikes that now connects the former island to the mainland. It was a beautiful little island and one of the nicest rides i've had. We really enjoyed it. And we got our first taste of elevation gain on this mostly flat ride climbing the small hill over the island (and back).
Returning from Samish Island we had that moment of recognition that, regardless of experience, happens to all cyclists. We realized why we were so fast up to Edison. We had had a tailwind, but of course, we didn't notice it, we just assumed we were fast. Now we turned south directly into a stiff headwind. We practiced a bit of paceline riding, taking turns cutting through the wind in front and sheltering behind.
I had planned on picking up the Levee Trail as we headed south. I had thought it started before the hill up to Bayview, that it would take us around it. But it didn't; we had a second hill for the day, not a big one, just enough to get warmed up. Emily and Karen are both strong riders, but while they climb they like me to tell them travel stories to distract them. I'm always happy to oblige, so i fell in behind them for the hill.
By the time we got on the Levee the rain had started again, pretty hard this time. It was a gorgeous trail along the mudflats and we saw lots and lots of birds: herons and hawks and eagles and ducks and Pipers and lots of things that we couldn't identify. We thought about Dennis who often rides with us. If he were along, he could identify all of them. But then we would make no progress because he would be stopping to photograph a bird every quarter mile.
We were all getting a bit peckish. I was really focused on the upcoming ice cream stop at the Berry Barn. As soon as we crossed highway 20, we stopped for ice cream. The map calls it the town of Whitney but there is just this one building. I got mixed berry ice cream It was GOOD! I really needed that fuel.
In the morning i had a sore muscle in my knee -- i strained it on Sunday. It worried me. At first i wasn't even sure i could ride today. I was careful with it, very alert to keep my position on the saddle correct and to pedal a full stroke. And i stretched a lot, something i don't normally do. By the time we were finished with ice cream and ready to head into the Tulip fields i was feeling very strong, my knee was not a problem. I took the lead into the headwind. We didn't have time for the detour into La Conner (will have to wait until next year for fry bread i guess!) so we zigged and zagged through the tulip fields which were ostensibly the reason for today's ride.
It was a great day with good company, wonderful scenery and good exercise. We all finished the 45 miles feeling very invigorated and happy.
Here's an overview map of our route.
And here's a closer up, more detailed view and elevation profile (as always, click the photo for a bigger view).
 |
| Sue, Emily, me, Nadine & Karen ready to start riding |
There was lots of liquid sunshine in Skagit County on Tuesday. Riding warmed us up quickly. We rode west out of Mount Vernon and turned north on Avon-Allen road. The Norwegeian Stave churches dot the lovely wide open farmland, making this a very nice ride. We rode north towards the hamlet (ok, crossroads) of Bow and then west to the tiny town of Edison. We got to Edison very quickly, we were flying today! Nadine said it was the fastest average speed since she got her GPS unit.
Since i was the only person with full fenders and a buddy flap, i had to spend most of the time riding in front. There were some big rooster tails! The back of Nadine's jacket demonstrates the advantage of fenders.
 |
| Nadine on Avon-Allen Rd with a mud stripe up her back. |
 |
| me in Edison with Murrow quote. |
We looked over the two cafes in Edison and chose this one. We invaded the cozy cafe with our wet jackets and excitement. The wait staff was very friendly and we had a great lunch!
 |
| Julie, Emily & Sue ham it up after lunch. |
Heading south out of Edison i suggested a detour to Samish Island. I'm always fascinated with little islands and areas like this. To my delight, everyone was eager to take a look. We rode into a stiff breeze along the reclaimed farmland surrounded by dikes that now connects the former island to the mainland. It was a beautiful little island and one of the nicest rides i've had. We really enjoyed it. And we got our first taste of elevation gain on this mostly flat ride climbing the small hill over the island (and back).
 |
| Julie admires the native flora while riding over the hill on Samish Island |
 |
| Sue on Samish Island |
I had planned on picking up the Levee Trail as we headed south. I had thought it started before the hill up to Bayview, that it would take us around it. But it didn't; we had a second hill for the day, not a big one, just enough to get warmed up. Emily and Karen are both strong riders, but while they climb they like me to tell them travel stories to distract them. I'm always happy to oblige, so i fell in behind them for the hill.
By the time we got on the Levee the rain had started again, pretty hard this time. It was a gorgeous trail along the mudflats and we saw lots and lots of birds: herons and hawks and eagles and ducks and Pipers and lots of things that we couldn't identify. We thought about Dennis who often rides with us. If he were along, he could identify all of them. But then we would make no progress because he would be stopping to photograph a bird every quarter mile.
We were all getting a bit peckish. I was really focused on the upcoming ice cream stop at the Berry Barn. As soon as we crossed highway 20, we stopped for ice cream. The map calls it the town of Whitney but there is just this one building. I got mixed berry ice cream It was GOOD! I really needed that fuel.
 |
| Nadine checks the flag to confirm the headwind in Whitney |
 |
| Me in the Tulip fields along Best Rd. (At mile 41) |
 |
| Karen & Julie having fun with the Tulips |
 |
| Purple jacket, purple tulips. |
 |
| Sue |
 |
| Emily copies her daughter's pose from the day before. |
 |
| I'm riding past the colorful fields. |
 |  | |
| Karen cruises past the daffodils | Emily on her wheel. |
 |  | |
| Sue admires the rows of yellow | Julie's jacket matches the field of flowers |
It was a great day with good company, wonderful scenery and good exercise. We all finished the 45 miles feeling very invigorated and happy.
Here's an overview map of our route.
And here's a closer up, more detailed view and elevation profile (as always, click the photo for a bigger view).
 |
| Tulips in the rear view mirror. |
18 April 2012
S24O
I never knew ships made so much noise!
The rumbling sounds like a train, i guess it's the engines! I can tell which direction the ships are going in by the sound of the waves, if the wake is moving north or south down the beach next to me. One sounds VERY close to shore, the engine noise sounds like it's coming right through the campground and the waves from the wake sound like they are about to splash us.
I'm very snug and happy in my bivy sack looking up at Mars and the big dipper as i doze off. The waves from the wakes of the big container ships cruising up and down the center of Puget Sound are rolling in about 30 feet away from me. My riding buddies are in 4 tents spread out behind me, my bike leaning on a log next to me.
The total mileage for the ride to get here? Nine miles.
It's a beautiful cold, clear night, my face poking through the snug hood looking up at the stars. I'm very tired. I sleep well. I wake up in the middle of the night and adjust the extra fleece blanket lining my sleeping bag. Warm again, i quickly fall back asleep, but not before catching a glimpse of an orange crescent moon rising over Seattle, across the fjord from me.
How did we get here?
We met at the ferry terminal in downtown Seattle at 5 pm Friday. Hanna came directly from work and she and i rode the 2 miles from Capitol Hill through heavy rush hour traffic. We made all the lights!
Davey, Donald, Linda were waiting for us at outside the ticket booth. Kei Chi came just to see us off! We got in line and, just moments before the ferry started loading, Ryan & Emily rolled up completing our group. The ferry ride was, as always, fun: comfortable and very scenic. When we got off the ferry, we stopped on the main drag in Winslow for a bite to eat. We took our time.
When we set out from Winslow on our long ride for the day, it was sunset. Dusk fell as we rode through the ferns and evergreens and multi-million dollar houses that fill the forest of Bainbridge Island. Our lights guided us to our campsite. The seven of us rode seven miles through the woods. Venus was shining brightly when we arrived in the meadow by the salt water where we would sleep. We chose sites as close to the water as possible. It only cost $5 per person! (Yet another way we saved money by not driving!)
I tried an experiment on this ride. It wasn't a planned experiment. I woke up Friday morning clearly still sick. I was extremely tired and foggy headed. When Davey called and asked if i was still going with him on his ride, i hesitated, and contemplated as best i could in that condition. It's no fun being sick. If i stayed home i would lie on the couch and feel awful. If i went on the ride, i would feel awful lying under the stars by the water with my friends. That was an easy choice.
I've always believed that fresh air and exercise are very helpful when we are sick, unless you have a fever of course. The whole ride i was moving as if in slow motion. Riding was strange: my legs felt strong, but the rest of me felt very weak. I felt like i rode 90 miles, not nine. I was very tired lying there staring up at the stars.
Fay-Bainbridge Park used to be a state park, but Washington State is closing it's parks, so the city of Bainbridge Island took it over. As we were setting up our tents the park manager came by to say hello. He was very friendly and welcoming... and he sold us firewood! We settled in and ate a bit more.
My geography is pretty good, especially of this area, but i was quite confused by what appeared to be an island in the middle of Puget Sound. A big dark hill blocking downtown Seattle. We stared at it for a while as we set up our tents. We finally figured out that it was the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, and it was the strange angle that was confusing us.
I was very fuzzy headed from being sick, it was a little like being in a cartoon, but i was very happy to be there with good company, gorgeous stars and a great view across the water. We sat around the fire drinking hot cocoa and chatting until Mars was high in the sky when we all crawled off to sleep.
I was happy and i slept well, i could see my bike, the logs and the stars as i dozed off. When i awoke briefly in the middle of the night i flipped my bivy sack's rain hood up over my head, blocking my view of the stars. I tried a new method of keeping the hood off my face on this trip: bicycle cable housing fed through with the drawstring! It worked great.
I awoke to bright sunshine and a gorgeous view across the water. I had slept late, at least late for camping -- it was almost 2 hours after sunrise! Davey was already up and had started the fire.
Hanna got up quick and left us. She had to go back to work. That's the idea of a sub-24-hour-overnight: to escape from town, to ride a little and get a chance to sleep outdoors. Possibly even leave from work and return to work in the morning. Fay-Bainbridge Park is perfect for this.
After we all ate a bit of breakfast we hopped on the bikes and decided to go around the very hilly island instead of directly back to the ferry. I didn't have it in me. I did pretty well for an hour and a half, but then i lost it. Everyone else continued on while i took a 45 minute nap in the grass. I thought seriously about pulling out the bivy sack, but i figured that would be weird since i was essentially in someone's front yard. When i woke up i took a short cut, SLOWLY back to Winslow where i waited in a coffee shop for the rest of the group. Seeing as i was sick, in hindsight i realize i probably should have left with Hanna first thing in the morning.
