Two posts for the price of one!

Ok, I am a week behind, so I'll jump straight to the point: there are two separate rides I am going to write about today. Stay focused!

The first was a week ago. Jason and I rode off to the Redhook brewery along the Burke Gillman trail early in the AM. It was only 15 miles away, so not much of a problem. We locked up our bikes in the VERY ample bike parking lot (apparently when you build a brewery along a major biking trail you must plan ahead for us bikers to stop in). We tried their new summer Rope Swing beer - which was amazing. Sadly, that was the only perk to this place. The waitress hated me right off the bat. First she was upset that I had the gall to ask for a beer that was not made by Redhook (my mistake for thinking they may have had TWO biking themed beers). then I tried to order my burger to be on the 'rare' side of cooking, but she sternly informed me the burgers only came medium well. really? Who knew you cant take a burger off the grill a moment sooner. I didn't. Finally, the burgers came out, paired with a side of potato salad. Jason and I thought perhaps some fries would be a better pair for our burgers, only slightly surprised that they did not originally come with them, so we tried to order a side of fires to share. This is where our waitress lost all patience. She replied, "We do NOT have fries, they have never been on our menu!"
Really? So I would think I'm not the first person to want fries with a burger. Maybe that harshness was a hint unnecessary? Hmm. she did not think so. So to show her command of the situation, she decided to not split our tab when we politely asked for her to. Oh well, we had out tasty beers, then headed off on our merry way.

Eventually we were back on track and headed south along the eastern border of Lake Samamish. This lake, if you did not know, goes on FOREVER! As we rode along its pristine shore we notices that more and more shore kept coming. This freaking lake had no end. But sure enough we finally rounded its southern side and cut across I-90 to head west back to Seattle. We suddenly came back upon the lake once again. Grrr.

We made it out of the lakes grasp son enough only to be heading back to Lake Washington. So many lakes in just one ride! At this point the clouds broke loose all the rain they had within and a downpour began. We took shelter under the I-90 overpass to put on the rain gear we had brought with us. They worked well enough, but as we rode though Seattle and the beautiful arboretum my shoes became lakes of their own. At this point I was wet, and extremely tired. the worst part was the fact we had only uphills left between us and Jason's house. I had to stop for a moment because my backpack or my riding position caused my back to spasm for a bit. It corrected itself by standing for a moment and we then began the last climb to his house. Wet and exhausted we made it. 60 miles covered on this ride!

Ok -flash forward one week. The rain in Seattle is off and on during the week, mainly on. but it seems our Wed ride would be a wet one. But us intrepid bikers planed for our ride anyways!
We planed for a new route today (today being both the day I took this ride and I blogged about it). We were going to head from my house out to Enumclaw then up Chinook Pass around the perimeter of Mt.Rainer..The weather was quite nice for the majority of the trip. The ride out we had blue skies above us with views of the snow dusted Cascades in the distance. Along the rides we rode we could see far off valleys drenched in rain, but our path was a dry one!

The ride out was simple enough. It seemed we had a lot of downhills along the pass. This was enjoyable enough, but we also had the nagging fear that we would end up chugging these as uphills on the way back. Irregardless, we traveled on. We passed though the city of Greenwater and then stopped at the 35 mile mark on our odometer. We turned around at a logging road exit. Coincidentally this same logging road was one I had been to the past two Decembers to cut down Christmas trees. Today however the sun was out at this time and we would not be bringing any trees home. As we rested I notices a large mound I recognized. It was the nest of a red headed any colony! I was fascinated by these as a kid. This one was HUGE! I had forgotten how many ants could be in the larger perimeter and soon we had ants crawling up our shoes and onto our backpacks! One almost bit me, but I got it off in time! I ended up being a bit paranoid from that time until we got back on the road home.

The way back seemed less hard then we planned. The same stretches of 'downhill' one way also felt like a downhill the other way. It was very disorienting and something I've never experienced before while biking.

Soon the rain did kick in and soon the road was wet and muddy. It was alright, it was not a shoe drenching rain as the last ride so I didn't mind as much. but today the mud was different. Jason's tires kicked it up from as much as four car lengths away. I soon became freckled with mud. I gave up and drafted behind as normal. This didn't prove to be so wise though. With wet roads the control of a bike is a little different. And on this highway there are grooves along the side of the road to keeps drivers awake if they swerve off. Also, if I moved too far to my left I would feel these grooves much more powerfully. So, while drafting down a hill behind Jason I served a bit too much and hit the grooves. I wobbled and almost fell into traffic. I recovered in time, but my heart was racing! Biking is not always a safe activity!

