Mile 774 - Biking to Babysit

I got a call a couple of weeks ago from my sister, asking me to babysit my painfully cute nephew.  He'd never been away from his folks overnight, so it was a bit of a big deal.  Luckily, he's awesome and I'm a cool uncle so we had a blast.  I also took it as an opportunity to enjoy some more gorgeous Seattle bike riding.

On Saturday, I did the same ride that's been documented here before.  It was great, as usual, with the first half of the ride being a dedicated bike path along the Seattle waterfront, all the way up to the Ballard Locks.  Here's a slideshow of the trip:

The ride up to their place in North Seattle was directly into a 10-15 mile headwind, uphill most of the way.  I've never had to contend with that kind of head-on wind, and it was completely demoralizing.  I just routed it on Bike Route Toaster (no link, sorry.  I accidentally lost the route just as I was saving it) and it says that it's only 500 feet of climbing.  But for some reason, it felt like Everest with the wind.
The route I chose was based on the Seattle Bike Map (which you can get for free just by filling out this form).  It's a great resource and fit nicely into the clear plastic top of my handlebar bag.
And just 'cuz I can't get enough, here's another cute photo of my nephew

Mile 710 - The Olympic Discovery Trail

Back from a really wonderful 41 mile, trip from Sequim to Pt.Angeles and back.  I wanted to post the route with Google maps but it simply doesn't recognize any bike-only trails.  Seriously, that is pathetic.  There is a beautiful, bike-only, paved road along the northern Olympic peninsula, yet Google Maps thinks you should ride along the highway instead.  They've got a ways to go with that.

I did this same ride about 6 months ago as part of a half-century benefit, called "Pedalling the Muse" for the Pt. Angeles Art Center, a really wonderful spot that I recommend visiting.  It's a mostly flat ride, with just a few ups and downs, through farms and small ravines, along the coast and through forests.  Just the best of Northwest rides.  Here are some photos from today, none of which do it justice:





Stopped in at a little restaurant named Rick's in Pt.Angeles and devoured 2 beers and fish and chips. The waiter was this unbelievably earnest and sweet teenager who kept getting things wrong (who brings balsamic vinegar for fish and chips!?). In the middle of lunch, an old man walked in and asked for an order of fries. When the kid came back with the styrofoam container (like the ones you get takeout teriyaki in), the old man opened the lid, and said "I need you to fill it up the top". The kid went back and put some more in. The old man opened it up and saw that It Was Good. That container had enough fries to fill up maybe 10 side orders on a regular plate. What he was about to do with that many fries, god only knows. Funny little scene.

If anyone who owns a bike near Seattle is reading this, I demand that you make it a summertime goal to bike this trail at least once this year. It's really worth it. Here's the link again: Olympic Discovery Trail

Mile 664 - Google Bike Maps, Thumbs Down!

Today was bike commute day, on a route I had never done before.  There's been a lot of recent hoopla about Google's new bike maps, so I decided to use it, and ride whatever route it came up with.  Survey Says: Up Yours Google!  Without a doubt, the worst way to get there, with a long stretch on Rainier Ave, a 4 lane road with zero shoulder.  I rode for miles on the sidewalk, cursing Google the entire way.  It'll be while before I use it again without consulting a whole lot of other resources.  Here is the route I took.  I only post it here so you know exactly what to avoid.  Here's some photos of the ride, including a bonus dog photos at the end of the slideshow.





On the way back, I used my friend's directions, coupled with some help from the Seattle Bike Map.  The route was pretty bad the whole way: terrible roads, no bike lanes, only "sharrows".  It's better than nothing, but only just a bit.  Drivers were very respectful and safe, which made it fine.  But overall, the bits of south Seattle I rode were not fun at all.  Compared to the places I've been in north Seattle, it's a whole different ball-game, when it comes to bicycle infrastructure.  The city's got a long ways to go before you'll get a casual cyclist to brave some of those roads.  For reference, here's the route back.

Mile 631 - Ride to Pt.Townsend

Did another training ride out to Pt.Townsend, and it felt really good.  Nearly the entire inventory was packed on the bike; the only thing missing was a set of off-the-bike clothes.  Everything went smoothly except for a minor shimmy problem.  When I go above 20 mph, a slight wobble gets set off in the front, mostly due to my enormous handlebar bag and my front panniers which are mounted fairly high up.  It's not much of a problem, however, unless I'm headed into a descent of more than a mile or so - then it gets annoying.