It was an absolutely great time. Total time spent, from my walking out my door to walking back in again was just over 22 hours. S24O. Sub 24 Hour Overnight!
On this map of our route, yellow is our Friday evening ride.
The blue dotted line is the view of downtown Seattle we had, identifying the mystery island as Discovery Park and Magnola.
The rumbling sounds like a train, i guess it's the engines! I can tell which direction the ships are going in by the sound of the waves, if the wake is moving north or south down the beach next to me. One sounds VERY close to shore, the engine noise sounds like it's coming right through the campground and the waves from the wake sound like they are about to splash us.
I'm very snug and happy in my bivy sack looking up at Mars and the big dipper as i doze off. The waves from the wakes of the big container ships cruising up and down the center of Puget Sound are rolling in about 30 feet away from me. My riding buddies are in 4 tents spread out behind me, my bike leaning on a log next to me.
The total mileage for the ride to get here? Nine miles.
It's a beautiful cold, clear night, my face poking through the snug hood looking up at the stars. I'm very tired. I sleep well. I wake up in the middle of the night and adjust the extra fleece blanket lining my sleeping bag. Warm again, i quickly fall back asleep, but not before catching a glimpse of an orange crescent moon rising over Seattle, across the fjord from me.
How did we get here?
We met at the ferry terminal in downtown Seattle at 5 pm Friday. Hanna came directly from work and she and i rode the 2 miles from Capitol Hill through heavy rush hour traffic. We made all the lights!
Davey, Donald, Linda were waiting for us at outside the ticket booth. Kei Chi came just to see us off! We got in line and, just moments before the ferry started loading, Ryan & Emily rolled up completing our group. The ferry ride was, as always, fun: comfortable and very scenic. When we got off the ferry, we stopped on the main drag in Winslow for a bite to eat. We took our time.
When we set out from Winslow on our long ride for the day, it was sunset. Dusk fell as we rode through the ferns and evergreens and multi-million dollar houses that fill the forest of Bainbridge Island. Our lights guided us to our campsite. The seven of us rode seven miles through the woods. Venus was shining brightly when we arrived in the meadow by the salt water where we would sleep. We chose sites as close to the water as possible. It only cost $5 per person! (Yet another way we saved money by not driving!)
I tried an experiment on this ride. It wasn't a planned experiment. I woke up Friday morning clearly still sick. I was extremely tired and foggy headed. When Davey called and asked if i was still going with him on his ride, i hesitated, and contemplated as best i could in that condition. It's no fun being sick. If i stayed home i would lie on the couch and feel awful. If i went on the ride, i would feel awful lying under the stars by the water with my friends. That was an easy choice.
I've always believed that fresh air and exercise are very helpful when we are sick, unless you have a fever of course. The whole ride i was moving as if in slow motion. Riding was strange: my legs felt strong, but the rest of me felt very weak. I felt like i rode 90 miles, not nine. I was very tired lying there staring up at the stars.
Fay-Bainbridge Park used to be a state park, but Washington State is closing it's parks, so the city of Bainbridge Island took it over. As we were setting up our tents the park manager came by to say hello. He was very friendly and welcoming... and he sold us firewood! We settled in and ate a bit more.
My geography is pretty good, especially of this area, but i was quite confused by what appeared to be an island in the middle of Puget Sound. A big dark hill blocking downtown Seattle. We stared at it for a while as we set up our tents. We finally figured out that it was the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, and it was the strange angle that was confusing us.
I was very fuzzy headed from being sick, it was a little like being in a cartoon, but i was very happy to be there with good company, gorgeous stars and a great view across the water. We sat around the fire drinking hot cocoa and chatting until Mars was high in the sky when we all crawled off to sleep.
I was happy and i slept well, i could see my bike, the logs and the stars as i dozed off. When i awoke briefly in the middle of the night i flipped my bivy sack's rain hood up over my head, blocking my view of the stars. I tried a new method of keeping the hood off my face on this trip: bicycle cable housing fed through with the drawstring! It worked great.
I awoke to bright sunshine and a gorgeous view across the water. I had slept late, at least late for camping -- it was almost 2 hours after sunrise! Davey was already up and had started the fire.
Hanna got up quick and left us. She had to go back to work. That's the idea of a sub-24-hour-overnight: to escape from town, to ride a little and get a chance to sleep outdoors. Possibly even leave from work and return to work in the morning. Fay-Bainbridge Park is perfect for this.
After we all ate a bit of breakfast we hopped on the bikes and decided to go around the very hilly island instead of directly back to the ferry. I didn't have it in me. I did pretty well for an hour and a half, but then i lost it. Everyone else continued on while i took a 45 minute nap in the grass. I thought seriously about pulling out the bivy sack, but i figured that would be weird since i was essentially in someone's front yard. When i woke up i took a short cut, SLOWLY back to Winslow where i waited in a coffee shop for the rest of the group. Seeing as i was sick, in hindsight i realize i probably should have left with Hanna first thing in the morning.
It was an absolutely great time. Total time spent, from my walking out my door to walking back in again was just over 22 hours. S24O. Sub 24 Hour Overnight!
Red is the Saturday group ride.
Purple is my short cut and green is the route of the rest of the group.The blue dotted line is the view of downtown Seattle we had, identifying the mystery island as Discovery Park and Magnola.
13 March 2012
Seattle Has Four Seasons
I ran some errands this afternoon. It was cold and clear. About 35 degrees, blue sky. Very nice.
I left home on and rode a mile up hill to my first errand, parked and locked up under the clear blue sky. I was only there about 3 minutes, so very soon i was riding again. As i rode along the crest of the hill, about half a mile to my next errand, the west wind kicked up and blew me around a bit - it was fun. I bought a cookie and chatted a bit at the bakery and was soon on the road again.
I rode to the food Co-op, another half a mile. As I was in line at the Co-op it got very dark and started raining hard. I took my shopping basket out to the bike as the rain changed to graupel (also often called winter hail). It was coming down very hard. In the 2 or 3 minutes it took to pack the food in the trunk bag of my bike, a quarter inch layer accumulated on my seat. I thought it was really cool. A couple of people sitting at the coffee bar by the window were smiling at me. I smiled back like, isn't this great! I think they were actually laughing at me.
When i took my basket back into the Co-op, there was a crowd around the door staring at falling ice (or refusing to go out in it, i don't really know which). I rode a few blocks north on 16th Ave E in the heavy shower of pellets. Because it was graupel and not rain or snow, i wasn't getting wet! It was fun riding in it.
Then i turned west to go down the hill towards my house. Riding into the (strong) wind, downhill, with that graupel coming into my face was a challenge.
When I got down to 11th Ave E it wasn't graupel anymore; it was big fluffy snowflakes coming down very heavy! Visibility was about 50 feet. I loved it. It was snowing so hard that there was little bits of accumulation at the base of trees. I went through Cal Anderson Park and the plastic turf soccer field was completely covered, completely white.
By the time i got to the library about 8 blocks later the snow was turning wet.
When I left the library 10 minutes later, the sun was out, the sky was blue and it was noticeably warmer, i had to take my sweater off for the ride 3 blocks home.
Just another Seattle bike ride. I was gone slightly over an hour. Rain, snow, sleet, sun, wind. Seattle in the spring is always like this.
Who says Seattle doesn't have four seasons? We have them all in one hour!
I left home on and rode a mile up hill to my first errand, parked and locked up under the clear blue sky. I was only there about 3 minutes, so very soon i was riding again. As i rode along the crest of the hill, about half a mile to my next errand, the west wind kicked up and blew me around a bit - it was fun. I bought a cookie and chatted a bit at the bakery and was soon on the road again.
I rode to the food Co-op, another half a mile. As I was in line at the Co-op it got very dark and started raining hard. I took my shopping basket out to the bike as the rain changed to graupel (also often called winter hail). It was coming down very hard. In the 2 or 3 minutes it took to pack the food in the trunk bag of my bike, a quarter inch layer accumulated on my seat. I thought it was really cool. A couple of people sitting at the coffee bar by the window were smiling at me. I smiled back like, isn't this great! I think they were actually laughing at me.
When i took my basket back into the Co-op, there was a crowd around the door staring at falling ice (or refusing to go out in it, i don't really know which). I rode a few blocks north on 16th Ave E in the heavy shower of pellets. Because it was graupel and not rain or snow, i wasn't getting wet! It was fun riding in it.
Then i turned west to go down the hill towards my house. Riding into the (strong) wind, downhill, with that graupel coming into my face was a challenge.
When I got down to 11th Ave E it wasn't graupel anymore; it was big fluffy snowflakes coming down very heavy! Visibility was about 50 feet. I loved it. It was snowing so hard that there was little bits of accumulation at the base of trees. I went through Cal Anderson Park and the plastic turf soccer field was completely covered, completely white.
By the time i got to the library about 8 blocks later the snow was turning wet.
When I left the library 10 minutes later, the sun was out, the sky was blue and it was noticeably warmer, i had to take my sweater off for the ride 3 blocks home.
Just another Seattle bike ride. I was gone slightly over an hour. Rain, snow, sleet, sun, wind. Seattle in the spring is always like this.
Who says Seattle doesn't have four seasons? We have them all in one hour!
22 February 2012
Being There
When we first heard the dog, Ryan was 50 meters or so ahead of me pedaling through thick Northwest rainforest on Sandy Hook Road in Kitsap County. This would turn into one of the most memorable dog encounters i've ever had on a bicycle.
It wasn't the deep threatening bark of a guard dog, the kind that makes a cyclist's heart skip a beat. It was a yip yip yip of a very excited, perhaps overly arrogant, little city dog. As we passed a small break in the thick ferns a tiny 5 inch high, fluffy, yellow dog came shooting out of the driveway, as if fired with a rocket. The little dog seemed certain that it was as ferocious and frightening protecting it's territory as an angry lion.