Once we were back at my house our legs were on fire! We could both hardly stand and we were exhausted! The ride today was 70 miles! We now stand at a total of 437 miles! That is 4.37% of our goal! I can't wait to see what lies ahead!

-Ry

Decisions

I'll admit this is pretty pathetic, but i've spent the last few hours going back and forth as to which color I want my water bottle holders to be...black or red? I'm also debating on which jersey I want to purchase. Should I remain loyal to where I come from, or go for the more subtle stylish look? Decisions can be hard sometimes!

-Jason

Out With The Old, In With The New

I would first like to put in a few good words for the old gal that got me through so much and traveled with me halfway across the United States to this wonderful land called Seattle. I’m speaking about my old bike for those of you who may be thinking I’m weird. Now it is true that my old bike was falling apart and not performing like it once did, which is partly due to my lack of knowledge with bike maintenance. Back to the point…we have been through a lot together. While living in Chicago she was my escape from all the emotional trauma that I went through with an old girlfriend. She traveled with me to Minnesota where I rode around Minneapolis and said my goodbye’s to the good old spots like Lake Harriet and Minnehaha falls. She was with me while biking through Fargo, ND with my good friend Lauren. She traveled with me through North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington. She was the reason that allowed me to meet one o my closest friends in Seattle. She got me to work on time and kept my beer belly down. She was my ride in my very first triathlon. She was my ride in my very first bike race (STP). To sum it up I had a lot of firsts with my old bike and she will always have a special spot in my heart. HOWEVER like all women they just get old after awhile, fall apart, and sometimes you need to trade them in for a younger and hotter body (yikes, i'm going to regret saying that one).

My new TREK finally came in the mail and the day it came I was not able to open it because I

was working my 24 hour shift and wouldn't be home until the next day. Anticipation was high on March 17th as I sat at my patients house looking at the UPS tracking online with the final message saying "Delivered". It was almost within my reach, however I would have to wait and extra day. The next morning I woke up, finished my work, and headed home to find the box of the bike sitting at my front door. I opened it up and it was beautiful! However, it was also in pieces and I was a little intimated at first as i've never put a bike together before. I was determined to ride that day so I got over my fears, thought back to my childhood of building legos, and grabbed the wrench to first attach the back tire. Through some miracle the pieces came together.

Ry showed up later that morning and we attached both of our odometers. You can see the excitement in Ry's face...

We headed out to our usual "standard" spot and kept to the tradition of Ry needing to use the bathroom before heading out. It was a beautiful day for a ride...a bit chilly, but it was sunny and clear with some amazing views of Mt. Rainier and the Cascades. We took off! The new bike was like a hot knife running through butter. I felt significantly faster and my breaks and gears actually worked. The bike was also a lot more comfortable, minus the seat.

It was a great start for the season and I look forward to the many challenges that lie ahead. 10,000 miles here we come!

-Jason

The Standard

Today is the day! Today Jason and I have embarked on our journey to travel 10,000 miles in one year. Last night Jason received his bike in the mail which he then assembled this morning. After fighting horrible downtown traffic I arrived at his place this morning and we installed out new odometers. In the photo mine is the Cateye on the left, his is the Bell.


Jason took a little bit of last minute prep at his house before we took off. We then went to get gas and found Jason forgot his wallet in his backpack back at home. Shortly thereafter we were on the road to success. We stopped in at Performance Bike in the University District and bought some spare tubes, patch kits and some energy gels. then we drove to our real destination.

We parked at the Lake Washington Boulevard Park and prepared. This is the spot where we had our first ride roughly a year ago. We've set it up as our 'Standard" ride. We know the trip, the challenges, the distance and our spot to take a break near the Boeing plant.

It is not a very long route, the southern loop we take is only about 23 miles. But it has its share of hills and at least one direction of good headwind against us. We felt coming here would be the best place to kick off our miles of adventure. Plus we would be able to compare this trip on our new bikes compared to the ones we've gone on before.