It was 47 or so miles to get there.  I met up with someone for beers and burgers and took another 9 mile ride, so the whole day ended up being around 56 miles.  My legs were a bit worn out, but this morning they feel just fine.  Here's a map of the route with elevation data.  There weren't very many hills on the route, so it wasn't as good of a workout as some other rides.

The weather was fantastic.  Another bright spot is that the residual anxiety I was having after taking a number of spills this winter is nearly gone.  Last time I did this ride, the enormous floating bridge that you see in the slideshow below really spooked me, due to wind, rain and grated roads.  This time around, none of the anxiety and nervousness kicked in.  In fact, I stopped mid-bridge and took a picture, something I would've never done last month.

Mile 573 - A Quick 20-miler

Today was the first day I've been able to go out in shorts, regular cycling gloves and only a single pair of socks. Yes, spring seems to be here. It was a beautiful day and I took off around 3 to tool around the south end of Bainbridge Island, some of my favorite riding. The entire way there are views of the sound. Lots of sea life, birds, seals and parks. Here's the route link

The longest hill on Bainbridge was at about mile 6. I have only done that hill once while fully loaded and last time around it made me dizzy. Today, at the base of the hill, a small yellow ladybug landed on my glasses. An obvious sign that the world is on my side; that ladybug helped me up the hill and then disappeared once it became obvious that I could manage the rest of it under my own power.

At Fort Ward, I went to my favorite resting spot to look at the goofy birds that like to hang out there. All of them sit perfectly still except one or two at a time who hold their wings out, like Ice Cube in "Boyz in the Hood" when he holds his arms out and says "Is there a problem?", while flashing his handgun. Those birds are there year in and year out and always make me chuckle.

Further south I saw a bald eagle sitting at the same spot he's been at for a while. I snapped a cruddy picture (you can barely make him out in the slideshow below), and he immediately flew off and began circling and hunting some kind of sea grub he spotted. He never caught it, and after 15 minutes, I finally got bored and left the drama.

Here's the photos from today:

Another positive ride, in terms of gear and fitness. I'm contemplating another overnight soon now that the weather's turning in my favor.

Mile 554: Better Weather and Spring Ahead

Today is daylight savings, and I couldn't be happier. Longer afternoons, better weather: I love this day. My usual routine is to bitch and moan my way through February and March until daylight savings, and this year in particular, the return of spring is very, very welcome.

I've done a few rides recently with my bike fully loaded with most of the gear I'm taking to the Old Country. There's a few odds and ends missing (laptop, camera, some random camping gear, off-bike clothes), but for the most part the weight and the gear are a done deal. I've managed to pack it in a way where everything fits into a pannier except for the tent poles. All of the panniers then can go into a huge duffel bag (gotten for a steal at REI for 25 bucks) in case I want to lock the bike up in a city and do a bit of shopping or something.

Anyway, yesterday's weather was sunny, rainy, cloudy and windy, all at the same time. Here's a map of the exact route. The destination was this tasty Italian restaurant that I can't recommend enough named Burrata Bistro in downtown Poulsbo.

Here are some shots of the water taken from a particularly blustery spot on Lemolo Shores:

In the second one, if you squint your eyes, you can make out a passel of sea lions luxuriating in the 50 degree weather (that's damn near tropical here in the Northwest). You can see how choppy the water was. It was windy enough that I was getting ocean spray hitting me and was nearly knocked over a couple of times. About 5 minutes after I took this pictures, a 2 minute torrent came down and made me use my handlebar bag rain cover for the first time ever. When I reached the Agate Pass Bridge, the windsock stood at full mast (no double meanings, I assure you), so I walked the bike across to avoid getting knocked into traffic.

So, almost 29 miles, some middling hills and plenty of weight on the bike. All in all, a nice little training ride and perfect way to celebrate whatever comes next.