I was a little shocked when it didn't stop at the end of the driveway, but instead shot right out into the street. My deeply embedded cyclist's dog alert kicked in a little late. I recovered a bit and held my line as the squirrel sized dog fiercely yelped at Ryan's passing; and then, when the bicycle was safely past, continued it's high speed trajectory straight out into the street, making it clear that it COULD have eaten that invader alive if it WANTED to.
My brief fear dissipated, but was replaced by a worry that i might run over the cute little bugger. As i neared the point where i was going to have to take evasive action, the little dog noticed me coming down the road and was completely shocked, never considering there could be two of us. Forgetting any attempt at false heroics, it decided to turn around and head for the safety of it's yard. However it was still moving forward very fast from it's unrestrained launch out of the driveway, and it's tiny claws could get no grip on the wet rainforest asphalt. Sliding half way across the pavement like a fluffy yellow hockey puck, it finally came to a stop near the center of the road. Instantly it's legs started pumping to get away from the approaching bicycle, to try to get it back to the driveway, but the only effect at first was straight out of a roadrunner cartoon: the dog stayed in one place as all four feet moved independently, frantically slipping on the pavement.
I was no longer in danger of hitting the cute furball, but i was laughing so loudly that Ryan heard me. The dog's paws finally got some traction and Ryan turned around just in time to see a five inch yellow streak heading back into the rainforest.
Ryan and i were 40 miles into a 50 mile loop from the Bainbridge Ferry up to Port Gamble and back down via Big Valley Road, historic Poulsbo and Lemolo Road. It's a wonderful, hilly ride. We stopped at Chief Seattle's grave in Suquamish on the way up after having a magnificent breakfast at the Streamliner Diner in Winslow right off the ferry.
At the end of the day we took a detour on Bainbridge Island to kill some time waiting for the ferry. We passed a really cool crooked little house, with a bigger crooked house being built next to it.
Following the forecast, and the weather of the past several days, we both prepared for wet, cold, windy weather, loading up on extra layers of wool and jackets. Except for a brief sprinkle at Port Gamble it was a warm, calm, magnificent day, with dramatic clouds and hints of blue. We both rode in a single long sleeved layer carrying a HUGE bundle of clothes on our rear rack.
I was pretty slow all day. Ryan is always faster than me, but i was slower than usual, and i'm pretty tired tonight. There were hills that were a bit of a struggle and i probably shouldn't be this tired; but i am and it feels kind of good. 51 miles and 2,800 feet of climbing.
It was a wonderful ride, a loop i have been wanting to do for a long time and one i'm sure i will do again. The riding was GREAT, but the best part was the exhilaration of being in these amazing places, the expansive water views and the dark mossy rainforest.
Much of the area we passed through is deeply and forever Salish. It's a powerful feeling for me visiting, passing through. We stopped to see if the Suquamish museum was open (it wasn't, which guarantees another ride!) and breathed their air and felt the power of their land where the forest meets the sea. I adore the forest of cedars and moss and ferns. I love the clouds and rain, the mountains and fjords, the streams and hills. I love this Salish land more than i can express.
We talked all day. We talked about the news, about our daily lives, about bicycles, but we kept coming back to the reasons that we ride. We agreed that the physical exertion is valuable. We both share a joy in such an amazingly elegant machine driven by our own power (and the fuel at the bakeries along the way). We agreed that the pure fun of the wind in our hair, the rain on our face, the road moving beneath us is a pleasure that would be hard to live without
But for both of us just the being there is the heart of this thing. The bicycle is just the means, the thing that gets us there and puts us right in the world. Feeling the world, experiencing the places, the things, the weather. Being in it, maybe even being a tiny part of it briefly, i feel special. My joy is deep. Like so many rides, the places and the experience, and the honor of the experience will stay with me for a long time.
That and a little yellow dog sliding across the road.
It wasn't the deep threatening bark of a guard dog, the kind that makes a cyclist's heart skip a beat. It was a yip yip yip of a very excited, perhaps overly arrogant, little city dog. As we passed a small break in the thick ferns a tiny 5 inch high, fluffy, yellow dog came shooting out of the driveway, as if fired with a rocket. The little dog seemed certain that it was as ferocious and frightening protecting it's territory as an angry lion.
I was a little shocked when it didn't stop at the end of the driveway, but instead shot right out into the street. My deeply embedded cyclist's dog alert kicked in a little late. I recovered a bit and held my line as the squirrel sized dog fiercely yelped at Ryan's passing; and then, when the bicycle was safely past, continued it's high speed trajectory straight out into the street, making it clear that it COULD have eaten that invader alive if it WANTED to.
My brief fear dissipated, but was replaced by a worry that i might run over the cute little bugger. As i neared the point where i was going to have to take evasive action, the little dog noticed me coming down the road and was completely shocked, never considering there could be two of us. Forgetting any attempt at false heroics, it decided to turn around and head for the safety of it's yard. However it was still moving forward very fast from it's unrestrained launch out of the driveway, and it's tiny claws could get no grip on the wet rainforest asphalt. Sliding half way across the pavement like a fluffy yellow hockey puck, it finally came to a stop near the center of the road. Instantly it's legs started pumping to get away from the approaching bicycle, to try to get it back to the driveway, but the only effect at first was straight out of a roadrunner cartoon: the dog stayed in one place as all four feet moved independently, frantically slipping on the pavement.
I was no longer in danger of hitting the cute furball, but i was laughing so loudly that Ryan heard me. The dog's paws finally got some traction and Ryan turned around just in time to see a five inch yellow streak heading back into the rainforest.
Ryan and i were 40 miles into a 50 mile loop from the Bainbridge Ferry up to Port Gamble and back down via Big Valley Road, historic Poulsbo and Lemolo Road. It's a wonderful, hilly ride. We stopped at Chief Seattle's grave in Suquamish on the way up after having a magnificent breakfast at the Streamliner Diner in Winslow right off the ferry.
At the end of the day we took a detour on Bainbridge Island to kill some time waiting for the ferry. We passed a really cool crooked little house, with a bigger crooked house being built next to it.
Following the forecast, and the weather of the past several days, we both prepared for wet, cold, windy weather, loading up on extra layers of wool and jackets. Except for a brief sprinkle at Port Gamble it was a warm, calm, magnificent day, with dramatic clouds and hints of blue. We both rode in a single long sleeved layer carrying a HUGE bundle of clothes on our rear rack.
I was pretty slow all day. Ryan is always faster than me, but i was slower than usual, and i'm pretty tired tonight. There were hills that were a bit of a struggle and i probably shouldn't be this tired; but i am and it feels kind of good. 51 miles and 2,800 feet of climbing.
It was a wonderful ride, a loop i have been wanting to do for a long time and one i'm sure i will do again. The riding was GREAT, but the best part was the exhilaration of being in these amazing places, the expansive water views and the dark mossy rainforest.
Much of the area we passed through is deeply and forever Salish. It's a powerful feeling for me visiting, passing through. We stopped to see if the Suquamish museum was open (it wasn't, which guarantees another ride!) and breathed their air and felt the power of their land where the forest meets the sea. I adore the forest of cedars and moss and ferns. I love the clouds and rain, the mountains and fjords, the streams and hills. I love this Salish land more than i can express.
We talked all day. We talked about the news, about our daily lives, about bicycles, but we kept coming back to the reasons that we ride. We agreed that the physical exertion is valuable. We both share a joy in such an amazingly elegant machine driven by our own power (and the fuel at the bakeries along the way). We agreed that the pure fun of the wind in our hair, the rain on our face, the road moving beneath us is a pleasure that would be hard to live without
But for both of us just the being there is the heart of this thing. The bicycle is just the means, the thing that gets us there and puts us right in the world. Feeling the world, experiencing the places, the things, the weather. Being in it, maybe even being a tiny part of it briefly, i feel special. My joy is deep. Like so many rides, the places and the experience, and the honor of the experience will stay with me for a long time.
That and a little yellow dog sliding across the road.
13 February 2012
Worst Day Of The Year Ride
Bike Works' first community ride of the year was tonight. The name is more of a reference to tomorrow (Valentines Day is no fun for those of us who are single), than the rain.
It didn't rain.
We had a good group and a very fun ride up to Fremont, using the wonderful new connector trail under the Ballard Bridge.
(The yellow lines are bridges! The topo maps don't know that there is a road hanging above the canal or the valley and actually adds in that elevation as if we went down and back up. So i drew in the major bridges we crossed.)
It didn't rain.
We had a good group and a very fun ride up to Fremont, using the wonderful new connector trail under the Ballard Bridge.
22 December 2011
Keep the (Bike) Light On
The pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice centers around keeping a light lit from sunset to sunrise on the longest night of the year, to encourage the Sun to come back. Over the last 15 or 20 years i've tried several times to stay up all night with a candle.
About 5 years ago it occurred to me that it would be a cool twist, and a hell of a lot of fun, to celebrate the Solstice by keeping the bike light on all night. With a dynamo headlight, the way to keep the light on is to keep the wheels moving. I could celebrate by riding all night!
I was really excited about the idea, but i didn't think i could manage it alone and besides, that wouldn't be any fun. So for a few years i tried a little to find someone to ride with me with no success. After Winter Solstice in 2009 i heard that Seattle International Randonneurs had for the first time done an overnight 200 km 'permanent' on the solstice and about 4 people had showed up. I liked that idea, so last year (Dec 2010) i 'gave up' trying to find people to ride with and decided to join the Rando ride. Although i had a very good ride i didn't exactly make it to sunrise.I certainly didn't want to try that again. I'm just not that competitive and i don't like riding alone.
This year i was very interested in doing a relaxed, collaborative overnight ride. Mileage was absolutely not an issue. I wanted no goal of a certain distance to accomplish, no speed to achieve, no place to get to. The goal was simply to enjoy riding thorough the night, and it would be riding pretty slowly. I'm slow.
Partially through more effort on my part and partially due to better resources available, i managed to collect a couple of friends to go with me. Kent eagerly signed on as soon as the email went out. He and i had a couple of conversations about possible routes; both of us were excited about night time riding on some of the east King County trails through the forest. We've ridden those trails during the day many times and were intrigued about trying it at night with good lighting.