The morning was beautiful. It was sunny and crisp. We could see all of the Cascades and their snow covered peaks in the distance. Mt. Rainer towered in the south east. We reset our trip odometers, and I started up the "My Tracks" app on my Droid phone and we were off. It was a little chilly at the start. I'm normally a warm bodied rider, so I only had my bike jersey shirt and shorts. Jason wore his jacket. I felt the sting of the air as we crossed the I-90 bridge. Jason's first bike issue was his stat height. We fixed it and moved on. I could tell a difference from not riding as much through the winter, plus the three months of no bike. But soon I had warmed up and felt my pace return. Around 13 miles in we took a pit stop to compare notes on our three computers. They all were very close to one another. The difference was there, but not to a large degree. But mathematically that will add up. But the differences may counter each other to get a good enough aggregate number.

The ride overall was amazing, but the fact that we have begun felt even better. I'm glad we started on such a great note today Because there will be difficulties ahead. For now though, let this be our standard.

-Ry

A New Hope

This week has been one filled with expectation and possibility. On Saturday the sun was out and it felt like a late spring day rather then a middle of winter one. Jared brought over his 'retro' style Trek bike to go riding with my sister and I.
You can see his on the right next to mine. We rode the BPA trail in Federal Way to its end and back. I was able to wear shorts and a t shirt in March! Jared looked a bit more like a biking lumberjack. The woodcutter thing has sort of been his style since Halloween. I guess not many outfits match having a bear in quite the same way.

In other news this week Jason has finally heard back that his bike is being shipped!!!! I can't wait for us to get going! I am also a bit nervous as well, because once he gets his bike and the odometers are activated there is no going back. We will then have one year to complete all 10,000 miles. If one person does not ride for one day, the other is left having to pick up the slack. Too many days off the bike could spell disaster for our goal. But lets not dwell on the negatives. This is a week of the positive!

The last big thing that happened this week is Google Maps has added the option to calculate the best route between points A and B on bicycles! It has a number of differences between bike and car. Car maps try to find the busiest and fastest roads. Bike maps try to keep you away from cars (no offence drivers - you are just a bit dangerous), as well as keep your hill climbing to a less severe angle. So for instance, to get from my work to my car I would go up Boren (a very steep hill), Google would instead instruct me to take Pike then 12th instead. I know Jason prefers this less steep option. Here is an example of the Google Bike Map from our Saturday BPA ride. Notice the majority of the trip is on trails not accessible by car. This is something Google has not been able to do until now. Hopefully this will open up all sorts of new rides in this year to come. Soon the clock begins!

-Ry

First Flat

In the morning I take my bike with me to work (30 miles away from my home) and I park about a mil up the hill to find free parking spaces and then bike to work. Today was no different, but about a block form my car I felt that horrible 'thump thump/grind" sound that comes from a flat tire. I was not 'late' per se at this point if I was able to ride all the way in, but now I had to take my bike back to my car, try my air pump and hope it was just low on air. Nope. It had an honest to goodness flat. I have not put on my toolkit with it's supply of patch kits on my new bike yet, so I had to securely lock it up in my trunk, switch out of my biking shoes and jog for 1.2 miles this morning. I ended up making it to work 3 minutes late which is good enough to clock in, but I had to do so before changing into work clothes.

I knew it had to happen sooner or later. Every new bike seems to get flat tires faster then replaced tires. When I got home this afternoon I borrowed a patch from my brother and we chatted while I fixed it up. After it was all put back together I found a shard of green glass in my tire. Grrr. I wish Seattle had cleaner streets sometimes.

This week promises some good weather. I'm looking forward to a few good rides. Jared and I are riding Saturday. Hopefully Jason will get his Trek soon! Here crossing my fingers!

-Ry

Window Shopping

Today I went window shopping. Not for shoes, not for new kitchen appliances, not for that fancy 70 inch LED TV, but for something more important...bike gear. Call me a nerd, geek, weirdo, whatever makes you smile in the morning. All I know is that it made my day...along with the beautiful Seattle weather. I mainly was checking out some new SPD shoes, a new helmet, and a new jersey. I was pretty productive and found some comfortable shoes (a bit pricy) and a jersey...still trying to find that perfect helmet.

I also found the new ride sitting at the shop. Not MY bike, but the same model that is being shipped. Seeing it up close made me even more excited! It is a beautiful piece of Trek art!

Days off for me is right around the corner. I have my final exam for my EMT class next week and if all goes well I get to graduate and once again have two days off a week, which will open up some more riding time. I was hoping the time would be right and Ry and I could put our odometers on the same day and meet somewhere in-between Seattle and Auburn. We shall see!

Bike status: Counting down the days!

-Jason

P.S. I feel like i've been overusing the word "excited".

P.S.S. Spring is here! Above is a picture of a cherry tree that I took on a walk today.