Andy's Mostly Bike Blog

BGT Reopens

2012-02-11T21:23:00.000-08:00

After an 8-month closure and renovation, two miles of the Burke Gilman Trail reopened this week. Lots of riders, walkers, walkers with dogs, and others ventured out on this cool, damp Saturday morning to check it out, including yours truly. The highlight of the 28 miles was the buttery-smooth pavement, as well as the reduction in the number of stop signs from many to just one in Lake Forest Park. No doubt, come summer, a local law enforcement officials will be present to cite the scofflaws and collect revenue for LFP at that one stop sign.

Bob Marley Birthday Ride

2012-02-05T20:13:00.000-08:00

44 flat Kent Valley miles on a rare 55 degree February day from Renton to Sumner and back. This was another Cascade Bike Club ride organized by Jenny and Julie, who organized the Seattle loop ride a couple of weeks before. About 20 riders rode the route, down the West Valley Highway, same route for the first leg of the STP. Much to my surprise and delight, the Cave Man Kitchen was open, and the smoker on as we pedaled past about 11 a.m. After the ride, I returned and obtained necessary provisions for the Super Bowl meal

The return route included the Interurban Trail, back up the Valley, underneath power lines and with an absence of hills, plus a view of Emerald Downs, the backs of office parks and the rest of the development of what, maybe 75 years ago, was farm and wetland.

Still, good to explore routes where I hadn't been before and the Cascade rides provide good company and friendly conversation to keep me coming back.

Stuff Overheard at FanFest 2012

2012-01-29T10:08:00.000-08:00

Is this next year? Will the youngsters deliver on their promise? Will the fans return? Will Ichiro come back from a disappointing 2011? Is Jesus Montero the second coming of Albert Pujols? All these questions, and many more, were asked and considered, but not answered at the Mariners' FanFest 2012.

Here are some things I overheard...

"I'll let you in on a secret. We didn't have much offense last year."

"That pitcher has gotta miss more bats than he did last year."

"Montero has a high ceiling."

"Smoak is this close."

"The devil is in the backend of the contract. The Tigers and Angels overpaid."

"The information is only as good as the person giving that information. And, no, I haven't seen Moneyball."

"The athlete must understand the urgency and responsibility of playing major league baseball, but they have to play tension-free."

"If I had guts, I'd make Figgins my leadoff hitter."

"He brings a lot of moxie to the team."

Maybe this is next year. Maybe 2013 is next year.

Alliance for Biking & Walking: PeoplePoweredMovement.org

2012-01-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

It's good to bike and walk, per this report...

Alliance for Biking & Walking: PeoplePoweredMovement.org:

'via Blog this'

Ride Around Seattle with Cascade Bike Club

2012-01-08T17:08:00.000-08:00

40 miles on an unusually warm and dry January Sunday morning with the Cascade Bike Club. The loop included an extension over the Jose Rizal Bridge and down Beacon Avenue South past the Jefferson golf course, somewhere I had not ridden! Fun to ride with Julie, Leo, Eric and about 20 others. I missed the beginning at Gas Works, but caught up with the group in Discovery Park. As their route did not include the scenic overlook at the Magnolia Bluff, I split off and then stopped at Zeitgeist for some sustenance. While sipping coffee, I watched Leo lead the peloton up Jackson, causing a hurry-up and catch-up, accomplished in plenty of time. Good to ride in a group again, and hope to do more.

New Year!

2011-12-31T16:58:00.000-08:00

Last day of 2011, but first ride after Winter Solstice and 6 weeks off the bike, for holidays, sick, tired, recovering, antibiotics and reaction thereto. 26 miles on the familiar Magnolia Loop, now upgraded with the extension of the Ship Canal Trail under the Ballard Bridge. Took things nice and slow, and the Bleriot performed well after the annual tune at EBB.

Saw another Rivendell, a Rambouillet, and then met up with Russ from the loosely formed Seattle Rivendell Riders group for the last few miles up the BGT. We pledged to make some of those rides happen again soon, another great resolution for 2012!

Fall Rides and Thinking Beyond

2011-11-15T06:11:00.000-08:00

Great easy ride on Sunday a.m., as fall closes in and winter looms. The leaves, colors and the wet make for much to see and enjoy in a quick loop through Downtown Seattle, out to the Locks for lunch, and then back on the BGT.

I tried out Cyclemeter on the iPhone and uploaded the route to MapMyRide.com, a site I don't like because of the adds and superfluous nonsense, but Bikely.com wasn't working and Google Earth didn't come to mind, so will go with that for now. The Cyclemeter app is easy to use, intuitive, but something of a power hog on the iPhone. Once again, the handlebar wireless Cateye wasn't working, despite battery changes, and will need replacement or a hammer treatment to coax the unit into performance.

Given that Winter is just around the corner, and with travel and holidays, the coming weeks probably will be low mileage, but once again, the idea of riding more and enjoying the rides more keeps coming back. Goal setting for 2012? Maybe the same as 2011, but with follow through this time!

Magical seashells of fun and horror

2011-11-02T06:18:00.000-07:00

Magical seashells of fun and horror:

'via Blog this'

What Kind of Buddhist was Steve Jobs, Really? | NeuroTribes

2011-10-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

What Kind of Buddhist was Steve Jobs, Really? | NeuroTribes:

'via Blog this'

Ghost Busters

2011-10-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

Weekend trip to SF, and arrived in a glorious warm October afternoon, with sun too bright to not have the shades. Lunch and the a long walk up Dolores past where Judie, Eric and Barb S lived after The Farm, during my dark phase, post Farm. They were cool, and better jobs, were figuring out their futures, and I was lost, post bad relationship, need more medicine, always or so it seemed and on the downward spiral. Even now when I come to SF, there are always the ghosts that come up.