We decided that our basic route would be to ride from a central meeting point (Mercer Island along I-90) out to Preston, Fall City, North Bend, into the foothills of the Cascades beyond the farthest exurb, and up to Rattlesnake Lake at the edge of the wilderness. Because there are good gravel (and paved) trails along here, this would keep our small group off the roads and away from cars for almost the entire route. From Rattlesnake Lake, we'd have a variety of options: return, go south to the Cedar River trail, go north on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail or go up and back the Iron Horse Trail. We would decide on the fly.
On the shortest day of the year i was nervous but excited. I had prepared everything the day before: the bike was in good shape and i was bringing a lot of food and clothing. Sunset was at 4:19. I left home at 4:12 pm. Sometimes when i leave for a very long ride, as i am riding right out the door from home i feel the enormity of the undertaking. It can be a little overwhelming that first 3/10 of a mile of a 100 mile ride. But today i didn't feel that. I was excited and ready to roll. And the first goal, the only goal, was to pedal.
I'd start by meeting Scott at the tunnel. I rode through Central Seattle down to Judkins Park and took the trail to the I-90 bike tunnel where he was waiting. It was good to see him and it helped eliminate any nervousness. I was really glad he came along, i met him on Kent's Tour Divide departure ride about 18 months ago and we rode together well.
Once through the tunnel we crossed the floating bridge to the meeting point at a coffee shop along side the trail on Mercer Island, arriving just before 5pm. I got a breve' hot chocolate for fuel and as the sky got darker we waited to see who would show up. I really did spin my wheel every few minutes to keep my headlight shining!
Before long David, who i had never met but had been talking with Kent at the bike shop, showed up. Kent arrived soon after. With a bit of light left in the western sky the four of us departed eastbound, joking about our goal. At one intersection we were discussing which way to go.
David asked, "Where do we need to get to?"
I responded: "7:55 am".
We all laughed.
We didn't have a place to get to, we didn't have a distance to achieve. It really was a different way of thinking from almost any ride i've done. Not having a goal of any kind was really freeing. We were relaxed, just riding together through the darkness. Being in the moment. Experiencing the forest, and the night. Catching up with old friends and making some new ones. This was our social network, and we got to pedal the whole time.
Kent was riding his much beloved Trek Allant, i was riding my rebuilt Bianchi Volpe with Velocity Chukker 700c rims, with Schwable Marathon 35 mm tires, Scott was riding his beautiful orangelugged Rawland cSogn with 650b rims and 32 mm tires.
We crossed the highway on the ped bridge at Eastgate as Kent wanted to detour around the LDS temple to try out a trail back there. We sped through the dark forest on the trail. That's when we ran into the Boeing fence. Not literally, but we didn't see it until we were right on it. Barbed wire across the trail -- blocking our path. We doubled back, crossed through a parking lot of what turned out to be a large Microsoft facility and then picked up the I-90 trail again.
When i was doing some microfilm research (that's what we used before Google) at the library back in the early nineties, i learned that sixty years ago, when Sea-Tac airport was being planned, the location south of the city where it is now was the SECOND choice. The top choice was Phantom Lake airport in Bellevue - now a very rich suburb.
Until i was drawing the map of this ride today, i never knew where the Phantom Lake airport had been. But that was it, right where we ran into the Boeing barbed wire and when we crossed the Microsoft parking lot we were crossing the old runway! If the City of Tacoma had not protested, that might have been a major international airport!
Instead of the commuter route over the shoulder of Cougar mountain on Newport Way, we took the narrow bike trail on the north side of I-90, and very carefully navigated the frozen leaves on the tight switch backs downhill. Our first stop of the night was at the semi-secret Timberlake Park in Issaquah. We rode down through the forest and stood on the dark bank of Lake Samammish eating Kent's Nutty Turtle Bars. They were yummy and the view was amazing.
From there we passed through the newer sprawly business district of Issaquah where there an airport was when i lived in Issaquah in 1992. Interesting that we cycled right through two former airports, both of which appear on the c.1983 USGS maps in my Topo program. We stopped briefly at the IHOP where the SIR overnight 200km was about to depart. There were 45 very serious riders there, we said a quick hello and good luck before pedaling on down the road.
It was only another quarter mile through the strip malls before picking up the trail. In town this trail is paved, but as we left Issaquah to the east, the trail starts to climb, enters the forest and turns to gravel. Most of us had never ridden on gravel at night, (except for Kent, obviously) so there were a few minutes of convincing ourselves that it was all OK, but that didn't take long.
From that point onward we were on trail most of the rest of the night. It was glorious being in the forest in the dark. Riding on the gravel was not a problem, and the vast majority of those trails are smooth dirt. That’s a really fun trail in the day and i quite enjoyed it at night. We rode through the dark woods, two pairs of bikes cruising along chatting. It felt good.
A couple of trails later we quickly crossed through the quiet little town of Preston, continuing east, downhill, on the Preston-Fall City trail. This trail is paved and we really tested the speed of our lights. It's not too hard to get ahead of the light and on this narrow downhill trail in the dark; and that's not a good idea. We aimed our powerful beams further ahead and quickly covered the ground to the end of the trail near Fall City. We had to ride a couple of miles downhill on the main road to get into Fall City; rolling in not much after 10 pm.
In Fall City we met up with Brad, who had been putting in daddy bedtime duty; he has two toddlers. We attempted to grab a sitdown meal, but although the waiters at the Fall City Roadhouse were excited and supportive, they had already closed for the night. It was for the best i think, it kept us outside and on the road.
So like Tour Divide riders we grazed at the convenience store before the, now five, of us rolled out of town, around the roundabout and back into the forest. We rode up Rutherford Slough Road which connects to a gravel logging road uphill to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. This road was blocked due to a property dispute for a couple of years. Thankfully it has recently opened again and it was very useful for us.
The weather started off pretty chilly and got down to 27 degrees by about midnight but we were all pretty well dressed. We didn't even have to stop to add layers. Riding through Fall City the roads were a bit icy, but the gravel trails were fine. At some point i noticed that i had left one of my two water bottles back on the steps of the restaurant in Fall City.
It was a cold, clear night and if i looked up above me while i was pedaling along i could see a strip of stars between the trees towering on either side of the trail. At one point along the trail we heard hooves ahead and to the side of us, and caught a fleeting glimpse of a group of Elk galloping alongside the trail. Good company, the cold forest, a wonderful trail, the bright stars, and turning the pedals, it was a joyous celebration.
Kent and David were using battery powered lights that were very bright with a narrow beam. Scott and Brad and i had super bright, wide beam dynamo powered LED headlights. Mine is a 2010 Schmidt SON 28 Classic hub generator with a Schmidt Edelux light, Scott had his Shimano Dh-3N72 generator hub with a Busch and Müeller Lumotec IQ Cyo R+ light. We really lit up the trail as we rolled through. It was bright.
We stopped along the trail once or twice to eat a bite and catch our breath. The forest got dark and a little scary as our bike lights either dimmed or went off when we stopped. We didn't stop for long at any point and my dim standlight kept burning. We were in a different world there, just a few hours of pedaling from downtown of a major city we were isolated in the forest with just our human powered lights. There are millions of people in the Seattle Metro area but we felt very alone. It was humbling and invigorating.
I tremendously enjoyed the trail, but it was very different from riding it in the daylight. The darkness snuggled around each of us. I mis-counted the trestle bridges and was very surprised when we got to the end of the trail. The Snoqualmie Valley Trail is interrupted by a gap near the town of Snoqualmie. Finding the little 100 yard hiking trail up to the road in the pitch dark was a challenge, but with people like Brad and Kent along, anything is possible.
From that point Snoqualmie Falls is just a quarter mile out of the way, and we couldn't resist the detour, after all, we had nothing but time. It was about 11:45 pm and there were still a handful of sightseers looking over the falls. Most were dressed up (there is an expensive restaurant at the falls) and they all looked at us strangely and gave us lots of space. In addition to the low lying fog along the river, there was a huge frozen fog being kicked up by the giant roaring waterfall and it was an amazing sight in the powerful lights they have focused on the falls. We enjoyed our little break and the pedaled on, skipping the small town of Snoqualmie. Instead we took Mill Pond Road to the spot we could pick up the trail again. Mill Pond Road is a lovely, quiet, dark (and in the daytime, tree shaded) road on the other side of the river from town.
The trail starts again on a trestle bridge with stairs up from the road. Those stairs were very slippery on this cold night. The trail is straight and flat through farmland and the town of North Bend. We turned off the trail and rode through North Bend, although we did not stop. As we rode out of town, Brad sprinted off to the right, chasing a group of Elk with his very bright light.
Where the road crosses under the freeway it meets up with the trail again, which we joined. Now the trail enters really thick temperate rain forest and starts to climb significantly. We were all starting to get a little tired on the climb up the gravel trail. I warmed up a bit and had to take off a layer to let my head cool. The group scattered a little, our human powered lights cutting through the darkness in a line stretching through the forest.
While it would have been ideal to stop and eat sitting next to side Rattlesnake Lake, we were a bit worried about being there, as the park is officially closed at night. We stopped and used the potties and looked out over the lake for a moment, but we continued up through the park to the beginning of the Iron Horse trail where we found a plastic picnic table where we could settle and eat for a bit. We hadn't noticed how cold it had gotten until we stopped and we all pulled out some clothing when we got there. It was a cold, clear night. Very beautiful. I added a layer, an extra sweater, when we stopped and i didn't take it off for the rest of the night, i only made one other layer change the whole night.
Everyone dumped their food on the table. Various sandwiches, granola bars, nuts, cookies and bread covered the table and we all dug in. Kent started to fire up his Kelly Kettle, a nifty metal bottle with a fire pan at the bottom and an internal chimney which funnels the wind to increase the fire and boil water quickly. He shoved some sticks in the chimney, started a fire with paper and soon water was boiling. He made some tea and poured water in my dehydrated backpacking meal and Brad's pot noodle. We passed them both around.
