We finally remembered the camera!

This past weekend was fantastic because for the first time in several weeks my calendar was relatively open. After working a bit on Saturday morning, Dave and I took a short ride to Green Lake and on to Wallingford (with the intention of making a visit to Molly Moon for ice cream). Instead I saw Jamba Juice and got really excited. We all have our vices.

On the way back we made the first of two trips to Gregg's Cycle over the weekend. Finding the right equipment has proven to be an even more time consuming and expensive process than I initially imagined, and I wanted to do some research while Dave took a look at new bikes and asked some questions. I should note that the previous weekend when Dave and I were biking to Ballard his pedal was falling off. He took this as a sign, along with the loud noises his bike makes and the fact that he has to pedal much more than I do, that he needed a new bike. I guess we won't get to make any more jokes about his bike not being stealthy (loud sounds) and he'll probably be a lot faster now...it's good for my training, right?

We stopped in at a great vegetarian restaurant on 65th - Sunlight Cafe. It was a great way to finish out the day, and it was nice to discover that it's really easy to continue on 65th and get to other neighborhoods. By the way, I recommend the veggie burger at Sunlight. Dave's burrito was so huge I truly was concerned about him making it back up the hill to my house. Good thing his eyes were bigger than his stomach.

After a lovely Saturday evening at Honeybear / Third Place Books and playing games with Dana and Blake, Dave and I started out Sunday on a bike ride with my dad and Cathy. We took the Burke-Gilman down to Fremont and went to the Fremont Fair. It was hoping, and the sun came out while we were there. I bought some truly fabulous pants and Cathy found a kid's mini guitar for my niece Noelle. Then we considered how we would transport the guitar...



This is what we came up with. As I mentioned earlier, Dave's mountain bike starting falling apart, so he borrowed Blake's bike for the weekend. Luckily it had a rack on the back. Since we didn't have bungees, we used bike locks to strap the guitar to the rack. Now that's clever, eh? Many thanks to Dave for supporting the happiness of my adorable niece!

And we did make it to Molly Moon. We biked up Stone Way from Fremont and stopped for ice cream (delicious even though they were out of strawberry). Then we continued north past Green Lake and to Gregg's Cycle for visit number two. We asked more questions, I bought new gloves, and my parents both got new helmets. As it turns out, bike helmets are supposed to be replaced every 3 to 5 year. The styrofoam becomes brittle, and will no longer perform. The woman helping us smashed my dad's helmet with her foot - not a good sign.

From there we made our third visit of the weekend to Honeybear (yes, we went for breakfast on Sunday, too). We ended the adventure with a walk back to 65th for pizza. All in all, a great way to spend a Sunday. And we didn't use any gas while visiting all kinds of fun places!

The sun has finally arrived!

The weather has been...less than ideal...here in Washington. Between the rain/cold and being busy at work, I didn't get in a lot of riding at the beginning of June. The sun has finally arrived, though, and I'm ready to kick my summer into gear. Dave and I took a quick ride to Ballard along the Burke-Gilman yesterday. I was hoping to ride to Redmond today, but I have a sore throat. Tomorrow Erin and I have our bike maintenance class at REI, so I'll be riding to that!

Yesterday was Father's Day and I visited with both sides of the family. It was reassuring to talk to my dad and Cathy about the bike ride. Whenever I talk to experienced bike riders I feel better. I was trying to talk Cathy into coming on the ride, too (hint, hint). We also talked about biking equipment.

I've been upgrading and acquiring all the things I need in increments. A lot of components require testing. I think I've finally resigned to getting a new seat for my bike. I keep trying different options to make mine work, but it's time to upgrade. I also need to buy clipless pedals and shoes so that I can start practicing with them. I'm also in the market for clear bike glasses and thicker gloves. My Camelbak sprung a leak yesterday, so I have to figure that out, too. Sigh. It adds up, but I like working towards something like this.

First update from Climate Ride staff!

I received my first e-mail update from Climate Ride staff. Here are the highlights:
- I can receive discounts at a bike shop in NY and DC to assist with getting supplies ready. The NY shop can receive shipped bikes if I go that route (probably will just check on the plane a pay extra).
- Climate Ride has a Facebook page! I've joined and others can join to show their support. It is a place for the full group to post stories, photos, etc.
- They are putting out a travel planner at the end of June, so I'll likely make most of my arrangements then. They will have help for bike transport, hotels, etc.

And my new favorite quote: "Never underestimate the power of a bicycle trip to change your life."

I'm getting really excited!

A lovely Memorial Day ride!

