Erika and I got out for a few hours while everyone napped and rode to Greenlake, Sitka’s main hydro source lake. We are guessing that the ride was about 30 miles. Great ride! Wonderful weather as you can see in the video! No bears, although there were recent reports of them being out on the road near the fish hatchery. Most of the ride is on gravel road that is in pretty good shape as it’s the only access to the hydro damn and the power station.
It was really fun and Erika was glad to get out for long a ride with me.
It seems like every time I ride out to the end of Sawmill Creek Rd. I am facing the wind going out, and I am facing the wind coming back. How is that?
Kevin and Beth are in town for the week. They arrived this morning. I was able to eat dinner with Beth and then take off on a ride with Kevin out SMC Rd. to Herring Cove. It was good to ride by his side, chatting away. The wind seemed to subside for once while riding with Kevin. Maybe it’s my imagination, maybe it’s a distraction or maybe riding with support-like with battling cancer-it seems easier with someone by your side.
Went on a long ride, longest of the year too. Started out with a loop in mind around the north end of Lake Washington. The first twenty plus miles being on the relatively flat Burke Gilman Trail. Kept the pace up and averaged about 18 mph. The second half of the 4 hour ride (3:15:22 actual rolling time) I was up and over several hills so the pace slowed and by the time I found myself climbing up the last hill home I was pretty sapped!
Throughout the ride I found myself looking for the motivation to keep going with the loop. At the top of Juanita Drive, the first climb I had to fight off turning around and heading back home via the flat trail along the lake. I had to dig down a couple of times in order to keep up a decent pace. Kept thinking about what was going to get me through a long ride and what was keeping me going through every other day for Beth and I. Its really hard to say what powers me through any particular moment in daily life. Love, hope, determination, sometimes anger and sadness. On the bike I find that I have an overwhelming streak of competitiveness that comes out. On this particular ride no one passed me. I joined up with a couple of groups even and once I was out in front setting the pace, they all dropped off…
I see what the metaphor is here and hope that I don’t do this in other parts of my life. I do sometimes feel a little out there, alone and peddling like mad for something I can’t seem to catch. If I am leaving anyone behind out there please grab my shirt tail and ask me to slow up.
Saturday took me to the the very South end of Sitka, as far as a person can possibly go. Sunday, today, I rode myself to the very North end of Sitka, to the sign that literally says “END.”
It’s a quick 15 miles and fairly flat. The ride passes the Alaska State Ferry Terminal which I suppose I could someday ride right onto if I wanted to extend the workout. Bellingham anyone?
The temperature topped 71 degrees yesterday! My ride required SPF 30 and a full camelback of water. I never would have thought I would be seeking shade on the 2nd of May. Or ever for that matter in Sitka.
Our 35 mile ride was nearly the same as the others except we pushed out to the last possible inch of road on the south end of Sitka and Baranof Island. Any further we would have crashed down a craggy slope of Graywhacke rocks and plopped us in a frigid and icy lake. The last mile to the end is up a 14 or 15% grade hill. Because my mountain bike has slick tires and my legs have uncooperative muscles, I eventually had to walk the last half.
In a couple of weeks, I’m looking forward to doing this ride with Kevin when he comes for a visit with Beth.
Okay, so on Michael’s suggestion we thought a preview was in order of the Village Park Drive climb, and what we found was one heck of a climb! Somewhere around 3 miles in total (I forgot to check the distance once I reached the top as my legs were burning enough to numb the brain a little!) Michael, Mary, Anthony (need to recruit him into the ride!) Marc and I spent the better part of 2 hours riding from the I-90 lid in Seattle, across Mercer Island, through Factoria and Easgate and then up and over Cougar Mt and back via a short loop through Lakemont Park and back to Seattle.
Took a little video clip once we made it down the hill and were spinning along on our way back…
Over all ride was 27 miles, average 13.5 mph. We hit the Village Park climb at mile 11 and hammered up the climb best we could. I myself had to stop once… that 42/28 combo might be a bit too small a gear for me so will have to look into a bigger spread on the rear cog! The decent off of Cougar Mt. clocked a couple of us at 48mph! That was great after that climb, that’s for sure. Just over 2 hours of riding as a group of 5, and we are really looking forward to the next ride.
