Sunday Jan. 18 rides

[xeney]

We went out for a 15-mile family ride and wound up doing 25. It was lovely, beautiful day, happy kid. J and I have been snarling at each other lately so a bike ride was a good antidote. We had planned to ride out about 8 miles with him towing the trailer, and then he'd go on while I pulled the trailer home, but we were all feeling good so we just continued on and he pulled the trailer both directions.

I rode the Soma, which is such a comfy ride it feels like cheating. I have to say my Bianchi is more fun to ride, but the Soma is more comfortable. I accidentally left my gloves on the kitchen counter, and on the Bianchi that would have been murder, but the upright position on the Soma meant that I didn't even realize it until about the 20-mile mark.

And Penny did great in the trailer. We haven't taken her out lately and I was afraid she'd either sleep the whole time (nap times are precious around here because I work half-time at home without childcare, so I can't "waste" a nap on a bike ride) or cry. But she did neither. She dozed a little but mostly read her books, pointed out birds and dogs, and watched for trains.

I'm a rotten mother and cyclist, though: last time we went out I forgot our tools and we got a flat tire in the rain, this time I forgot a diaper bag and we had a messy one after 15 miles. (I had a spare diaper in my cycling bag, but that was pure luck.) Also we did not have enough food for a 25-mile ride so J and I ate the pirate booty and cheese we'd brought for the baby. Terrible parents, we are!

[maillotpois]

Oh Salsa - beautiful pic!!!

DH and I did a great 55 mile loop up the coast. Boy was it windy!! There are a couple of little downhill hairpins on Hwy 1 that I always have to break for and I was standing to pedal going downhill because the wind in the little canyons was so strong.

I was just really pleased I was able to ride with DH and not keep him waiting as much as usual. I have been doing a pretty intense power base indoor cycling class 2 x a week and it has really made a difference. I feel like I am coming back to my old self after a couple of years of just slacking.

We were riding through a slight uphill with power roller and crummy pavement section, really powering through, and a couple of guys hooked on our tail and when we came out of the forest into the wider road, they came up alongside us and complimented us on how smoothly we rode together and asked if we wanted to all work together on the remainder of the crazy headwind part, for which I was grateful as one of the guys was VERY nice and tall!

Then we rode home, had a quick shower and lunch, and did the whole thing all over again on motorcycles.

[jesvetmed]

Beautiful photo Salsa! Glad you got out there with everyone else and enjoyed it! I'm heading out today, had to work yesterday Today looks just as nice, though! I have HIGH HOPES!!!

[OakLeaf]

Ooooh, sweet Monster!

[maillotpois]

Ooooh, sweet Monster!

Thanks!

[jesvetmed]

Here's a few pics from my beautiful ride today. Got in 20 miles including the huge hill that one of the photos was taken from ... it's a great challenge. Excellent day for a ride! You can still see a lot of the standing water we have around here from the flooding over the last couple of weeks. Those are supposed to be dry fields -- not lakes/rivers or streams!

[salsabike]

Jess, those are gorgeous. I do love the area where you live! Glad you got out.

What a spectacular weekend. I was chatting with the UPS guy who came by to deliver something this afternoon about the gorgeous weather, and he said it let him take his motorcycle to one of the parks on Lake Washington (which you see in my pic at the start of the thread) and propose to his girlfriend right at sunset yesterday. He was just beaming and it was a truly adorable story. We PNWers get VERY excited when the weather gets good, don't we!!

[deeaimond]

was my first day in the clipless shoes and pedals, rode 80km thereabouts. Nice and relaxed. fell over in front of a stationary car... so embarassing... fortunately nothing hurt (at all?? hmm??) another fall saw me land smack on my knee, so I have a bruise from that. otherwise, all was great and I'm totally enjoying the clipless experience...