Loss, addiction, uncertainty, insecurity, will I see some of the Ghosts, why was the attraction so strong, is it still or is it curiosity, and I don't need more shit in my life, feeding into that crap and tsuris, but I've really got it all, more than enough anyway, so like why bother? Shouldn't really. Instead let it go. Dig up the past and get dirty. Real dirty.

Let it go. What I've got is pretty doggone good, and I'm a lucky kind of fellow.

Sam D is a supremely, quintessentially nice guy who continues to draw a bad hand, special needs daughter, son now with health problems and his own special needs, but Sam is genuine, the pizza is good, and the Pie and the Big Lank and I have a great walk home, after some of the best ice cream on the planet at Bi-Rite. Overheard, "I'd be down with Big Mouth Burger", an announcement to the Big Hipster's date, and SF is almost one big hipster amusement park, and a great town, but then there are the Ghosts for me to deal with.

Coffee in the neighborhood in the morning, listen to this morning's Techno Hipster conversation, "So we got about six month's more money before we go back to San Jose to get more, or have layoffs. We need to build revenues and then go public...at least that's the plan..." How different is this from the 49ers' conversations about hitting the Comstock Lode, or the Lost Dutchman's mine, overheard on the Barbary Coast 160 years ago? Who were their ghosts?

Going to the farm brings more of them back. Beautiful, idyllic setting, under the eucalyptus trees, great BBQ tailgate picnic, but it's the Farm, and wouldas, shouldas, couldas, there is SO much money and they are all so beautiful and smart, too smart for their own damn good, Judie would later say while we reconnected about friends who won't ever attend the reunion. Was is snooty? Not according to Rob. My friends weren't! Look around! He's right, but other ghosts are there. Medicine. Want one? When did you stop? I've got a card. A license to buy retail. One wouldn't hurt. Wonder if he can share? Top of the proverbial slippery slope. "I'll send Otis back to the car....". No, really, it's okay. More than okay. Been there. Play that movie all the way to the end.

The new stadium is beautiful, the Incomparables, well, incomparable, Thunderchickens humiliate the Dawgs, and afterwards, O-Burgers. Goodbyes, let's do this again next year in Oregon.

Ghosts exorcised? Somewhat.

Next day, coffee place and overheard, "That's why I go to meetings!" with her fat fingers pointing. Okay then!

Brunch at the great Mexican place, with chiliquilas con huevos, que rica, but at the end, a large rat scurries out of the corner and out the front door, causing much alarm, grown man with sandals on climbs a chair, and I offer a helpful, Necessitan un gato!

After offering the perspective of the ages, and helping the nephew deal with his own ghosts, we all got 'em, an absolutely wonderful walk over the hill though this charming part of the city, into the park with the smell of eucalyptus, coyote warnings, flowers and hawks circling, realization that the daughter is doing quite well, that the ghosts are that, just ghosts and part of all the memories, not to be ignored, denied or sublimated, but are just a small part of a much larger whole, and perspective, time and health all serve to put them in their place.

It's a good place to be here now, looking back, looking around and smiling, and looking forward. Not necessarily self-satisfied, but recognizing good fortune and self-aware.

Thanks for the help, Pie.

Ship Canal Trail - Part II

2011-10-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

SDOT says that it's coming soon!

Can't wait to ride the Missing Link under the Ballard Bridge and avoid the nonsense on the bridge over Interbay once and for all!

First Real Fall Ride - 2011

2011-10-16T21:36:00.000-07:00

30 miles today in the first full-glove, long johns ride of the fall. Eastlake to downtown to Westlake Park, where I stopped to check out the rag-tag Occupy Seattle crowd. Maybe 100 - 125 people, plus lots of gawkers and photographers, were in place, and the Seattle Police, on bikes, were circling the crowd, taking cell phone pictures, and seemed mildly amused by the group. At least while I was there, they were unremarkable, chanting 'Ommmm,' carrying handwritten signs that seemed to lack a sense of humor or much else of note, save that they were mad as hell, rightfully so, and not going to take it anymore. Grant's views of the NYC crowd seem more noteworthy.

Zeitgeist, then a trip around the stadiums, out to the locks, up the Golden Gardens road, and then back to Green Lake where the sun finally came out and it warmed up a bit. Toward the end, I bonked a bit and that only reinforced my lack of training and low miles this year.

Still, it's going to be a long time before I'm riding in shorts and short sleeves again. But, the goal is to keep riding through winter to be able to ride more in 2012.

Randonneuer Blogs

2011-10-12T18:36:00.001-07:00

http://rusablogs.blogspot.com/

and

http://www.rusa.org/

and

http://www.seattlerandonneur.org/

First Snow of the Season

2011-10-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

My car route to TLF takes me up I-5, and then to the 220th SW exit in Mountlake Terrace. There were storms overnight, but the morning sun revealed snow on the Olympics as I headed west.

We're only a couple of weeks into fall. Is it going to be a long, long winter?

Wet Half of the Year.

2011-10-03T05:50:00.000-07:00

47.5 miles around the south end of Lake Washington, and I'm feeling it this a.m. I'd like to build miles during the wet half of the year, having not ridden as much in 2011, despite the best of intentions at the start. I rode down through Leschi and over the I-90 bridge, which is still the treat that it always has been, glassy water, mountains and freeway noise, but safely separate from those in the metal cages. Then, it was a right turn onto Lake Washington Blvd, past the spot in Factoria where the commuter was shot with the pellet gun, (they're out there) and began to look for the turn to the May Valley Road.