Mile 467: Another Injury That Could Have Been Avoided

About 3 weeks ago, I pestered my buddy Jim to take me mountain biking again to this place. Had a blast tooling around in the forest and on the jumps for about 5 hours, but took one really nasty spill and banged up my entire left side of my body pretty good. Bruised ribs in a couple of different spots. So, that's been keeping me from riding, but last weekend I pushed through the pain and did an overnight in Port Townsend.

View Larger Map

Here's a little slideshow of the ride.

Planning and prep for the Ride to the Old Country continues apace. Just a few items left for purchase and some routes to plan. I'll be using this page to keep track of my inventory.

Mile 275: Hello 2010, You Magnificent Bastard

Lots of rain recently, but warm weather. Bike rides have come steadily, but I'm not yet up to my training goals. The goal is simple: pull multiple 50-mile days without going into a coma. I've done a few 30-35 milers, and been pretty fine, but they've been on standalone days.

My legs feel really strong, though. The last eight months of consistent riding have got me feeling pretty good. If I'm going up a semi-steep grade, I don't bother with Granny Gear any more. Mostly I keep in on the middle wheel-chain (I think that's the term) and grind it out. Keeping that up for a mile or so isn't a problem. Seeing how I do on an actual mountain pass will be interesting to see.

The new bike has also changed the way I ride quite a bit. On the Grey Goose, I would power up hills by standing up. Now, I stay seating and grind it out. It's a more sustainable way to get up a slope, at least on the Surly. Also, my Corpse Toe complaint has gone away via a combination of looser laces and warmer socks. I'm very happy about that.

Had an old friend visit over New Year's and it was quite the experience. We were tight way when we were kids. We met at gymnastics class, back when I was 10-14 or so. Back then, he was a hyper, funny friend, and we goofed off a lot together in the way that 10-14 year old boys do: farting, boogers, movies and skateboarding.

Now he's 33 and broken down in ways I never thought I'd see: physically and emotionally he's the most damaged person I've been close to. He's been through it all, and continues to go through it on a daily basis. Mostly, his current personality is subsumed by addiction, which make being his friend an impossibility. At best, I can be a crutch. It was a hard visit, which I managed to get through with a combination of bike riding, whiskey and Judd Apatow comedies.

Mile 185: Good-bye, 2009, You Dirty Bitch

I've been biking a ton these last couple weeks, and there have been some major developments in the field of WhatTheFuckBenIsDoingWithHisLifeOlogy. A great trip to the heart of Europe and the Old Country is in the works. I'll be detailing said plans as they go from delusions in Herr Autor's head to actual reality.

Part of the trip involves delving into some of my family past; deep into the heart of what my sweet, swarthy Grandma Molly used to call "The Old Country". She spoke English nearly perfectly, but with a slight accent. But there were some unmistakable vocab slip-ups which I will now share.

"The Old Country" = Poland (Lublin, her hometown, to be exact).

"My Storiens" = Her soap operas she watched daily (Days of Our Lives; The Young and The Restless" were her two favorites).

"Frucht" = Fruit (heavy on the phlegm)

"The O-side" = The outside (though I now like to refer to the Obama's Democratic Party as the O-side).

And before you start thinking that my Grandma Molly was all cutesy Eastern European charm, let me tell you that her entire family was wiped out by Nazis, as was nearly the entire Jewish population of The Old Country (Lublin). That's right; I just dropped the Holocaust on your ass.

So, I'm headed to the heart of the Final Solution. My reasons for visiting are:

1) Poland sounds like a beautiful country to visit

2) My family and last name originate from there

3) There are a few family questions that linger that would be nice to answer.

I have no other expectations. Just a bike ride to the Old Country.

Mile 103: A couple of tumbles and beautiful winter riding

Haven't had much to write about the last two weeks due to a pretty nasty spill I took mountain biking. My friend Jim has these crazy downhill/freeride/big bouncy fun bikes that let you jump off stuff. He took me on a ride with his friends in the local hardcore biking group near Fall City. We climbed about 3 miles of fire/logging roads and then went down these beautifully maintained trails that snake their way down. On the first run, I took a header near the end and slammed my rib cage fairly hard; I've never had that kind of injury. Anyway, 2 weeks later, tens of thousands of milligrams of Ibuprofen later and constant morning pain, and I'm healed.