What a great weekend! Fabulous ride up Whidbey Island from Clinton, through Langley along Saratoga Passage back down to SR 20 and up to Admirals Cove near the Keystone Ferry. 33.9 miles in all with a reported 1500 of climbing (Mapmyride map here). The weather was great, not to warm (still needed the knee warmers and a windblock vest), and very little wind throughout the ride. Whidbey turns out to be a great place to ride as the shoulders of SR 20 are pretty wide and the backroads/sideroads are really quiet.
We also had a SUPER FABULOUS weekend at Hilary’s family’s place in Admirals Cove. A few friends, lots of great food, great weather for a few hikes and a pretty hilarious game of Cranium! Everyone had a really hard time breaking up the party and heading home.
Beth, Hilary and I didn’t hit the road until almost 7 pm as we had to swing by Toby’s for some mussels and fries. The waitstaff spilled a little tartar on my shoe so she gave us one of their huge brownies, although after eating something like 15 pans of Jared’s brownies over the weekend, we had to box it up and bring it home….
The picture here is from a hike we went on Sunday afternoon on the bluffs near the Fort Ebey Battery. Great sunny day! Wonderful time sitting and staring out at the straits and the San Juan Islands.
I just got back from a short ride, long run with my friend Corrie. Because it was a combo ride run, I thought I would try to be crafty with MapMy-Whatever. I thought MapMyFitness would allow you to put in multiple activities, but I can’t figure out how to do it.
Here’s the route. It’s a beautiful day here, sunny and slightly warm. There was still snow on the trail we ran on and two massive avalanches from this winter on Blue Lake road. One avalanche site completely blocks two roads, one accessing the campground and Beaver Lake Trail, the other blocking Blue Lake Damn access. Snapped tree trunks and rock debris gives you the sense of it’s force. Yikes! Keep running.
Mom is back! Pete and I took advantage of Grandma’s 1/2 mile proximity and dumped the kids for dinner and a movie while we went for a long(er) ride.
I have been doing rides with Anan while Kobi is in school. I pull him in the bike cart with food, beverages, toys, books and ample snuggly blankets to encourage sleeping. It’s about 50lbs. of kid and stuff. With Anan in the cart I mostly stay on paved roads for his comfort.
In order to get in a longer ride I have few options. I can ride 14 miles from one end of town to the other on our main road that is paved, for a total of 28 miles. The other option is to ride 7 miles to the end of the paved road and then continue on a gravel road to the fish hatchery and Green Lake hydroelectric power station. This is the route Pete and I rode. I have ridden most of it on my own, but it’s a little creepy. It’s spring and the bears will soon start to wander out looking for food. I am sure they don’t want me for food, but flying down some of the hills and rounding blind corners just says traffic jam to me. I have visions of literally running into a ball of brown fur and being projected from my bike into the thorny Devils Club branches. It’s unlikely and irrational, but… Riding with someone else makes it more unlikely anyway. We’re usually forewarned that the bears have arrived with piles of scat amongst the potholes. The road was clear, so they must be sleeping still.
Average speed 11.3, Slowest Speed 2.7, Fastest 29.5
Tried to go visit the kids in Magnolia today but no one was there… other than the barking dogs at Max’s house. Forgot that Max and his folks were in Hawaii and not sure where the Peterman family was. I didn’t actually knock there as both cars were gone and the house seemed pretty quiet.
The ride was great! First ride this year with just shorts and a jersey. No need for knee warmers and jacket that is for sure!
Put in 27.1 miles, 15.8 mph average in 1 hour 42 minutes. Today’s Map. I think I will be ready for my planned ride on Friday to catch up with Beth and others on Whidbey. Will jump on the ferry then head up the hill out of Clinton and maybe swing through Langley then head to our friend’s place in Admirals Bay. Looking at about 32 miles with lots of hills! Here’s the Map. Have to remember to bring my iPod for some motivational music!
Beth is doing fine today. She put in a few hours working from home, which went fine although she is frustrated with the slow typing. We have tentative plans to go see Kobi, Anan in May and we are excited about that. Fingers crossed that Beth’s blood counts stay strong, so far so good.