Pedaled past what I thought was the turnoff, and pulled out the map to check, but decided it couldn't be, and then was alongside Seahawks Headquarters,a and kept going down to Gene Coulon Park, for fish 'n' chips at Ivar's.

The return through Seward Park and the Arboretum was uneventful, save for the detour to Madison Park, but as I build the miles, and perhaps with more thoughtful planning, alternating workouts with rest days and stretching, the rollers won't hurt as much and I'll have more gas in the legs as I build distance.

Scenes from the last few weeks

2011-10-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

I'm reading Marquez, 100 Years of Solitude…..‘Time put things in their place.’

It’s Shofar time, Days of Awe, time for renewal, changing of seasons, back to school, end of baseball season, beginning of new year, reflect, get right with the universe and all the rest...

I'm growing into a new job/role as dean, administrator, with few carrots and sticks, but power of connection and communication. The task calls on talents, skills and abilities that are surfacing or below the surface, to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty, to let it go, to focus on big picture while getting caught in the details, and to manage the humanness of The Learning Factory. Who are these people who stand in line to pay for their education? Why don’t they pay on line with a credit card? Because they can’t! Because they live on the margins of the society, not mainstreamed into jobs, careers, home and family financial equity, and they believe that the college will help plug them into that network. These are who the institution serves, and will serve, in 20/20. We need to focus on them, organize our systems, delivery, content and network on them, and will be successful to the extent that we can bring resources and opportunity (how to plug into the network) to them, while our resources continue to contract.

At end of summer, served on Seattle Municipal Court jury duty, and so spent several days commuting to downtown and to magnificent facility for jurors, with spectacular views of Elliott Bay and Seattle. But, very odd, telling and even emotional to be there downtown, to walk where I first came to Seattle, to walk by MORS, now completely changed, no more mezzanine where I landed after bailing on First Hill, such a sense of passage of time, and having that in the distant rear view mirror, first showing up for interviews with Clute, Carey, and later, Sheeley, Carriveau, Maguire, and others, square peg and round hole stuff, "A kind of idiocy that had no past," and instead now grateful for being with ‘those in line who are not mainstreamed,’ and those who help them.

Sure, I missed going to lunch at Three Girls (it's not as good as when Jack and Zelda made the sandwiches!) with fellow bankers Chamberlin, Politakis, from Central Branch, or even from 5th and Union, but that was so long ago, and a little Googling to see what they are up to (still taking care of the wealthy, privileged, selfish and narrow-minded), and nah, no real need to get together and catch up. Time marches on, evolves, and much healthier, albeit older and wiser, perhaps.

Being downtown and a public transit user for a bit, I noticed that many, many of the fellow travelers watched their handhelds, listened to their pods, talked on their phones, and ignored or pretended to, their surroundings. On the bus, in the buildings, on the street, in the Bus Tunnel, in their cars, at their desks, everyone seemed to be plugged in to their iPhones, iPads, Kindles, Nooks, other Smart Phones, and distracted from the immediate world and the people around them, They wore their Muni Faces on and kept silent as a result. Are we that fragmented? Are we that distant? Are the barriers up that high?

Audrey, a sweet old dog who became a strong part of our family, protected us from intruders and passers by, who learned to make a beeline for those at the Dog Park with treats, and who was on a never-ending quest for the tennis ball (and usually found one in the bushes!)

Here’s how I told the family…

‘We had to put Audrey down this evening. When I took her and Brownie for their walk at the dog park this afternoon, Audrey was not able to keep up nor to make it more than halfway to the lake. Her breathing was labored and she was very tired. At home, she wouldn't eat.

When we got to the Vet, they immediately gave her oxygen and medication, diagnosed her with congestive heart failure and probable pneumonia, and suggested that the best thing for her was to put her down, rather than start an extensive medical intervention with limited chances to make her feel better. I was with Audrey the whole time.

Needless to say, we are sad and it's a little quieter here. Plus there are all these tennis balls around the house and in the garage.

Auntie Susan and I talked, and she was quite upset, but thanked us for taking care of Audrey and welcoming her into our home. ‘

But, more needs to be written. When it came time to do the deed, the nurse brought Audrey into a small room with a metal table, and laid her down. The pup had oxygen from a tube, but was clearly anxious, struggling and in distress. I put my hand on her head, spoke to her, stroked her face, and tried to speak reassurance and comfort, and kept my hand on her as the doctor administered the drug, injected her with the poison through the IV, gave her the calming medicine, how do you describe what they did? Put her down? Killed her? Put her out of her misery? Ended her suffering? Or just, the medicine entered her body, and the anxiousness ebbed, the struggling quickly stopped, and the distress ended. She was something, breathing, panting really, nervous, and not happy, and then that was over, and she was for the ages, with the Angels, with Tony as he lay there in his suit and tie, like he was ready to go to Temple Hollywood, and she was no more. An absence of life is death. The doctor said, ‘She’s gone.’ And she was. Still warm, but still.

I left the room quickly, thanking the staff for their kindness, but was not prepared for the emotion that swept over me. I remembered the paw print, and returned to the desk, where the nurse told me she was sorry and then said that it would be in the mail. The Print is here, and I’ll take it to Susan. Then the Doctor came out with Audrey’s collar and tags, gave it to me, and then followed with a much-needed hug. I said, “Life is precious,” She said, “And, it has to end.”