The next fire in the Kelly Kettle was proving to be more difficult with the wet, and frozen, sticks that we could collect. Scott and i stood back and watched, but pretty soon there were three guys around the Kettle all trying to make fire. It was funny, at first, but it started to get worrisome. The fire would not start and we had a bunch more things that needed hot water, including cocoa. Eventually we decided it wasn't going to happen.
We sat back and chatted, enjoyed the rest and ate up what we could. I spun my front wheel frequently to keep my light burning. There were a couple of times it went out briefly, but we had candles, the Kelly Kettle and flashlights so i think it still counts as keeping the light on.
The cold was seeping in and before long we came to the easy group decision that it was time to mount the bikes and roll out. When we started packing up we discovered a problem: the Kelly Kettle had been sitting on the plastic table when it was hot, and now it was cool and it didn't want to move. We pushed and pried to no effect. We kicked at it. The Kettle itself came up easily, but the fire pan it sits on was seriously fused to the table. We struggled with it for a few minutes before the idea to heat it up again arose. Perfect idea, but we'd already had trouble with a fire.
Suffice it to say that a long time was spent trying to get a fire going again, to no avail. That frozen fog was preventing even the paper from lighting. After starting a somewhat disheartening discussion about riding down to North Bend, buying lighter fluid and riding back up the hill we pulled out our tools and after a tiny brief paper fire were able to pry up the pan with a screwdriver.
As we rolled back through Rattlesnake Lake Park, just a few hundred feet away, a ranger car came driving through and looked at us long and hard. Surely they thought we were crazy. It was one of the few times all night we saw headlights. The descent through the forest was downright cold. My toes got numb for the only time all night, but of course i had been standing still for an hour before that. When we pulled up to the all night mega-sized grocery store i went in the back and put on long johns. I was fine after that.
The five of us were a motley crew of overdressed, tired, dirty cyclists wandering around the huge, clean, brightly lit store for a few minutes. I grabbed a fruit juice, but other than that we could not find any ready to eat food that was going to work for us and i think the staff was glad when we left. On Rando rides you are often required to show dated receipts to prove you covered the route, so i thought for fun, i'd put the store receipt here.
We went down the street to the Quik Stop where the high school girl working there was very pleasant to us, but it became clear soon that she was in the middle of a drama of some sort and we had interrupted a flirting session with some boys. We got microwave burritos and bad cocoa and Kent got his famous 3 day old hot dog and peanut M&Ms. We scarfed it all down and happily headed back out onto the trail again, leaving the relieved teenagers to flirt in peace. Back on the trail we saw plenty of deer before getting to the trestle again and heading back down the slippery steps.
We were retracing our tracks, back down the lovely Snoqualmie Valley Trail. Although we were getting sleepy, our good conversations were continuing and keeping us alert. We heard, but did not see, an owl as we sped down the dark gravel trail towards Fall City. It reminded us all just how wonderful this experience it was. It was truly a blessing being in that forest in the night in the winter.
When we got to the turn off for Rutherford Slough Road, where we had come up, we stopped and had a talk about route choices. Earlier in the evening we had floated the idea of continuing on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail to Duval, crossing up over Redmond ridge on the roads and picking up the Sammamish River Trail on the other side for the ride back to Issaquah. Now was the time to decide and as we discussed it we were all concerned about icy roads, and especially icy pavement on the long, steep descent. We decided not to risk it, and figured once we got to Issaquah we would go up to Redmond for coffee and back on the flat gravel lakeside trail.
When we got down the hill to Fall City around 3:30 am we started seeing riders on the Rando ride go by; they were covered with frost and looking a bit worse for wear. I stopped at the Fall City Roadhouse to grab my second water bottle, which had been sitting there since 10:30. The full bottle was frozen solid.
Brad left us at that point; this is where he had parked his car. We went into the Quik Stop for potato chips, ice cream and other fuel. We spoke with a couple of groups of the Randonners who also stopped in. They were enjoying their ride but they said that the roads were extremely slippery and it took a lot of energy to focus on keeping from slipping. They said couple of people had gone down. We were glad we were on gravel trails most of the night. We also noticed that the elevation we had gained, in addition to keeping us warm, with the additional effort, pushed us up above the thickest of the frozen fog which they were really fighting with on the low lying roads.
As we rode out of town, towards the southbound Preston-Snoqualmie trail, i had an idea and suggested we take the north(east)bound spur of the trail across the road, which heads through lovely forest and dead ends just a quarter mile from Snoqualmie Falls. Since we were aiming for 7:55am, we decided it was a good idea. So we walked our bikes up the 4 steep switch backs to the trail. (When this was a railroad, there must have been a huge trestle here!) It was a lovely ride and we had a nice view of the valley from the bench at the end in the forest, where we ate more nuts and chocolate. This trail spur is paved and returning to the road was a significant down hill and it was frosty. That descent was pretty hairy, i was glad when it was over.
By now i was getting pretty punchy. Much to my surprise my legs still felt strong and my blood sugar was fine, but it was late at night and i was quite tired. I was feeling a bit distant. Scott and i pedaled up hill on the Preston-Snoqualmie Trail towards Preston occasionally seeing things that were not there. Kent was the only one of the four of us with Rando experience so this was new for us, this riding while almost asleep. As we neared the end of that trail dawn started to break. We started to see a bit of light in the sky in the openings in the forest. It was beautiful and in my happy but tired state i found it astonishingly profound.
In Preston as the sky was starting to brighten we stopped for coffee at a typical small town coffee shop with some serious characters in it. Kent was having some very entertaining conversations as i went out to stand with the bikes and take in the beauty of dawn.
As we were saddling up again a guy got out of his truck and asked what ride we had done. When we told him we'd ridden sunset to sunrise he said, "You started yesterday?!?"
I had to stop and think for a long time before i said, "Yeah, i guess so." It didn't really feel like tomorrow to me. It was still today. I was keeping the light on. Only about 50 minutes to sunrise. It felt good.
We felt fast on the frontage road out of Preston, but the deep gravel on the new trail connection to High Point slowed us down a lot. The High Point to Issaquah trail that we had started on was a very welcome section as we enjoyed the end of our ride. We got into Issaquah at 7:48, about 7 minutes to go before actual sunrise, so Kent took us on a brief tour of his neighborhood ending back at his front door at 7:57.
David lived nearby and he pedaled off quickly for his bed, while i crossed the street to the bus stop. I didn't feel like i had the 16 miles to Seattle left in me and my goal, 7:55 am, had been reached. My legs might have been able to do it, but not the rest of me. Scott was pretty punchy and was thinking we were only 3 or 4 miles from Seattle, i had to talk him into riding the bus, but he was quite thankful. Again on the bus we got the question "So you started yesterday?" It still seemed weird to me.
We got off the bus at the tunnel entrance where we had met 15 hours previous. We went our separate ways, i had 4 more miles to ride. I was happy to get home and i had breakfast and a shower before trying to get some sleep. I slept about 4 or 5 hours, and was pretty worthless the rest of the day. I wasn't as dehydrated as i expected.
My odometer recorded 10 and a quarter hours of riding over 15 and three quarter hours. I found it interesting that when i got home that i had NO IDEA how many miles i'd ridden until i looked at the map! I'm not a mileage fanatic, but i really can't remember the last time i did a long ride where i had no idea how far i'd ridden. That's pretty cool, i'd like more of that.
I've wanted to do a Solstice ride like that for years! It was a blast. We had a great group. It wasn't lost on me that in my pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice i was joined by two Mormons, a Lutheran minister and the husband of a lay preacher. I loved the riding, the stars were sublime, the forest magnificent, the crisp air invigorating. The company was great. I really enjoyed catching up with old friends and making some new ones.
And we celebrated Winter Solstice by keeping our lights lit from sunset to sunrise. We brought the sun back on the longest night of the year!!
The GPS coverage was pretty spotty so most of the map i drew by hand.
My full 'day' was 92.5 total miles with 4,057 feet. That was 38 miles on gravel trails, 19 miles on paved trails, 24 miles on paved roads. 82 miles with the group, from Mercer Island to Rattlesnake to Issaquah. Plus the 10 miles to and from Mercer Island. Interestingly, last year when i tried to ride with SIR, i rode almost exactly the same distance (91 miles).
3.4 mi home to tunnel (add Scott)
3.4 mi bike tunnel to Mercer Island (add David & Kent)
25.1 mi Mercer Island to Fall City (add Brad)
19.6 mi Fall City to Rattlesnake Lake
19.7 mi Rattlesnake Lake to Fall City (lose Brad)
17.6 mi Fall City to Issaquah (lose Kent & David)
15.3 mi bus ride to bike tunnel (lose Scott)
3.6 mi ride home
About 5 years ago it occurred to me that it would be a cool twist, and a hell of a lot of fun, to celebrate the Solstice by keeping the bike light on all night. With a dynamo headlight, the way to keep the light on is to keep the wheels moving. I could celebrate by riding all night!
I was really excited about the idea, but i didn't think i could manage it alone and besides, that wouldn't be any fun. So for a few years i tried a little to find someone to ride with me with no success. After Winter Solstice in 2009 i heard that Seattle International Randonneurs had for the first time done an overnight 200 km 'permanent' on the solstice and about 4 people had showed up. I liked that idea, so last year (Dec 2010) i 'gave up' trying to find people to ride with and decided to join the Rando ride. Although i had a very good ride i didn't exactly make it to sunrise.I certainly didn't want to try that again. I'm just not that competitive and i don't like riding alone.
This year i was very interested in doing a relaxed, collaborative overnight ride. Mileage was absolutely not an issue. I wanted no goal of a certain distance to accomplish, no speed to achieve, no place to get to. The goal was simply to enjoy riding thorough the night, and it would be riding pretty slowly. I'm slow.
Partially through more effort on my part and partially due to better resources available, i managed to collect a couple of friends to go with me. Kent eagerly signed on as soon as the email went out. He and i had a couple of conversations about possible routes; both of us were excited about night time riding on some of the east King County trails through the forest. We've ridden those trails during the day many times and were intrigued about trying it at night with good lighting.