Yesterday I did the same ride I've ridden about previously: 20 miles from Winslow, to Baker Hill, Fort Ward, Toe Jam Hill, Eagledale and back home. Lots of pleasants views. The rain made the island seem deserted, and I had most of the roads to myself.

Today, I biked into Seattle and saw my sister. For a Hanukah present, I told my 3 year old nephew that I would take him on a train. So, I took him to the Westlake transit hub where there are three train lines that fan out from Westlake and 5th: the South Lake Union Trolley (or the SLUT), the Monorail and the Light Rail. Love it. Here's some pics of my adorable nephew riding the train and farting around the marina.

On the way there, I took another spill, just south of the Ballard locks. I was coming down a steep road onto a wood bridge that goes over a train line. I turned too fast and the wheels just slipped out from under me, because of the wet wood surface that was covered with leaves. And I landed directly on the spot where I had bruised the rib previously. Bad luck, I guess. Other than the rib, just have bruises on my hip and right leg. The spot where I fell is also my favorite part of the whole ride. It's this beautiful tucked away wooden bridge, and a train was running underneath it when I fell. The train was actually one that I followed from when I got downtown, all the way up to Ballard. We paced each other, and it was fitting since the theme of the day was Sam's Train Day.

Another funny occurrence was that I got an attack of the mustshits at 85th and 15th. You know, the mustshits are what happens when you're somewhere, and for no apparent reason your ass tells you that it simply Must Shit immediately. A nearby Subway store provided me with the necessary facilities, and the lonely Mexican dude who was manning the counter at 10:30 in the morning must've had a chuckle at the sweaty butt-clenchingly insane biker who ran in, mumbled something about "I'll buy after I use bath...." and then came out, visibly harrowed and pale, and and bought a fruit punch. I gave him a 50 cent tip, which is not back for a $1.50 fruit punch.

Riding through Seattle always puts me in a good mood. I'm a little

Mile 39:A post-Thanksgiving Urban ride

I'm only at mile 39 because I bought a new odometer for the Surly and lost a few miles between flipping to mile 1000 on the Grey Goose and getting the odometer installed. I'm officially 3.9% of the way towards mile zero (2000 mod 1000).

Thought I'd throw up some pictures I took from a 25 mile ride I took in Seattle last Friday. The route was fairly easy, but the weather was just about perfect: right around 45 degrees and mostly sunny. I was working off the steaks and stuffing from Thanksgiving, so I really pushed it, speed wise. Here are some pics from the beginning of ride, including some from the ferry and along the water.

The ride took from the ferry terminal, along the waterfront, through Olympic Park, around a Magnolia scenic loop, and up into Ballard through the locks, through Fremont and back down to the ferry. All parts of Seattle that I really love and that feel like my hometown.

I find myself struggling to stay fit this winter. After 25 or 30 miles relaxed cycling, I hit a wall that requires some serious rest and fuel. If I'm going to start doing some real touring in the spring, that's completely unacceptable. I joined a gym and have been doing spin classes and stationary biking for an hour every day or so, but it doesn't seem to help. My legs are bulking up, but the endurance isn't there yet.

The new Surly continues to perform admirably, and have zero complaints, other than that it hasn't fixed my "Two Numb Toes" problem. When it's cold and I bike for longer than 15 miles, my two left small toes go completely white and numb. When I take my socks off, it looks like two tiny corpses hanging out in bed next to their 3 larger brothers. Freaky.

In the event that any ever reads this blog (if I ever send someone a link), let it be known that I just finished this book and loved it: Odysseus' Last Stand. Just an entertaining travel book about a guy riding his bike around the world.

First Ride with the New Bike

The new bike is here, and I had a wonderful late fall rainy ride in which to contemplate it's appellation. The naming of an inanimate possession is not something that should happen quickly, or even, necessarily, at all. Nonetheless, I came up with various names, none of which stuck, but all of which are worth sharing:

• The Doobie Brother
• Mr. Jenkins
• Mocha Toker
• El Jefe
• Long Train Runner

The Surly is a magnificent ride, and a huge difference from my Gary Fisher Monona (the Grey Goose, as I like to call it). The Monona is meant as a light-use commuting bike. I pressed it into service as a touring bike; kind of like strapping a dachshund to an Iditarod sled. The old dog will do what you ask it; but not without shifty and mistrustful looks.

