Riding to the Shot

My camera and my bike are truly intertwined.

I was riding and I was riding and I was riding-- and it wasn't "a RIDE" until..

..until I got a shot.

Okay, it's a Ride now.

A glowing tree..

A distant pasture..

That was a RIDE.

Evening ride with mom and dad.

There are definitely enough bikes in the house for a family ride!

A chilly, but beautiful time of day.

We saw eagles soaring over the lake.

This scene accessible from our local Centennial Trail!

Enjoy autumn bicycling!

Rain Ride

I paced around the house all morning-- and finally, I just suited up and did it. Rode in the rain.

I knew the wet wouldn't bother me once I got moving. Actually, I knew it would be fabulous-- peeking out beneath a cycling cap, rain dripping down my cheeks, my legs warm and resilient.

And I would punctuate the halfway point with a hot coffee and a treat. Ride home. And slip into some dry jammies for the rest of the day.

I dare say, rain can make a ride even more refreshing.

*The photo of the cookie n coffee is foggy due to the condition of my camera at the time. I found that it also reflected my own condition. :)

Riding into the Zone

Due to culture, infrastructure and who knows what else-- Snohomish County can be a strange place to be a cyclist. The country roads are attractive-- but then a black SUV buzzes you and leaves you frightened instead of meditative. The key to good riding is just getting farther and farther out of town.

Today, these are the zones I experienced:

Zone 1: Suburbia

Zone 2: High volume, 2-lane highway

Zone 3: Quiet, wide, separated bike path

Zone 4: Country roads and ugly motorists

Zone 5: Beautiful country roads and less motorists

Zone 6: Quiet, beautiful, narrow country road..

and that's this:

Next up is Zone 7: Gravel fire road.

But soon.. I'll be moving to a place in King County where I can get to Zone 5 immediately and Zone 8: Singletrack, real quick! YES!!

Deadwater Slough

Steel fingers, running out of (into?) the city, slithering through the slough.

More will come.

They are but roadways for water,

such as the roadways for motor vehicles,

on which I ride.

The vehicles don't like me there,

and they bully me.

But my blood pressure is lower than theirs.

My heart pumps stronger than theirs.

Can you pick me up later?

I had the option to be picked up at the bus station, but I asked to be picked up closer to home--

so I could ride just a little bit more.

Having SUPER bright lights, enables me to really enjoy night riding. Having confidence that I can see and be seen, I can relax and enjoy sleepy roads. I'm riding in a place I've been before, but it's wholly different. Looks different, sounds different, feels different on my face. It's exciting.

My whole sensation of movement-- is like those scenes in movies when the background blurs, sound dampens and echos, and a hyper-awareness occurs. I can get that anytime of day on my bike, but the darkness only lends to it-- cuts the distractions until it's just me and my bike, pumping along.

Wednesday Ride with Dad

Getting some miles in with my dad.

He got his bike just this fall and has ridden it pretty regularly to work. After seeing my dad's shiny roadster, someone from the shop next door decided HE needed a shiny roadster. I wonder if that guy is still riding his roadster..

Meanwhile-- I like riding with my dad on Wednesdays.

We're lucky to live so close to a great trail!

And we were lucky to have such a sun-shiny Wednesday!

Cool air.

We practiced a bit of drafting.

I kept cracking the whip because we both had buses to catch!

Maybe I'll use that reason more often.. heh heh.

Rain

Sometimes-- rain feels nice.

It wasn't cold. Just wet. Like salt shaker sprinkley wet. I turned back home only because it was dinner time. Had some dark, dark chocolate and cold milk to fill me back up. Delicious. (Oh, and then I had dinner, don't worry.)

Scenic Loop, Walla Walla, WA

I got to visit Walla Walla over the weekend. :)

And I had to decide: WHICH RIDE?

It wasn't that hard.

It's really, and appropriately, called Scenic Loop-- one of my all-time favorite rides in Walla Walla. After cruising down Mill Creek Rd, which is some of Walla Walla's most boasted cycling, take a hard right detour up Scenic for a wonderful tire-skipping ride on a gravel dream climb.