And life needs affirmation. It needs the dinner at the Greek Festival, once a year at this time, seeing new and old friends, listening to the loud music, feeling the first of Autumn. It needs the return of students and faculty to TLF, to get on with helping those in the payment line. It needs the end of the baseball season, the last trip to Safeco to watch them play out the string, a long, long season that began for me in the desert with Brad, “Willie Mays picked up the baseballs, and he’s in the Hall of Fame!” Killebrew, Kershaw, Lincecum and Huff, Ichiro, it just continues and is a constant. And, a thing of beauty, grace, silliness and the serious and solemn. Wait until next year, again. But, pleased to do so. Maybe life has to end, and it does, but maybe it goes on as well, and what we do is move it a little farther along, better for those around us, especially if we unplug the headphones and look up and talk to those around us and help make better connections to each other and the Big Network.

Biking With Brad: Snoqualmie tunnel

2011-10-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

Note comment, "Blogger is Stupid..."

Biking With Brad: Snoqualmie tunnel with two stylish women and four awesome kids:

Tara Alan and Tyler Kellen Came Slowly Home | The Bicycle Story

2011-10-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

Note link to American culture is completely insane.

Tara Alan and Tyler Kellen Came Slowly Home | The Bicycle Story:

'via Blog this'

Us vs. Them

2011-10-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

So, who are they? Them? Administration? And why do they control us? Why do we let them control us? Why them vs. us?

Them was a great '50s Sci Fi apocalyptic movie, radioactivity, giant ants, Los Angeles destroyed, and metaphorical for the Red Menace.

But, when we use language like 'them,' when faculty refer to administration in the objective and singular, the writer or speaker separates their humanity from the other. They relinquish responsibility for the collective. They become the 'wicked child' who isolates themselves from the group. They embrace victimhood and then can easily blame the others. Us vs. Them leads to 'it's not our fault,' and 'it's not my problem/job.'

The 'Us vs. Them' perspective is a passive/aggressive way of not having to do the hard work of communication, compromise, understanding conflicting goals, mutually exclusive options, weighing alternatives and accepting and supporting imperfect solutions in an imperfect world, while trying to do the best we can with the information we've got and the resources we can muster, knowing full well that circumstances will change and that there will be unforeseen consequences.

Us vs. Them is a cop out, it's immature, and it's destructive.

It's not them. It's us. I am he as you are he as you are me
And we are all together.

Alex Wetmore is always busy with something…

2011-09-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

Alex Wetmore is always busy with something…:

'via Blog this'

End of College Admissions

2011-08-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Washington Monthly - The Magazine - The End of College Admissions As We Know It:

'via Blog this'

The Edupunks' Guide: How to Do Research Online - Education - GOOD

2011-08-29T06:40:00.000-07:00

The Edupunks' Guide: How to Do Research Online - Education - GOOD:

'via Blog this'

41 Miles - Boeing Field Loop

2011-08-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

OK, gotta keep doing this. 41 miles on a late August foggy then sunny day, around Boeing Field, back up Alaskan Way, where the detours are a bit of a mess, given tunnel construction, but nice new stretch of bike lane below the ferry dock.

Lots of fishermen at the Duwamish Fishing Dock, where the river meets Elliott Bay....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/awilliams53/6090602373/

And, SDOT is scheduled to complete the Ship Canal Trail in the next couple of months.

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/shipcanaltrail2.htm

I'm back on track after the medical stuff this week, getting ready mentally and spiritually for the fall quarter at TLF, and putting a premium on going with the flow, being Zen about things, as well as maintaining perspective, sense of humor and place before the craziness ramps up.

I'm going to need the two-wheeled therapy.

Bike & Build

2011-08-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

Bike & Build - Home

Rode with a few of these good folks on the BGT yesterday as they arrived in Seattle from Providence RI!

Congratulations!

One Down, Five to Go

2011-08-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

One Down, Five to Go | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Stopped at the Dahlia Bakery on a drift downtown for some Sunday errands, and was in need of some sustenance. The apricot preserves hit the spot.

Weekly mileage back up to where it should be, given the nice weather and a couple of commutes to TLF.

On the way home, passed the memorial for Michael Wang on Dexter:

http://www.path.org/news/an110801-wang.php

This one is still haunting, with the killer on the loose.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/awilliams53/5991598215

Be careful out there, folks.

Commute

2011-07-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

Once again, it's back in the saddle after a lay off. What with schedule changes, weather, and a myriad of other excuses, I haven't been putting in the miles like I used to. (Plus, truth to be told, I get tired more easily!)

But, that may change, after yesterday's return to the bike commute option to TLF. Fine ride up in the summer drizzle, about 70 minutes, and arrived fresh for a day in the life of MMM. But, the key was the ride home, pedaling to digest the impending tough conversations on budgets, reporting requirements, etc. Longer hours may mean less gym time, for which I should substitute the saddle time.

IPad helps with staying plugged in. Maybe I should get one of these.

STP Packet-pick up at starting line tomorrow. Decided not to RSVP this year after being online forever and dealing with the CBC hassles, and am comfortable with that decision. I'm not in shape and was not looking forward to the ride or the weekend away, especially after Minneapolis, LA, SF and now a trip to Ashland next week for OSF.

Bill Walton on Bikes

2011-07-01T06:30:00.001-07:00

http://www.commutebybike.com/2011/06/30/bill-waltons-bike-my-gym-my-wheelchair-and-my-church/

Bike Snob in Seattle

2011-03-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

Bike Snob NYC visited the Bike Expo last weekend, and lived to tell about it.

BSNYC's descriptions are on target, especially his observations about riding in the rain. After freezing my toukas on Chilly Hilly, I drove to the Expo. After meandering for about two hours, gloating at the classic bikes, visiting with the classic Leo, getting my fill of Cascade Bike Club drama of the election of the New Board, and picking up a disappointing collection of SWAG, enough was enough and I left.