I'm not going to go too much into the details of the ride itself beyond saying that it was drizzling and raining most of the time, and my gear held up beautifully. I think I've got a really nice cold weather and rain gear set up, which is essential if I'm going to get in the saddle for any length of time during this Northwest winter.

Since it was the first time I gave the brand new Surly Long Haul Trucker a spin, I'll just give my impressions of the bike. My favorite thing about it is the feel of the frame. I've never ridden a steel frame and the difference is major. It lacks all of the jarring and creakiness of an aluminum frame, and feels more organic. It doesn't absorb the bumps and cracks, so much as it forms around them, and transfers the energy in a much more equitable and natural manner.

Overall, I felt as thought the bike had much more momentum and a mind of it's own. As if it were being drawn down the road, and I was supplying it's fuel. This is opposed to the feeling that I'm pushing the bike down the road and it's trying to slow down. I think this had to do with the increased weight from what I'm used to.

The weight difference between the steel frame versus the aluminum, is noticeable, but not bothersome to me, since I'm never in any kind of hurry. It's a little heavier than what I'm used to, but that's small trade-off for the comfort of the ride.

Had one minor equipment failure: about 8 miles into the ride, at the furthest point north on the island, my seat suddenly dropped. I don't think the guy who put together my bike tightened the seat clamp enough. He was probably anticipating that I would immediately alter the height myself. Regardless, it dropped, and I couldn't sit down till I had pedalled the 8 miles back into town, to the bike shop, to buy a $10 multi-tool. I was in high spirits, so the inconvenience didn't really bother me.

Around about mile 20, I was supposed to go up the steep side of Toe Jam Hill, a climb that I've done many times. But I was feeling weak and cold and decided to take it easy and go back the way I came, a long, flat stretch of 5 miles along South Beach and Fort Ward. At mile 30, I got jittery and light-headed, so I stopped for water and hummus pita and hoped my nerves would chill out.

32 miles and I was way more pooped than I had any right to be. I can tell it's going to be a struggle to come out of this winter ready to hit the road right away. Maybe I'll join that gym like I've been threatening lately....

Mile Zero (modulo 1000)

Took a 35 mile ride today and felt it. I haven't gone on anything longer than 25 miles for almost 3 weeks and I'm out of shape. Here's some pics from the ride:

Had an unbelievably shitty series of events leading up to today which I won't go into except to say that they were shitty, and unbelievable and there were more than one of them.

Worked all morning and at 11 I called my bike shop to see if Ye Olde Bike Shoppe proprietor was in. He was, so I informed that I was on my way down to purchase a new bike. Don't quite know why I chose today, except that it was probably the most highly inappropriate of all days since my money situation doesn't lend itself to purchase $1200 worth of bicycle. But buy it I did and this will be my new ride in about a week or so: Surly Long Haul Trucker. Beautiful, but only comes in a color that they call "Truckaccino", which is only slightly less effeminate that calling it "Pride Parade Pink with Pansy Dust Sprinkles".

I left Ye Olde Bike Shoppe and went for a spin around Bainbridge Island, my hometown. Just one short month ago, I would go for back-to-back 40 milers with no problems. And then I did 4 days of 50-65 miles a day. Today I did 35 miles in the 45 degree weather and came home thinking I had frostbite in my two left smallest toes and nearly laid down to sleep. A couple of vodka and sodas later and I didn't care.

I passed 1000 miles today and got the bright idea to start bike log (or a "Blog", a new term I've just coined) about my various rides. If you don't know math or computer programming, then I'll explain what "Modulo 1000" means. It means the remainder when you divide the number by 1000. So "1 MODULO 1000" would be "1", "1001 MODULO 1000" would be "1", "2001 MODULE 1000" would be "1" etc. Since I reached "1000" on today's ride, then "1000 MODULO 1000" would be "0"; hence the insanely clever post title. There's all sorts of fascinating math things that go on with the modulo operator, but your minds are too small and puny to comprehend them. Instead, go to this Wikipedia article.

I'll send my bicycle pornography when my new ride shows up. Now I know what people who get overseas brides must feel like! Oh, the anticipation for my little Truckaccino beauty...