I'm way overdue for a new entry! Life's been a little crazy lately, but at this point I'm aiming to bike to work once a week and do a longer (at least 20 mile) ride each weekend. The Flying Wheels Summer Century is on June 14 and I'm hoping I can do a quarter century (25 miles) before Kendra's shower. I should have more time to do a half (or full if I'm ambitious!) century for the Seattle Century in July. Tutoring and Sunday soccer will be done in June, so I can move up my number of rides per week.

But on to the Memorial Day ride...it was kind of overcast in the morning and I was struggling with my momentum for the day. Many thanks are due to Dave for getting me over this and on to my bike! We rode from my place down to the Burke-Gilman and followed it north to Bothell Landing. I hadn't been along that stretch of the trail - the views of Lake Washington are gorgeous and most of the trail was relatively quiet. We passed through Lake Forest Park and had to take the detour route along one stretch of Lake City Way. Dave's bike has a computer (another investment I may be pursuing...), so we found that it is about 15 miles from my house to Bothell Landing. It's another 10 miles to Marymoor, so that will be a good distance for training rides (50 miles roundtrip).

I'm making plans to meet friends on training rides, which is a good motivator. Dave and I might meet up at Marymoor and he can ride with me up to Bothell Landing. I also thought about riding to the Celtic Bayou for trivia this summer. I could come from work and pick up Erin at the UW. Brianne wants to bike up to Woodinville and then ride back with us. The timing should work well for about a 7:30pm trivia arrival, and we can use Bri's bike rack to get our bikes back to Ravenna. I could also bike from my door to Blana's door, and if I get ambitious I might visit Dave at work in Issaquah (Whew! That one's for a day off unless I get a bike rack to shorten the trip!).

So, we enjoyed the 30 mile ride on Sunday and I'm feeling excited about my summer of biking!

Inspiring facts for the day

- The bicycle is the most efficient vehicle ever devised; a human on a bicycle is more efficient (in calories expended per pound and per mile) than a train, truck, airplane, boat, car, motorcycle or jet pack.

- Nearly half of all trips in the US are three miles or less; more than a quarter are less than a mile, distances easily covered by bike while saving you money and getting you fit.

- Every mile traveled by bike rather than by car keeps one pound of climate-damaging carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, while reducing cash draining stops at the pump.

First (official) bike to work day!

I've known that I wasn't in a position to bike to work daily - it's just not practical sometimes given meetings, after work activities, etc. - but it felt so good to ride in today. I've been wanting to ride in all week, and finally today weather and my schedule accommodated!

On Sunday I tried biking along the Burke-Gilman to Fremont and then taking the Dexter bike lane towards Seattle Center. The route was nice, flat, and I felt very safe. However, the ride took almost an hour. I played around on Google maps and discovered that the route was almost 6 miles. I compared with coming down Roosevelt Way, across the University Bridge, down Eastlake and Fairview, and up Broad. That route is just over 4 miles. Sadly, there are more cars along the shorter route, but I decided it was worth a try.

This morning I was determined to go, but also still nervous about the cars. I gave myself a little pep talk (yes, literally) about how I need to get used to this and I need the extra training miles/time. I was proud of myself as I made a left onto Roosevelt (such a little thing to be scared of, but I was) and biked along in the right lane. I tried to watch the other bikers and follow their lead, which worked well. I was happy to discover that I was faster than one person and on par with two others...and we won't discuss my speed relative to the experienced bike to workers! Broad wasn't even as bad as I thought because the distance passed so quickly on a bike.

While it's a small thing, riding into the garage and locking my my bike made me feel like that person I also want to be (and usually just admire). Of course the distance to work is way too short to be significant training for Climate Ride, but even being a fair-weather-bike commuter is a step towards simple, and green, living. Now I have 8 hours to get pumped up for the ride home - I think I'll stick with the flat trail on the Burke-Gilman (no 3 mile hills just yet!).

Now that's a Sunday!

Today was amazing and I am completely exhausted!

I tried biking from my new place in Ravenna to work today, to test things out. I went down 20th and across the Ravenna Park bridge, down the hill by the park and onto the Burke Gilman. I followed the trail to Fremont, where I carried my bike up some stairs onto the Fremont Bridge. I took Dexter to Mercer and was right by Seattle Center. It took less than an hour, so not a bad option. Next I'll be trying going down Roosevelt and Eastlake.

I was impressed with how bike-friendly the route was as a whole. There were a few spots where I made mistakes, but overall I think I'll be able to include biking to work as part of my training (a very small part!).

After biking I walked around Green Lake (5k) and then played a soccer game. I played mid and the whole game, which means I did a LOT of running. Altogether I feel like a did a triathlon (can we substitute soccer for swimming?).

I ended the day with dinner at my dad and Cathy's place in West Seattle and Compline with Danielle. I'm ready to pass out, but given the success of today, I'm feeling confident. I have almost 5 months to train - I feel like I can do this!