Chilly Hilly 2011

2011-02-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

42 miles, and 324 to date this year, after a Chilly Hilly that lived up to its name. It's been snowing and cold this week, causing the Learning Factory to delay classes, among other things. Still, I had committed to doing the CH again this year, bought my ticket and was going to go, come hell or high water, despite the cold and the snow.

Missed the first ferry by about 15 minutes, so waited at Colman Dock for about a half hour in the cold, and that may have been my first mistake, if the first wasn't deciding to do this! Temperature in the mid 30's, stiff south wind blowing off the water, and I tightened up plus added nasal and lung congestion to the mix, and never really got through that.

The south wind propelled us up the east side of Bainbridge, heading north, and made that part easy. There just weren't as many riders as in year's past, and the nasty weather is sure what held down the numbers. Still, it's the Chilly Hilly, so many riders were out of shape, riding several abreast, many kids and parents riding, and the Bainbridge Islanders do a good job of turning out and providing encouragement.

Once you reach the north end of the island, the route turns to the west and then heads south, directly into the cold wind, now augmented by what the weather forecasters love to label a 'wintry mix,' cold rain and snow. By the time I arrived at Battle Point Park for the Bainbridge Rope Skippers food stop, I was hacking and cold, and made the decision to take the short-cut at the next stop, the American Legion Cider Stop, cutting about ten miles off the loop.

At the ferry dock, I ran into the only other Rivendellian I saw all day, Rob with the Rambouillet from Wallingford. Rob had caught the early boat, as had been planned, but reported that he hadn't seen the others, despite all of our best intentions. Given the cold and the rain on the way back home, no one can blame them!

Can't wait for warmer weather!

WTS #2

2011-01-15T16:59:00.000-08:00

50 Miles around Camano Island today, all the while wondering when the rain was going to start. The course was advertised as hilly with rollers, and lived up to the billing. We had gone to the Crest the previous night to see Never Let Me Go (great movie, disturbing!), so with the late night and early start, I wasn't in the greatest shape for the ride. And, I'll admit to the classic mistake of waiting until hunger set in to eat, so was gassed in the 2nd half of the ride. Forgot my cue sheets as well, but the ride leaders (Ralph and Carol Nussbaum) had plenty of extras to share. They do a great job with these rides.

Still, the ride was dry, although the headwind at the end was tough, as was the road crud on the side on Hwy 532, but I arrived back at the start before the rain started, which it did as I finished my sandwich and headed for the car.

136 miles YTD, accomplished in the first two weeks of 2011.

Winter Training Series #1

2011-01-08T17:57:00.000-08:00

Rode 40 miles with the Seattle Randonneurs in their Winter Training Series, co-sponsored by Cascade Bike Club, on a chilly and damp morning. The
loop started at Sammamish Valley Cycles in Redmond, went south on E. Lake Sammamish Pkwy, up to the Plateau, and then out to Carnation. The meteorologists threatened snow showers throughout the day, but all we got was a bit of drizzle during the descent into the Snoqualmie Valley. We returned past the historic Carnation Farm, via Union Hill Road. Many of the Randonneurs were on their first rides of the year after an extended lay off. But, that didn't stop them from leaving me behind and causing me to miss the promised cider and cookies at the finish, probably due to my normal strategy of stopping to take pictures, a tune-up at SBux, and various lolly-gagging on the hills.

Good ride, good group to ride with, lots of classic cycles (including plenty of Rivendells!) and friendly folks.

First Ride of 2011

2011-01-02T19:49:00.000-08:00

44 miles and change for the first ride of 2011, a Boeing Field loop with an extension to Alki, then back past the Stadiums and up Lake Washington Blvd. It's been dry and cold for several days, and today was in the 30's with a brisk north wind. The sun felt warm, but in the shadows, it was cold, causing me to change to the warmer fleece gloves. Where there had been standing water and no direct sunlight, there was ice! Brrr...

2010 Wrap-Up

2010-12-30T15:16:00.000-08:00

22 miles around Magnolia after about a three-week layoff and sporadic riding since early fall. I'll finish the year with about 1900 miles, considerably less than Lynne or Biking Bis. Ending odometer reading = 778.3 miles. Let's see if we can get that > 4,000 by end of 2011.

Lots of reasons for the mileage drop, some of them even justified, but the resolutions for the new year include riding more and drive less. Add to that, Don't Feed the Trolls.

Day After Thanksgiving Rivendell Ride

2010-11-26T16:06:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Rob for organizing the Day After Thanksgiving Rivendell Ride. About ten of us met up at Zoka U-Village for coffee and decision to go north (oops, south, then west) on the BGT for a loop.

The trail was a bit slushy, given the Arctic Blast earlier in the week, and then the melting rain that fell overnight. All seemed well and we were settling into a groove when we came upon a down rider just west of Brooklyn Avenue. Apparently, he had slipped on a metal post hole cover, went over the handlebars, and hit his head on the pavement. The rider came to before the medics arrived, but was taken away on a stretcher in an aid car.

We resolved to ride carefully thereafter, not that we hadn't been before.

Our route took us west to Golden Gardens, up to Loyal Heights, west to Green Lake, and then to our various directions. Good group to ride with, and I look forward to more with the Seattle Rivendelicatessans in the future.

Rob's take on the adventure is here.

Route 66 and other to dos........

2010-11-24T15:53:00.000-08:00

This looks way cool, and something to put on the to do list.

Route 66

I'm adding a couple of other centuries:

Lake Tahoe

New York Century

And, of course, the old standbys....

STP

RSVP

and even,

Rapsody

There. I've set some goals for 2011.

Good.

Anger

2010-11-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

Found this on Marcos' FB page, and it's worth remembering.....

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."