We decided that our basic route would be to ride from a central meeting point (Mercer Island along I-90) out to Preston, Fall City, North Bend, into the foothills of the Cascades beyond the farthest exurb, and up to Rattlesnake Lake at the edge of the wilderness. Because there are good gravel (and paved) trails along here, this would keep our small group off the roads and away from cars for almost the entire route. From Rattlesnake Lake, we'd have a variety of options: return, go south to the Cedar River trail, go north on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail or go up and back the Iron Horse Trail. We would decide on the fly.
On the shortest day of the year i was nervous but excited. I had prepared everything the day before: the bike was in good shape and i was bringing a lot of food and clothing. Sunset was at 4:19. I left home at 4:12 pm. Sometimes when i leave for a very long ride, as i am riding right out the door from home i feel the enormity of the undertaking. It can be a little overwhelming that first 3/10 of a mile of a 100 mile ride. But today i didn't feel that. I was excited and ready to roll. And the first goal, the only goal, was to pedal.
I'd start by meeting Scott at the tunnel. I rode through Central Seattle down to Judkins Park and took the trail to the I-90 bike tunnel where he was waiting. It was good to see him and it helped eliminate any nervousness. I was really glad he came along, i met him on Kent's Tour Divide departure ride about 18 months ago and we rode together well.
Once through the tunnel we crossed the floating bridge to the meeting point at a coffee shop along side the trail on Mercer Island, arriving just before 5pm. I got a breve' hot chocolate for fuel and as the sky got darker we waited to see who would show up. I really did spin my wheel every few minutes to keep my headlight shining!
Before long David, who i had never met but had been talking with Kent at the bike shop, showed up. Kent arrived soon after. With a bit of light left in the western sky the four of us departed eastbound, joking about our goal. At one intersection we were discussing which way to go.
David asked, "Where do we need to get to?"
I responded: "7:55 am".
We all laughed.
We didn't have a place to get to, we didn't have a distance to achieve. It really was a different way of thinking from almost any ride i've done. Not having a goal of any kind was really freeing. We were relaxed, just riding together through the darkness. Being in the moment. Experiencing the forest, and the night. Catching up with old friends and making some new ones. This was our social network, and we got to pedal the whole time.
Kent was riding his much beloved Trek Allant, i was riding my rebuilt Bianchi Volpe with Velocity Chukker 700c rims, with Schwable Marathon 35 mm tires, Scott was riding his beautiful orange
We crossed the highway on the ped bridge at Eastgate as Kent wanted to detour around the LDS temple to try out a trail back there. We sped through the dark forest on the trail. That's when we ran into the Boeing fence. Not literally, but we didn't see it until we were right on it. Barbed wire across the trail -- blocking our path. We doubled back, crossed through a parking lot of what turned out to be a large Microsoft facility and then picked up the I-90 trail again.
When i was doing some microfilm research (that's what we used before Google) at the library back in the early nineties, i learned that sixty years ago, when Sea-Tac airport was being planned, the location south of the city where it is now was the SECOND choice. The top choice was Phantom Lake airport in Bellevue - now a very rich suburb.
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| Phantom Lake, Bellevue WA |
Instead of the commuter route over the shoulder of Cougar mountain on Newport Way, we took the narrow bike trail on the north side of I-90, and very carefully navigated the frozen leaves on the tight switch backs downhill. Our first stop of the night was at the semi-secret Timberlake Park in Issaquah. We rode down through the forest and stood on the dark bank of Lake Samammish eating Kent's Nutty Turtle Bars. They were yummy and the view was amazing.
From there we passed through the newer sprawly business district of Issaquah where there an airport was when i lived in Issaquah in 1992. Interesting that we cycled right through two former airports, both of which appear on the c.1983 USGS maps in my Topo program. We stopped briefly at the IHOP where the SIR overnight 200km was about to depart. There were 45 very serious riders there, we said a quick hello and good luck before pedaling on down the road.
It was only another quarter mile through the strip malls before picking up the trail. In town this trail is paved, but as we left Issaquah to the east, the trail starts to climb, enters the forest and turns to gravel. Most of us had never ridden on gravel at night, (except for Kent, obviously) so there were a few minutes of convincing ourselves that it was all OK, but that didn't take long.
From that point onward we were on trail most of the rest of the night. It was glorious being in the forest in the dark. Riding on the gravel was not a problem, and the vast majority of those trails are smooth dirt. That’s a really fun trail in the day and i quite enjoyed it at night. We rode through the dark woods, two pairs of bikes cruising along chatting. It felt good.
A couple of trails later we quickly crossed through the quiet little town of Preston, continuing east, downhill, on the Preston-Fall City trail. This trail is paved and we really tested the speed of our lights. It's not too hard to get ahead of the light and on this narrow downhill trail in the dark; and that's not a good idea. We aimed our powerful beams further ahead and quickly covered the ground to the end of the trail near Fall City. We had to ride a couple of miles downhill on the main road to get into Fall City; rolling in not much after 10 pm.
In Fall City we met up with Brad, who had been putting in daddy bedtime duty; he has two toddlers. We attempted to grab a sitdown meal, but although the waiters at the Fall City Roadhouse were excited and supportive, they had already closed for the night. It was for the best i think, it kept us outside and on the road.
So like Tour Divide riders we grazed at the convenience store before the, now five, of us rolled out of town, around the roundabout and back into the forest. We rode up Rutherford Slough Road which connects to a gravel logging road uphill to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. This road was blocked due to a property dispute for a couple of years. Thankfully it has recently opened again and it was very useful for us.
The weather started off pretty chilly and got down to 27 degrees by about midnight but we were all pretty well dressed. We didn't even have to stop to add layers. Riding through Fall City the roads were a bit icy, but the gravel trails were fine. At some point i noticed that i had left one of my two water bottles back on the steps of the restaurant in Fall City.
It was a cold, clear night and if i looked up above me while i was pedaling along i could see a strip of stars between the trees towering on either side of the trail. At one point along the trail we heard hooves ahead and to the side of us, and caught a fleeting glimpse of a group of Elk galloping alongside the trail. Good company, the cold forest, a wonderful trail, the bright stars, and turning the pedals, it was a joyous celebration.
Kent and David were using battery powered lights that were very bright with a narrow beam. Scott and Brad and i had super bright, wide beam dynamo powered LED headlights. Mine is a 2010 Schmidt SON 28 Classic hub generator with a Schmidt Edelux light, Scott had his Shimano Dh-3N72 generator hub with a Busch and Müeller Lumotec IQ Cyo R+ light. We really lit up the trail as we rolled through. It was bright.
We stopped along the trail once or twice to eat a bite and catch our breath. The forest got dark and a little scary as our bike lights either dimmed or went off when we stopped. We didn't stop for long at any point and my dim standlight kept burning. We were in a different world there, just a few hours of pedaling from downtown of a major city we were isolated in the forest with just our human powered lights. There are millions of people in the Seattle Metro area but we felt very alone. It was humbling and invigorating.
I tremendously enjoyed the trail, but it was very different from riding it in the daylight. The darkness snuggled around each of us. I mis-counted the trestle bridges and was very surprised when we got to the end of the trail. The Snoqualmie Valley Trail is interrupted by a gap near the town of Snoqualmie. Finding the little 100 yard hiking trail up to the road in the pitch dark was a challenge, but with people like Brad and Kent along, anything is possible.
From that point Snoqualmie Falls is just a quarter mile out of the way, and we couldn't resist the detour, after all, we had nothing but time. It was about 11:45 pm and there were still a handful of sightseers looking over the falls. Most were dressed up (there is an expensive restaurant at the falls) and they all looked at us strangely and gave us lots of space. In addition to the low lying fog along the river, there was a huge frozen fog being kicked up by the giant roaring waterfall and it was an amazing sight in the powerful lights they have focused on the falls. We enjoyed our little break and the pedaled on, skipping the small town of Snoqualmie. Instead we took Mill Pond Road to the spot we could pick up the trail again. Mill Pond Road is a lovely, quiet, dark (and in the daytime, tree shaded) road on the other side of the river from town.
The trail starts again on a trestle bridge with stairs up from the road. Those stairs were very slippery on this cold night. The trail is straight and flat through farmland and the town of North Bend. We turned off the trail and rode through North Bend, although we did not stop. As we rode out of town, Brad sprinted off to the right, chasing a group of Elk with his very bright light.
Where the road crosses under the freeway it meets up with the trail again, which we joined. Now the trail enters really thick temperate rain forest and starts to climb significantly. We were all starting to get a little tired on the climb up the gravel trail. I warmed up a bit and had to take off a layer to let my head cool. The group scattered a little, our human powered lights cutting through the darkness in a line stretching through the forest.
While it would have been ideal to stop and eat sitting next to side Rattlesnake Lake, we were a bit worried about being there, as the park is officially closed at night. We stopped and used the potties and looked out over the lake for a moment, but we continued up through the park to the beginning of the Iron Horse trail where we found a plastic picnic table where we could settle and eat for a bit. We hadn't noticed how cold it had gotten until we stopped and we all pulled out some clothing when we got there. It was a cold, clear night. Very beautiful. I added a layer, an extra sweater, when we stopped and i didn't take it off for the rest of the night, i only made one other layer change the whole night.
Everyone dumped their food on the table. Various sandwiches, granola bars, nuts, cookies and bread covered the table and we all dug in. Kent started to fire up his Kelly Kettle, a nifty metal bottle with a fire pan at the bottom and an internal chimney which funnels the wind to increase the fire and boil water quickly. He shoved some sticks in the chimney, started a fire with paper and soon water was boiling. He made some tea and poured water in my dehydrated backpacking meal and Brad's pot noodle. We passed them both around.
The next fire in the Kelly Kettle was proving to be more difficult with the wet, and frozen, sticks that we could collect. Scott and i stood back and watched, but pretty soon there were three guys around the Kettle all trying to make fire. It was funny, at first, but it started to get worrisome. The fire would not start and we had a bunch more things that needed hot water, including cocoa. Eventually we decided it wasn't going to happen.