It's not easy, but it is rewarding. Drop it into the little ring as you disappear into the trees. Soon, you'll be shoulder to shoulder with the hills across the valley while searching for a washboard-free line to take. Keep it up, and you'll crest to see Walla Walla in the distance. Then hope that the gravel isn't too fresh an' deep as you wiggle back down. And once you hit pavement, even chip-seal will feel like silk. An awesome feeling. 

Who said 23mm race tires weren't made for gravel? They're perfect.

"DANGER High Voltage"

At the entrance/exit to the I-90 bike tunnel

City Scape Part 2

An average American City Person's life is bombarded with

frantic energy

and perceived obligations--

resulting in a life spent in past or future,

and hardly present.

Riding my bike is the one time of day,

when I have the best hopes of

being present.

It allows me see,

digest,

and interact.

City Scape

I got off the bus wearing street clothes, intending to catch another bus the rest of the way home. It would be a while until it came, so I didn't rush. I just walked thoughtfully down the street, escorting my bicycle, examining textures--

and inserting myself into them.

It ain't wheat, but it's still fascinating

I am surely not riding through Walla Walla wheat like I used to-- but the city is still fascinating.

Seattle Texture

Water and industry

A lot of trucks barrel through here, but at least I have a bike lane!

And if I don't feel like riding the whole way,

there's always the bus!

Commuting Intermission

Begin at bus station.

(I got dropped off. Work with what ya' got.)

Intermission at Stumptown.

Which is conveniently, halfway up Capitol Hill.

Does anyone ever stop to take pictures of themselves, their car and the scenery while driving to work?

I think not.

Morning and night

I kinda felt like a cheater when I lived in Walla Walla. I bike "commuted" most everywhere-- but it only took 10 or 20 minutes to get there. Walla Walla isn't big. and it's FLAT! Maybe I rode 30 minutes if I was visiting my friend Alice, she lives WAY out on the edge of town.

Now, I'm a bike commuter in the sense that most people think of when they think "bike commuter." I take the bus and I ride my bike for more than an hour to get to work. And I stop for coffee because nothing feels more like rocket fuel than a fine cappuccino and morning glory muffin! (Thank you-- Stumptown!).

AND, I get to ride the cool bike path across I-90. It's funny what people like or don't like. I think it's fun to ride alongside the water and mentally raspberry at the cars whooshing past. I have a friend who rather does not prefer the bridge. I don't like it when it's wet and you gotta hold your breath when cross the metal grating thingies, but otherwise find it more than tolerable. Ah, well. My commute has many landscapes! This is just one of them.

Bike path on the I-90 bridge.

Skyline in the background is Bellevue.

Bellevue Transit Center, waiting for the bus.

Morning at Galbraith

Saturday morning, I had plans to go watch some collegiate cycling and root on my alma mater (GO WHITMAN!!) up in Bellingham, WA. Since I was driving, I looked for an opportunity to mountain bike. Enter: GALBRAITH!

After all I've heard and read of Galbraith, I had big, BIG expectations-- endless ribbons of dirt twisting through a fairy tale forest. So you can imagine my disappointment when I found:

washed out, overgrown, poorly drained trails that lead nowhere,

jumps hacked by 13-year-olds,

and an impossible entrance to the park.

Yeah, here's a tip:

TOTALLY MISSED THAT. From Birch St. Entrance: The left trail neatly switchbacks up to the Ridge Trail (the one you want), which will take you to the info kiosk and the AWESOME web of trails. The right, however, will take you to the washed out, over grown, hacked together mess-- which is possibly not even part of the park.

So, once I got that..

It was all good.

Dirt roads are the pipelines between trails.

Riding at Duthie has noticeably improved my skills already!

Well, not THAT much. Yet.

Loving Duthie

One reason to love Duthie Hill [mountain bike park] is because the trails are made specifically for mountain bikers. These aren't hiking trails that mountain bikers are allowed on-- these are mountain biking trails. And boy does it make a difference! The latter third of the "Boot Camp" trail is pure downhill swoopiness. Banked corner after banked corner after banked corner. It's not huge or advanced-- a beginner like me can handle it-- but it is SO FUN. It's a roller coaster ride that you're in charge of.

Another reason to love Duthie-- is that it is so BEAUTIFUL. Road riding is great because I can start out my door, but I can never ride far enough to get away from pesty cars. Mountain biking on the other hand, even though I have to drive to get there-- it's just me, the woods and my bike. Real solace.

I love it!