Wednesday 7/16 Rides

Not a particularly interesting ride to start this thread off with, but someone has to start it!

I got to work and discovered I'd left my work clothes at home. I chilled for a little while, taking care of paperwork and such. Eventually I headed home to get my clothes. At home I noticed my lunchbox too! Back at work, thoroughly sweaty, I was happy to shower & change. I got an actual bike jersey, my only "real" biking clothes (I don't even have clipless shoes or bike shorts), recently, to see if I'd go through fewer changes of clothes each day if I allowed that to dry between morning & evening rides. That is, I change clothes just as often, but can do it using fewer clothes. Well, it sort of worked, except since I made that extra trip home late morning, and got much sweatier, the jersey wasn't dry when I had to put it back on in the evening. Ew.

On this extra trip I tried a slightly different route to cross Providence, a very busy and very fast street. Instead of crossing at the light, I went north a block and crossed at a stop sign. Waited for one side to clear, crossed halfway, waited for the other side to clear. The actual crossing is probably quicker and better at the light, but getting on the road I need to be on--Providence Frontage Rd--is a lot easier this way. The two roads (Prov & Prov Frontage Rd) are so close together, and there is a lot of traffic coming on and off Providence, that the intersection is kinda hairy at the light. So I think this is how I'll be doing it now.

I rode around Ocean Dr in the blazing hot noontime sun. I wore my new Keen commuter sandals that make my feet feel hot, and that I don't enjoy climbing hills with. I wore the shorts that make me slide forward on my saddle, so it's looking like I was sabotaging myself. Luckily, if I was uncomfortable, the sights, sounds and smells made me not notice at all.

The wind blew hard, and even when it was a hot headwind, it cooled me enough that I didn't resent it. There was a cloudless sky and the people flying kites. The contrast between the sun and shade temps was fantastic.

The ocean was a highway of giant cargo vessels as big as skyscrapers, tiny sailboats, and not so tiny yachts, all seeming too close to each other, passing through the channel. Onshore, the seagulls boldly begged for food from tourists who didn't know that the one lonely gull they tossed the crumb to had 100 friends who also were hungry. I artfully dodged the ones who flew like kamakazees towards my head.

I also dodged the toursists themselves, who always cross the street without a care in the world, drunk from the beauty of this incredible place, not seeing cars, motorcycles, or even a girl on a bike. The ones who come here and ride bikes are the funniest to watch and scariest to be near. They ride awkwardly but bravely, with no regard for law of man or universe. They ride on the wrong side of the street. They ride side by side. They ride on sidewalks and chat on cell phones, never with a helmet on. They don't mind an illfitting bike, or get discouraged when they're passed. They're in their own little bubble of ignorant bliss, and I wonder what that must be like? Well, I guess I can imagine. Fun until someone pokes an eye out ;).

All in all, a good time. Glad to be feeling more like myself again. Did about 18 miles, slower than some, faster than others :cool:

My ride to work was a bit of a milestone for me this morning . . . for one thing, it was my first time doing the bike commute 3x in one week . . . I had been doing a slow buildup since April, and now that my car is in the shop and I hate taking the bus, I'm motivated to accelerate my schedule a bit.

I left early to go to the post office (to return a too-small shirt to TE . . . . the replacement arrived this afternoon!), which meant a different route than my usual. I've generally stuck to quieter side streets, but my neighborhood PO is right by Stone Way, which is an arterial to downtown for cars, buses, AND bicyclists -- it was re-striped with bike lanes and sharrows maybe two years ago. Oh, and it was re-paved right before that, so I got some beautiful downhill this morning!

I had been working up the nerve to use Stone Way, since it's a pretty big hill (in my book) and at the bottom you have to jog right-left to get on a bridge. I thought it would be complicated. As it turns out, it was easy-peasy. I just followed the pack of bicycle commuters who were also turning left onto the bridge.

It's nice to experience a new route now and again. Gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning!

Did a light ride on the tandem this morning. Rode harder on my single yesterday and I'm doing a long climb tomorrow. 45 miles with 2800 feet of climbing. I can't believe I'm making myself do that again! But climb I must if I'm going to climb 4000 during my first century on my single next month.

20 miles after work. But the weather and temps were perfect. I was kinda loafing around when a guy passed me and I decided to try and keep him in view as long as possible... but eventually he did pull away. I had fun anyway. :p

I'm still learning some of the ways the roads connect around here and in the process ended up on some hilly monsters. A man (I'm guessing a more casual rider as he was not wearing bike jersey etc) across the road was walking a bike up one of the monsters (I was on the downslope), and said, ah you're going the right way - I called back, yeah, but, had to go up too! But I could relate, I was down at 5 mph at a few points... After finding my way back to known roads, I tacked on a few more miles near my house on another uphill road, then turned back as it was starting to get darker, especially on treed areas. Rolled up to the house around 8 pm.

Joe and I went for a quick evening ride. We left around 7:30 and returned after riding for an hour. About 15 miles.

I forgot my camera but had my cell phone and got these two pictures of the moon rising next to Rainier. I'm going out tonight with my camera. Hope to get a better shot!

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...1608_20581.jpg
Cell phone picture one

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...1608_21011.jpg
Cell phone picture two

Susan-

Those are incredibly beautiful!!

CA

Thanks CA . . . hope to get better ones tonight. If they turn out I'll send you a few! I don't have the greatest camera but we'll see how it goes.

:D