We sat back and chatted, enjoyed the rest and ate up what we could. I spun my front wheel frequently to keep my light burning. There were a couple of times it went out briefly, but we had candles, the Kelly Kettle and flashlights so i think it still counts as keeping the light on.
The cold was seeping in and before long we came to the easy group decision that it was time to mount the bikes and roll out. When we started packing up we discovered a problem: the Kelly Kettle had been sitting on the plastic table when it was hot, and now it was cool and it didn't want to move. We pushed and pried to no effect. We kicked at it. The Kettle itself came up easily, but the fire pan it sits on was seriously fused to the table. We struggled with it for a few minutes before the idea to heat it up again arose. Perfect idea, but we'd already had trouble with a fire.
Suffice it to say that a long time was spent trying to get a fire going again, to no avail. That frozen fog was preventing even the paper from lighting. After starting a somewhat disheartening discussion about riding down to North Bend, buying lighter fluid and riding back up the hill we pulled out our tools and after a tiny brief paper fire were able to pry up the pan with a screwdriver.
As we rolled back through Rattlesnake Lake Park, just a few hundred feet away, a ranger car came driving through and looked at us long and hard. Surely they thought we were crazy. It was one of the few times all night we saw headlights. The descent through the forest was downright cold. My toes got numb for the only time all night, but of course i had been standing still for an hour before that. When we pulled up to the all night mega-sized grocery store i went in the back and put on long johns. I was fine after that.
The five of us were a motley crew of overdressed, tired, dirty cyclists wandering around the huge, clean, brightly lit store for a few minutes. I grabbed a fruit juice, but other than that we could not find any ready to eat food that was going to work for us and i think the staff was glad when we left. On Rando rides you are often required to show dated receipts to prove you covered the route, so i thought for fun, i'd put the store receipt here.
We went down the street to the Quik Stop where the high school girl working there was very pleasant to us, but it became clear soon that she was in the middle of a drama of some sort and we had interrupted a flirting session with some boys. We got microwave burritos and bad cocoa and Kent got his famous 3 day old hot dog and peanut M&Ms. We scarfed it all down and happily headed back out onto the trail again, leaving the relieved teenagers to flirt in peace. Back on the trail we saw plenty of deer before getting to the trestle again and heading back down the slippery steps.
We were retracing our tracks, back down the lovely Snoqualmie Valley Trail. Although we were getting sleepy, our good conversations were continuing and keeping us alert. We heard, but did not see, an owl as we sped down the dark gravel trail towards Fall City. It reminded us all just how wonderful this experience it was. It was truly a blessing being in that forest in the night in the winter.
When we got to the turn off for Rutherford Slough Road, where we had come up, we stopped and had a talk about route choices. Earlier in the evening we had floated the idea of continuing on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail to Duval, crossing up over Redmond ridge on the roads and picking up the Sammamish River Trail on the other side for the ride back to Issaquah. Now was the time to decide and as we discussed it we were all concerned about icy roads, and especially icy pavement on the long, steep descent. We decided not to risk it, and figured once we got to Issaquah we would go up to Redmond for coffee and back on the flat gravel lakeside trail.
When we got down the hill to Fall City around 3:30 am we started seeing riders on the Rando ride go by; they were covered with frost and looking a bit worse for wear. I stopped at the Fall City Roadhouse to grab my second water bottle, which had been sitting there since 10:30. The full bottle was frozen solid.
Brad left us at that point; this is where he had parked his car. We went into the Quik Stop for potato chips, ice cream and other fuel. We spoke with a couple of groups of the Randonners who also stopped in. They were enjoying their ride but they said that the roads were extremely slippery and it took a lot of energy to focus on keeping from slipping. They said couple of people had gone down. We were glad we were on gravel trails most of the night. We also noticed that the elevation we had gained, in addition to keeping us warm, with the additional effort, pushed us up above the thickest of the frozen fog which they were really fighting with on the low lying roads.
As we rode out of town, towards the southbound Preston-Snoqualmie trail, i had an idea and suggested we take the north(east)bound spur of the trail across the road, which heads through lovely forest and dead ends just a quarter mile from Snoqualmie Falls. Since we were aiming for 7:55am, we decided it was a good idea. So we walked our bikes up the 4 steep switch backs to the trail. (When this was a railroad, there must have been a huge trestle here!) It was a lovely ride and we had a nice view of the valley from the bench at the end in the forest, where we ate more nuts and chocolate. This trail spur is paved and returning to the road was a significant down hill and it was frosty. That descent was pretty hairy, i was glad when it was over.
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| Fall City Trail Loop |
In Preston as the sky was starting to brighten we stopped for coffee at a typical small town coffee shop with some serious characters in it. Kent was having some very entertaining conversations as i went out to stand with the bikes and take in the beauty of dawn.
As we were saddling up again a guy got out of his truck and asked what ride we had done. When we told him we'd ridden sunset to sunrise he said, "You started yesterday?!?"
I had to stop and think for a long time before i said, "Yeah, i guess so." It didn't really feel like tomorrow to me. It was still today. I was keeping the light on. Only about 50 minutes to sunrise. It felt good.
We felt fast on the frontage road out of Preston, but the deep gravel on the new trail connection to High Point slowed us down a lot. The High Point to Issaquah trail that we had started on was a very welcome section as we enjoyed the end of our ride. We got into Issaquah at 7:48, about 7 minutes to go before actual sunrise, so Kent took us on a brief tour of his neighborhood ending back at his front door at 7:57.
David lived nearby and he pedaled off quickly for his bed, while i crossed the street to the bus stop. I didn't feel like i had the 16 miles to Seattle left in me and my goal, 7:55 am, had been reached. My legs might have been able to do it, but not the rest of me. Scott was pretty punchy and was thinking we were only 3 or 4 miles from Seattle, i had to talk him into riding the bus, but he was quite thankful. Again on the bus we got the question "So you started yesterday?" It still seemed weird to me.
We got off the bus at the tunnel entrance where we had met 15 hours previous. We went our separate ways, i had 4 more miles to ride. I was happy to get home and i had breakfast and a shower before trying to get some sleep. I slept about 4 or 5 hours, and was pretty worthless the rest of the day. I wasn't as dehydrated as i expected.
My odometer recorded 10 and a quarter hours of riding over 15 and three quarter hours. I found it interesting that when i got home that i had NO IDEA how many miles i'd ridden until i looked at the map! I'm not a mileage fanatic, but i really can't remember the last time i did a long ride where i had no idea how far i'd ridden. That's pretty cool, i'd like more of that.
I've wanted to do a Solstice ride like that for years! It was a blast. We had a great group. It wasn't lost on me that in my pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice i was joined by two Mormons, a Lutheran minister and the husband of a lay preacher. I loved the riding, the stars were sublime, the forest magnificent, the crisp air invigorating. The company was great. I really enjoyed catching up with old friends and making some new ones.
And we celebrated Winter Solstice by keeping our lights lit from sunset to sunrise. We brought the sun back on the longest night of the year!!
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| Full route 2011-12-21 Keep The Light On Ride |
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| elevation profile 2011-12-21 Keep The Light On Ride (group portion) |
The GPS coverage was pretty spotty so most of the map i drew by hand.
My full 'day' was 92.5 total miles with 4,057 feet. That was 38 miles on gravel trails, 19 miles on paved trails, 24 miles on paved roads. 82 miles with the group, from Mercer Island to Rattlesnake to Issaquah. Plus the 10 miles to and from Mercer Island. Interestingly, last year when i tried to ride with SIR, i rode almost exactly the same distance (91 miles).
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| Urban Section (first section) |
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| rural section (8pm to 7am) |
3.4 mi home to tunnel (add Scott)
3.4 mi bike tunnel to Mercer Island (add David & Kent)
25.1 mi Mercer Island to Fall City (add Brad)
19.6 mi Fall City to Rattlesnake Lake
19.7 mi Rattlesnake Lake to Fall City (lose Brad)
17.6 mi Fall City to Issaquah (lose Kent & David)
15.3 mi bus ride to bike tunnel (lose Scott)
3.6 mi ride home
29 November 2011
29 miles on the 29th
The Marathon work this weekend really took it out of me. I was tired after several days of working on it BEFORE Sunday, and Sunday i was on my bike for 10 hours in the driving rain and cold. I enjoyed it, i like supporting the marathon and i really enjoy doing HAM radio on my bike. But i was exhausted. That evening i tried to order a salmon burger at the good new place around the corner from me and i couldn't put words together i was so tired. It was funny. I did enjoy the work, but i was REALLY glad it was over.
Actually I had been REALLY hoping to get 27 miles on the 27th (one of the half dozen i'm missing for the year) riding marathon support, and it seemed doable. But when i got to my decision point, the intersection where i could continue on the road, or ride a quarter mile home and just manage everyone else on the radio, i was already at 29 miles, so i decided to be responsible and took it to the end. I wound up with 36 miles for the day.
I was exhausted on Monday. Moving in slow motion. The house was a disaster, but still, it should've only taken 2 or 3 hours to clean up and it took me 12.
Tuesday is our regular riding day. So before even setting out to ride on Tuesday i was really whipped. It was very cold, about 39F but felt colder. Everyone except me & Nadine bailed on the ride. We rode from Redmond (i took the bus to get there) up to Hollywood on the trail, well bundled up and quite tired (she worked the Marathon too) and stopped for lunch (that's only 5 miles). We had a very expensive, but very nice lunch and then rode south to Issaquah into a headwind. The cold really can take it out of you and i had figured on only about 30 miles for the day anyway. (Actually i was really hoping i could engineer it to be 29
on the 29th, so i was pretty happy.) Maybe didn't eat enough too.
We rode 27 miles and it was a really great ride, lots of fun, very relaxing (unlike some recent rides). I enjoyed it quite a bit even though i was so tired. I only needed 2 miles more for 29 so i didn't get off the bus from Issaquah at Rainier where i usually do, because although i really like my regular gentle climbing ride up the ridge through Judkins Park, past Jimi's house and through the ghetto (and past the food co-op where i probably would've stopped), it's about 4.5 miles. So i got off downtown and rode home from there,
going twice around the block (cheating????) to get up to 29.