Summer in November

2010-11-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

My oh my, what a ride, and did I need that ever. 73 degrees in November in Seattle is unheard of. TLF craziness, amorphous and ever-expanding project lacking in direction, resources, leadership, distracted and lazy students, classroom frustration, election defeat and country going right-wing nuts again, ignorance winning, feeling sick for about three weeks, and all made me want to GTFO and into the sunshine.

Time for two-wheeled therapy.

31 miles, and now I feel a whole lot better.

Back on the Bike

2010-09-30T06:23:00.000-07:00

Thirty miles yesterday a.m. on a warm fall afternoon. Nothing special about the Golden Gardens>Locks>Magnolia loop, as I've done it many times, but it seems like years since I've been on the bike. Given the crazy schedule and travel this year, the miles have not come as easily as before.

The ride felt great, the Bleriot rode well, and I turned off the head phones for the return to listen to the world and to join the Commuting Peloton.

Nice to be back.

ALS Double Day

2010-07-25T11:24:00.001-07:00

Former TLF colleague Gary Guinn sent me a notice a few months ago about participation in the ALS Doubleday Ride and Fundraiser, and I took the bait. Like the Livestrong ride last year, this was an inspiring and emotional event. Unlike Livestrong, and pleasantly so, there was a refreshing absence of the macho Lance factor (Challenge those hills! Game on, Cancer!) among the participants and more of an emphasis on community and recreation, while supporting those who needed it.

About 400 riders moved out from Mt. Vernon High School at 10:15 and headed through downtown Mt. Vernon, along and across the Skagit River, and into the delta area and farmland, toward La Conner. Along the way we passed crops (wheat, spuds, carrots, beet seed, fallow tulip and daffodil fields, corn, pumpkins, even Christmas tree farms), farm animals (cows, sheep, goats, horses, chickens, ducks, geese, donkeys), and even some wild life (bald eagles, falcons, herons, hawks and a bunny!).

Rest stops were stocked with regular rider food, well-managed and plentiful, with lots of support and good cheer along the way. The route circled part of the Swinomish Reservation on Fidalgo Island, then headed back up through La Conner toward Padilla Bay. Most of the ride was over flat terrain, so the 54 miles seemed relatively easy, even though I haven't really been training and had no rides of that distance this year. The Bleriot performed well, though the chipseal roads seemed to loosen a few screws and bolts along the way.

Gary was a great teacher, loved by his students, and always one with a good story, frequently about roller coasters, which he visited whenever he traveled to conferences. I was grateful for the opportunity to ride in his honor.

More pictures here.

Garmin Out; Cateye Strada In

2010-07-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

My time spent messing with the Garmin Edge 305 may be over. The thing ("Is that a mediated bike, Andy?") wouldn't turn on this a.m., a day before the ALS ride in Mt. Vernon.

Do I replace it? Or, do I go backwards in technology, deciding that I didn't really need all the extra functionality, the angst spent wondering if my bike computer needed charging, upgraded software, measuring elevation, acquiring satellites, GPSing, and generally getting more data than I really needed?

Recycled Cycles installed a new Cateye Strada. Back to basics. Keep it simple.

I've got other ways to GPS.

Perugia and the Denouement

2010-07-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

What can I say about the band's performances at the Umbria Jazz Festival? Two amazing sets at the Piazza IV Novembre. By the end of the second night's gig, we are reduced to tears of joy for how they have played, what they have accomplished, how much they have grown, and the sad and beautiful poignancy of this all ending.

First day, we are late leaving Hotel Il Grifone, but bus driver extraordinaire Marco Pranger maneuvers the massive tour bus right to the stage. Set-up, sound check, and they are off.

Basie tunes get the people in the square moving. Ballads are sweet. Dusk turns into night. Feetbone gets the people in the square shuffling. The last tune played on the 2nd Night is Brown Knows Rose. After the encore, the musicians sign autographs and pose for pictures.

We accomplish what we set out to do, and swing all the way.
Pictures here.

Denouement in Rome:

Nolan read from notes, thanking all, talking about jazz family, thanking Brown for all, for putting up with poor choices. This young man has grown up, as have we all. Not a dry eye in the house.

Following was Max, impromptu, once again thanking Brown, but also admitting that he couldn't imagine high school without jazz band, recognizing he would have been lost without that experience.

Colin and Anna lauded the musicians, the parents and Brown. Noted that they see a lot of bands, but Roosevelt is the best, easy to travel with.

Brown gave an emotional and inspiring talk, Teddy Roosevelt's "Daring Greatly." Thanked musicians for overcoming difficulty and peaking at Umbria. Remember the values of the band, excellence; support forthwith group., OK to work hard, to demand high standards of self and others, and to swing! He hugged every band member, told them to thank their parents, tell them about the trip, and to realize that their parents wanted them to have an experience they would remember the rest of their lives.

What a ride.

What's next?

Aboard the M/V Dubrovnik.....

2010-07-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

Aboard the M/V Dubrovnik.....

Came on board after cleering customs and passport stamping '@ 6:30 p.m., dinner @ 8 and underway @ 9.:00.
Wonderful sunset, lights of Split, small ports and through a narrow passage into the Adriatic. No moon tonight so the stars just popped.

Chatted with Colin M about succession at Mandrake, after a conversation with he& Anna this afternoon about future tours, Dalmatians, Italy, Greece or maybe Russia and the Baltics.......who knows?

Comments overheard.....

...."My give-a-shitter's plum rusted."

....Their bubble is not quite plumb."

Before in Split, toured Diocletian's Palace this afternoon with Curt C. Roman ruins, world heritage site, monument to John Paul 2 in cathedral that had been Diocletian 's mausoleum. Then, pizza at Strega Nona's before returning to wait too long for ship.

