Sunday Jan. 18 rides

[salsabike]

Ah, a sunny January day in the Pacific Northwest...There were people out everywhere, on the trails and in the parks and on the streets. It was gorgeous! If a little cold. When we left this morning, it was 31, but I think it got up to about 50 at some point in the afternoon. We did a 50-mile tandem ride across Lake Washington, around the Mercer Island loop, and back again. All the mountains were out--the Cascades and the Olympics. Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier.

[dex]

Yay for ride-worthy weather in Seattle!

I didn't get to enjoy any of it, but the parts I saw from my living room window looked really great.

[salsabike]

Hi, Dex!

[crazycanuck]

oooo..PNW got to see the sunshine hey...

Every time I see a tandem i think of you salsa..

[Aggie_Ama]

Did 10 miles of singletrack with DH. I was definitely on my A game, climbing good, did a scary drop a never have tried before (and lived), no bruises. It was low 70's yesterday, sunny. Seems everyone figured out March had popped up in January, the trail was packed with mountain bikers, dog walkers, hikers, families. I am so glad I bought a bell Friday night, I needed it!

[Biciclista]

it was beautiful! we rode 22 miles; to the opera and back, we didn't see that many bikes; but there were a few.

started getting cold quickly around 130! came out of the opera at 5 and brrR!

[OakLeaf]

Our regular group went exploring, and we found that a road we'd been on before is now paved all the way to the next intersection! We just did an out-and-back to avoid the main highway, but we're planning to include it in a loop next week. Between delaying the start for an hour, and considerably warmer weather, all the weenies showed up this time. 45 miles, a nice ride. Then I washed my bike to get it ready to get the new shifters on... going to run it up to the shop as soon as I hang my laundry out.


I forget who posted the idea about using a garden pump sprayer to wash bikes, but what a GREAT idea!!! It worked fabulously. Thank you, thank you!

[PamNY]

Salsabike, that's a gorgeous photo.

I was glad to get out at all since we've had bitter cold. It was 31 degrees, the bike path was clear of snow and I felt great. The US Airways plane was temporarily parked along my path so gawkers and closed-off sections of the path meant I had to go slower & get colder than usual.

But it felt great & I got to bike during snowfall, which I've never done.

Pam

[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!!