Actually I had been REALLY hoping to get 27 miles on the 27th (one of the half dozen i'm missing for the year) riding marathon support, and it seemed doable. But when i got to my decision point, the intersection where i could continue on the road, or ride a quarter mile home and just manage everyone else on the radio, i was already at 29 miles, so i decided to be responsible and took it to the end. I wound up with 36 miles for the day.
I was exhausted on Monday. Moving in slow motion. The house was a disaster, but still, it should've only taken 2 or 3 hours to clean up and it took me 12.
Tuesday is our regular riding day. So before even setting out to ride on Tuesday i was really whipped. It was very cold, about 39F but felt colder. Everyone except me & Nadine bailed on the ride. We rode from Redmond (i took the bus to get there) up to Hollywood on the trail, well bundled up and quite tired (she worked the Marathon too) and stopped for lunch (that's only 5 miles). We had a very expensive, but very nice lunch and then rode south to Issaquah into a headwind. The cold really can take it out of you and i had figured on only about 30 miles for the day anyway. (Actually i was really hoping i could engineer it to be 29
on the 29th, so i was pretty happy.) Maybe didn't eat enough too.
We rode 27 miles and it was a really great ride, lots of fun, very relaxing (unlike some recent rides). I enjoyed it quite a bit even though i was so tired. I only needed 2 miles more for 29 so i didn't get off the bus from Issaquah at Rainier where i usually do, because although i really like my regular gentle climbing ride up the ridge through Judkins Park, past Jimi's house and through the ghetto (and past the food co-op where i probably would've stopped), it's about 4.5 miles. So i got off downtown and rode home from there,
going twice around the block (cheating????) to get up to 29.
14 November 2011
Major Taylor Ride
Tonight was the Major Taylor ride, a fun Bike Works tradition in honor of Marshall Major Taylor and other November birthdays. Major Taylor was an amazing turn of the century bicycle racer and the first American World Champion.
I stopped for a milkshake at Molly Moons for fuel and waited to see if any other Capitol Hill folks might join me for the ride south, but no one did. Typically this is a rainy night ride. It was quite cold on the ride down to Bike Works, but no rain.
We gathered in the classroom at Bike Works and visited. Chris is our regular volunteer who lives the farthest away from Bike Works (she lives in Chicago!). She was well dressed for the occasion (circa 1900).
I greeted people, finished my milkshake, had a nice conversation with Max, and put on several extra layers as i'd been cold on the ride down.
We herded cats enough to get a nice group photo.
And then a few more people showed up. We were glad to see them!
And, what the heck, another group photo out in front of the shop, with our bikes this time. (After we turned off all the lights! We had 15 people total... Max sat out this photo (actually he took the photo) because was planning on going home after we climbed Beacon Hill. We all, of course, wanted him along.
Departing Bike Works, Davey took us south a bit and up Orcas Street S where we picked up the Chief Sealth Trail for the rest of the climb and to get across Beacon Hill.
I try hard to let the camera be secondary to the experience, i hate it when the camera becomes the focus (pun intended) and for a moment tonight i let that happen. On the final climb on the trail near the top of the hill i looked behind me and there were 14 headlights in a close line on the dark winding trail. It looked very very cool and i sprinted ahead away from my friends, to the top of the hill to get a photo. Right then the camera battery died. I quickly changed it, but by then the snaking line of headlights had passed me while i was messing with the camera.
Then we took 15th Ave S up to Holgate and started down the super steep hill to the strange new trail. The first time i rode this trail back in the summer i was pretty shocked at the horrible... well, ridiculous end, intersecting an arterial in the middle of a very long, incredibly steep hill. There's really just nowhere to go. Willie Weir recently wrote a good post on this piece of infrastructure in his neighborhood. We were going to join this trail at this awkward ending point, still a challenging right turn on the big descent.
The trail itself, once we were all safely on it, was extremely nice. Wide, smooth and fun, surprisingly well lit, and great views of downtown at night. From there we cut through the busy International District to the waterfront, where we all cheered the partially torn down Alaska Way Viaduct.
My camera which does well on bumpy roads in the daytime, didn't do great on the bumpy road in the dark, so the photos are more artisitic than informative, but i like them nevertheless.
I had the camera so unfortunately there are no photos of me in my wool cap, wool shirt, wool socks and awesome new ($5 at Goodwill) wool knickers. Despite our fast downhill ride, i felt very overdressed with the leg warmers, socks and turtleneck i added at Bike Works. I got very sweaty.
On Beacon Hill Max couldn't resist our company and decided to continue the ride. Good decision! We continued down the working waterfront to Harbor Island, took the nice bike swing under the bridge and over the lower West Seattle bridge which led us directly to the Pigeon Point trail. This is a very nice trail, it is an important connection -- it opens up South Seattle Community College, and makes possible rides like ours to White Center. The entire trail is probably 200 feet long. It just links the Harbor Island trail with 22nd Ave SW.
We had a short but quite steep three blocks of climbing, and then a long flat ride along the edge of a ridge on 21st Ave SW. This is one of my favorite places in the city to ride. You ride along the knife edge of the ridge for a mile and a half, with middle class and lower middle class houses on either side. It's one of the few places you have a view in both directions (East and West). I don't know why i love this section so much, it's certainly beautiful, it's just one of my favorite rides. Very satisfying.
A final uphill push up to Roxbury and across the city line -- we were out of Seattle and in unincorporated King County. Half a block later we stopped for Pizza!
After Pizza we took the short, route on arterial with a long fast descent to the 1st Ave S bridge and Georgetown where the group split up to go in different directions towards home. It was a great night, great people and a really really fun ride. We rode 16.5 miles together, with almost 700 feet of climbing (which makes it a slightly less hilly than average ride for the Seattle area).
All told, with the ride down, and the return home, i rode 30.2 miles with 1400 feet of climbing.
I stopped for a milkshake at Molly Moons for fuel and waited to see if any other Capitol Hill folks might join me for the ride south, but no one did. Typically this is a rainy night ride. It was quite cold on the ride down to Bike Works, but no rain.
We gathered in the classroom at Bike Works and visited. Chris is our regular volunteer who lives the farthest away from Bike Works (she lives in Chicago!). She was well dressed for the occasion (circa 1900).
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| Chris Z & Donald V |
I greeted people, finished my milkshake, had a nice conversation with Max, and put on several extra layers as i'd been cold on the ride down.
We herded cats enough to get a nice group photo.
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| Steve, Asher, Chris, Linda, Frank, Max, Ken, Joe, Donald, Davey and me |
And then a few more people showed up. We were glad to see them!
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| Andy, Tom, Danny, Catherine |
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| Frank, Chris, Andy, Linda, Asher, Tom, Mark, Ken, Catherine, Donald, Joe, Davey, Danny, Steve |
Departing Bike Works, Davey took us south a bit and up Orcas Street S where we picked up the Chief Sealth Trail for the rest of the climb and to get across Beacon Hill.
I try hard to let the camera be secondary to the experience, i hate it when the camera becomes the focus (pun intended) and for a moment tonight i let that happen. On the final climb on the trail near the top of the hill i looked behind me and there were 14 headlights in a close line on the dark winding trail. It looked very very cool and i sprinted ahead away from my friends, to the top of the hill to get a photo. Right then the camera battery died. I quickly changed it, but by then the snaking line of headlights had passed me while i was messing with the camera.
Then we took 15th Ave S up to Holgate and started down the super steep hill to the strange new trail. The first time i rode this trail back in the summer i was pretty shocked at the horrible... well, ridiculous end, intersecting an arterial in the middle of a very long, incredibly steep hill. There's really just nowhere to go. Willie Weir recently wrote a good post on this piece of infrastructure in his neighborhood. We were going to join this trail at this awkward ending point, still a challenging right turn on the big descent.
The trail itself, once we were all safely on it, was extremely nice. Wide, smooth and fun, surprisingly well lit, and great views of downtown at night. From there we cut through the busy International District to the waterfront, where we all cheered the partially torn down Alaska Way Viaduct.
My camera which does well on bumpy roads in the daytime, didn't do great on the bumpy road in the dark, so the photos are more artisitic than informative, but i like them nevertheless.
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| Asher carrying a baguette - Grant Peterson style. |
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| Max waves at the camera as he speeds by. |
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| Sweep rider Ken enters the trail from Holgate at speed. |
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| Happy cyclists on the new trail. |
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| Max |
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| Chris |
Clearly Asher's reflective jacket works.
I had the camera so unfortunately there are no photos of me in my wool cap, wool shirt, wool socks and awesome new ($5 at Goodwill) wool knickers. Despite our fast downhill ride, i felt very overdressed with the leg warmers, socks and turtleneck i added at Bike Works. I got very sweaty.
On Beacon Hill Max couldn't resist our company and decided to continue the ride. Good decision! We continued down the working waterfront to Harbor Island, took the nice bike swing under the bridge and over the lower West Seattle bridge which led us directly to the Pigeon Point trail. This is a very nice trail, it is an important connection -- it opens up South Seattle Community College, and makes possible rides like ours to White Center. The entire trail is probably 200 feet long. It just links the Harbor Island trail with 22nd Ave SW.
We had a short but quite steep three blocks of climbing, and then a long flat ride along the edge of a ridge on 21st Ave SW. This is one of my favorite places in the city to ride. You ride along the knife edge of the ridge for a mile and a half, with middle class and lower middle class houses on either side. It's one of the few places you have a view in both directions (East and West). I don't know why i love this section so much, it's certainly beautiful, it's just one of my favorite rides. Very satisfying.
A final uphill push up to Roxbury and across the city line -- we were out of Seattle and in unincorporated King County. Half a block later we stopped for Pizza!
After Pizza we took the short, route on arterial with a long fast descent to the 1st Ave S bridge and Georgetown where the group split up to go in different directions towards home. It was a great night, great people and a really really fun ride. We rode 16.5 miles together, with almost 700 feet of climbing (which makes it a slightly less hilly than average ride for the Seattle area).
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