Cabin was stuffy making it difficult to sleeping, after tossing and turning, awoken from unpleasant dreams to find the dawn. Spectacular sunset, billions of stars at night, spectacular sunrise, and then, Italy!

Euro Transport

2010-07-16T16:26:00.001-07:00

One of the highlights of Hvar was renting a bicycle for a couple of hours, and cruising the city. Two hours for 50 kuna, or about $8 seemed like a reasonable fee, and I rode as far as I could on the promenade toward the south, until I came to a public beach, where bathers were enjoying the sun and warm Adriatic.

The rear tire on the Kona Mountain Bike was about half-full, so I swapped it for another steed and rode the promenade in the opposite direction. The local who rented the bike told me that keeping the tire pressure low was a good idea, as the hot sun and the tiles in town caused the tires to explode!

I saw several municipal bike sharing programs while traveling, in Vienna, in Rome and in Slovenia, all well used and seemingly successful. Overall there is much to emulate from the European approach to transportation, with small, fuel-efficient cars, well-functioning public transportation, trams and subways in Vienna and Rome, an excellent bus system in Perugia, and even municipal escalators in Perugia to move citizens up and down the steep hills of the city.

My photos of bikes and other transportation from the trip are here.

Hvar Musings

2010-07-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Espresso atop the Spanish Castle Magic overlooking Hvar, after swim, pizza lunch, and dropping off laundry. Climb in heat of midday, to see great views, contemplate Anna's mystical stories, Euro 2013 with Cynthia, talk with Curt about AA, fathers, family. This place is right and it's not all random. Some things fit too well.

Notes from Croatia

2010-07-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

Opatija by the Sea - The Croatian Riviera.

Imperial Hotel is summer resort for some Hapsburg royalty, just as old but charming, ignoring window dry rot and other obvious "used to be great" touches, with the Baroque interior and ubiquitous yellow paint. Hot, humid; threatening thunderclouds cropped up as we drove over the border from Slovenia toward the coast. By the time we got into town, rain spreading across from Rijeka. Long lunch at Hemingway's that sufficed, then rain and thunder started on the way back to the hotel. Questionable whether we would play outside on the terrace. Sean led a group in an a capella Star Spangled Banner in honor of 4th of July.

The band set up under umbrellas on the terrace and used the festival's sound system. During the set up, Brown told the band, "Hey guys, Elvis needs some help." Has this phrase ever been used before in this context to this audience? Probably not.

Downbeat about 5:15 drew crowds from hotel, as well as off the street. Some watched from across the main drag in town and the band delivered a killer performance that left many slackjawed. In particular, New Musical Express rocked the place.

After dinner, Tower of Power (Described as 'God's Soul Band.' I like the idea of a deity with their own personal R&B revue.) at the Liburnia Jazz Festival; loud, lots of fun. Checked internet in an attempt to send email and photos, but no access so off to bed for early wake-up. Photos from Opatija here.

8 am and we are on the road to Split, 6.5 hours down the coast, through the mountains on the Croatian equivalent of the Interstate, well maintained, wide and great road, go Marco go! First, we get a ferry ride and then to Palace Hotel in Hvar.

Vienna>Graz>Ljubljana

2010-07-16T06:31:00.000-07:00

We moved from Vienna, Austria into Slovenia today, stopping for lunch in Graz, a picturesque city in south Austria, from which Arnold Schwarzenegger hails.

Ljubljana - Another charming burg. Stayed at Hotel M. Comfortable, clean, step. Up from Hotel Atlas in Vienna.

Dinner then 20 minute stroll through their Tivoli Garden to main square where big crowds gathering for Saturday night out on the town., with added excitement of World Cup match between Spain and Paraguay on TVs at most all the bars and cafes. Got gelato and reconnected With Scott B., Curt & Andy McCarthy watched with the other Slovenians, as well as some great people viewing.

Sunday am, 4th of July, hour and a half of tourist stuff, strolling the waterfront. Pictures to be taken, souvenirs and chotchkes to be admired, even some stuff from Nazi era, as well as lots of Soviet memorabilia, disturbing for its nonchalant character. How do they deal with that history? Maybe the same way Americans do with slavery and the genocide of the native population.

Tomorrow, the 4th of July, we go to Opatija, Croatia, perform at the Palace Hotel, then go see Tower of Power at the Liburnia Jazz Fest.

Marienkron

2010-07-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

We drove to Eisenstadt, home of Esterhazy Palace and the Haydn Museum for lunch and a tour. Again, the weather was hot, somewhat humid, and we were sapped.

Much of the 'grandeur' of the palace and the glory of the lesser nobility encouraged my notion of how things would improve when the revolution occurred, but that's another story.

Then on to the spa at Marienkron, in the town of Mocchof, near Gols, Austria. The band played outside and blew them away with an old school set including American Patrol, Pennsylvania 6-5000, and In the Mood. Among the crowd were Sister Immaculata, the nun who manages the facility.

Also attending was a mystery guest and his date. Why were they there? Where were they going? They missed a great, great performance!

Much of Austria derives it's electricity from wind turbines, and other renewable sources. Near Gols, we drove through a large wind farm. Given the lack of a breeze, few of the turbines were rotating, but still, it was very impressive, as was Vienna's transportation infrastructure, with subways, trams, dedicated bike lines, and other civic amenities. Sure, taxes are high, but the results seem well worth it, with universal health care, five weeks' vacation, and a spotless city.

More photos here.

The next day, we leave Vienna, have lunch in Graz, then cross the border into Slovenia, for an evening in Ljubljana.

