washington

To the Fair!

The boy had tickets for the spring fair in Puallayup with the goal of eating lots and lots of elephant ears. I decided to offset the bodily effects of fair food gorging by riding my bike there to meet him. The perfect weather perfectly complimented a fantastic ride! I let MapMyRide set the route for me. Then, rather than writing turn by turn directions on a tiny piece of paper taped to my handlebars, I copied the route into Google Maps, put one ear bud in, and let the GPS voice guide me. This worked out well, because I didn't have to worry about the paper blowing away or getting rained on. I also didn't have to worry if my next turn would be a long way away, or if I'd already passed it.

Riding down 1st ave south of downtown felt odd. It didn't feel like a road intended for any bicycle to go on. It was a divided highway with four lanes, littered with light industrial buildings on both sides. It just seemed so...busy. I took comfort in the shadows passing me on the pavement. The city intended this for bikes, even if there isn't another crazy cyclist in sight. In fact, I saw none on the entire stretch of road. Riding on the road felt like an adventure in tourism, however. It was a lot of fun! I passed a mannequin store. You don't see those every day. I also passed the Living Computer Museum, and the Museum of Flight. I rode by Starbuck's corporate hub, as well as Boeing. I enjoyed riding on the Green River Trail. This was a forested trail nestled in the twists and turns of cooperate centers and workplaces. It was also long, straight stretches of power line shadows. I enjoyed the brief moments I could really get into a rhythm without stoplights to break it. I really got to pedal quickly as I got onto the Interurban trail, a separated bike path that spans miles and miles and miles south of Seattle. There are so many biking opportunities south of Seattle, I wish I wasn't so reluctant to pass through downtown to get to all these gems. I started to tires after miles thirty. But, at mile 35 I got a second wind knowing that fair food would soon be in my hungry belly. The closest thing to wildlife I saw were some forlorn looking peeps smushed on the sidewalk that looked like they'd survived there since Easter. I rolled into the fair parking lot with barely enough time to stretch before B arrived to meet me. We wondered the fair, ate way too much fair food, ate some more, looked at exhibits and livestock, listened to The Coats in concert (acapella band), and smiled and laughed before watching the sunset on the way home.

Ride to Bellevue Pond

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Screen Shot 2015-03-10 at 12.32.45 PM

The day was too sunny and pleasant to not ride. So, I headed out to Bellevue Pond via the Burke Gilman Trail over the north side of Lake Washington. The cool, crisp air numbed my right foot while invigorating my soul at the same time. Great ride!

Kubota Gardens

kubota route

kubota route

Friday a group of riders from work got together and rode to the lovely Kubota Gardens, a free city garden in south Seattle. It was the first time I visited the area, and it was a fantastic trip. Everything you look at and take in is better when viewed from the vantage point of a bike.

We made a lovely loop that took us up some hills headed south from downtown, and also took us through Seward park on the way north. This route lends to great riding with is mostly smooth roads, accommodating vehicles, and views of Lake Washington in the sunshine. We captured amazing glances of Mt. Rainier while pedaling up and down the charming Chief Sealth Trail. I felt like I was riding the through Powerline Park in Beaverton, Oregon. Both parks boast a well maintained, multi-sue path down a long and narrow greenway that follows power lines. You could steal amazing views from either park if it weren't for the obtrusive powerless in the way. Just check out the photos I linked above- they could be the same park!

The group took some fun photos once in the Kubota gardens. Check them out!

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Seated for a proper classroom

Seated for a proper classroom

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Achievement Unlocked!

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I lost my commuting base this year, much to my sadness, but I just simply didn't feel like riding in the traffic and urban roads any more. It's more tiring that fun. But, today I rode! And I gave it my 100%. It's been a goal of mine to ride this certain hill without breaking below 10mph for almost 3 years-and I never did it- until today! The hill is particularly bad, it starts out quite steep, then appears to level off. But it doesn't, the hill lessens in slope, but keeps going, and going, and going. That's why it such a killer, it's too easy to push so hard trying to get up the steep part of the hill that you wimp out at the end of the hill. The fastest riders start out slow, a pace slow enough to maintain the whole way. I never manage to do it, I've gotten close, but have always dropped below 10mph, even if for only one pedal stroke.  Of course, my heart rate was above 170 for the whole thing, and I rode the rest of the way in with a burning throat. I chickened out on the way home, so I didn't ride home. Still, I'm happy I did it and rode. I am going to set my goals light, and give myself a full four weeks to ramp up to the 60 miles a week I've been riding for a couple of years. But I am going to do it. It starts today.

  • 8.52mi
  • 41 min.
  • 12.32mph
  • 23.4mph max
  • 347' climbed
  • 351' max
  • 140bpm av pulse
  • 173bpm max
  • 305 calories burned