Vienna and Matzen

2010-07-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

While dealing with our jet lag, we took city tour of Vienna on the bus, hosted by one of the Masons' favorite guides, who explained the difficulties of poor circulation on the French Monarchy, as well as the reason that the Hapsburg empresses had so many children (No TV back then!). The highlight of the tour, the only time we left the bus, was a visit to the Schoenbrun Palace, the Hapsburg's answer to Versailles.

In the afternoon, the band took about a 45-minute bus ride into the countryside to the little town of Matzen. After the sound check we took a walk through town and had dinner with some folks from the Mayor's office and the musical director who arranged the visit. We toured the town, about 10 km from the border with Hungary, which was described as the Iron Curtain. The arrival of the Soviets here at the end of the WWII was still fresh in memories, and much of the village suffered damage during that assault.

The weather was quite warm gig last night at Matzen, but the band was hot. They brought down the house, particularly during Feetbone. Scott Brown was among the soloists on that tune, borrowing Andy C's trombone and blapping his way into the hearts of the audience.

Two encores including American Patrol, another crowd pleaser!

Next up is the gig at Marienkron, then on to Slovenia.

More photos of the gig and the day are here.

Europe - Day 1

2010-06-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

We thought we were early, or at least on time, but no. When we arrived at the airport, Yale and Brown were taking care of business. Despite the slight hassle with Lufthansa over luggage, group numbers and reservations, all went smoothly at check-in at Seatac. Long-line at security and then lunch with parents and Brown at Anthony's. The Luthansa flight was long (10 hours!) but comfortable, with fresh towels, good service, meals in flight, entertainment.

Watched Up in the Air, with George Clooney and Jason Bateman, glad that I'm not in corporate America nihilism selling BS while ruining lives, and glad that my job is not helping the rich keep their money and maybe steal a bit more. Glad that I'm not a road warrior living out of airports and hotels, eating franchise food and staying inside that bubble.

Arrived at Frankfort airport, not having seen a sunset or any darkness except inside the plane, was herded through a confusing maze to passport control, wrong turn to get to outside and then back inside to area, so boarding passes needed to be checked, and then through luggage screening, where I got special attention because I hadn't emptied water bottle. Let it be said right now that I packed too much, brought a wrong case (REI TourLIte is not, it's heavy, awkward, too many straps, not enough pockets, a poor design...) and too much stuff (won't need a jacket, unless I get seated underneath the vent on the plane, again, too many clothes, could have used another different pair of shorts.

Shuttle flight from Frankfort to Vienna and arrived at a sparkling new and clean airport, shops, Starbucks, well-signed and organized. Met Anna and Colin, young, energetic, sense of humor, easy-going, Anna has special place in her heart for C (so do I), loaded gear onto Marco Coach, and off we were into the heart of Vienna. Beautiful countryside, not littered, windmill farms, even the industrial areas seemed well placed on the landscape.

Marco parked the bus in front of the Opera House, and we disembarked, strolling up Kartner Strasse, the main pedestrian drag. Loads of Viennese out walking, sitting in cafes, eating, coffee, ice cream, beer, Hot Dog Stands, mimes and street performers, all comfortable and at ease, despite throngs of tourists, no litter. Bank machine transactions easy, free wi-fi outside McDonald's, and ducked inside St. Stephen's Cathedral, beautiful old Gothic structure under renovation, but dark inside intended to put fear of God into the congregants. We met back up at the Opera House in time (all present and on time!) but also had enough slack to peek into the foyer (Baroque foo-foo) while the opera crowd were gathering for the evening's Wagner performance.

Dinner at Hotel (dorm, Hotel Atlas), spartan InTourist design, it's fine, but noisy on the busy street and I'm all jet lagged out, so writing at 3:30 a.m. local time. Dinner consisted of Kix soup (Kix cereal in some type of broth, no I'm not making this up), schnitzel (Viennese chicken-fried veal steak), and a pretty good salad with butter lettuce, plus dessert. No coffee, that's extra. (Boo.) Stroll after dinner through Rathaus Park and Volks Garten for a beverage with the parents and Scott, then back to hotel and time to crash.

Great first day, all seems well, looking forward to the tour, the band playing and watching this all unfold.

Magnuson Children's Garden

2010-06-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite walks starts at the Magnuson Children's Garden and then heads through the Dog Park down to Lake Washington. On the day before the Euro Jazz Adventure, Brownie and I ventured down to check things out.

I was stunned and saddened to see the notice that the Whale Eye had been stolen.

This crime took tools, time, planning and pure evil, to destroy an artwork in a children's garden. What are we coming to? What sort of society do we live in? Sadness.

Free floating anxiety

2010-06-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

So, how do you deal with the free-floating anxiety associated with all that needed to get done before the trip, the RHS Jazz Euro-Adventure? Get it all done? Remember all the details? Like, where IS the toilet articles kit that I wanted to wash? And, why wake up at 5:30 to remember that one? Deal with the fretting moms, lists, organization that no one will pay attention to once we are underway? Pack, repack, buy the essentials and non-essentials and the superfluous. Once we shove off, get on the plane, much will subside, replaced by other trip-related anxieties, no doubt. Got to remember that others will suck up the leadership role, and I can comfortably slip into a role.

Part of how I deal with it is, get on the bike and ride. Lance was right, the bike is a source of zen comfort, healing a way to get those demons back in line. This year, I just haven't ridden as much as in the past, part of not having a big century for which to train, part because of a crazy schedule, teaching lots of classes, the OCL project (the reporting requirements to get paid are a stupid hassle), GR, QM and all the other very good stuff I'm in the middle of at TLF. And, the youngest one graduates, getting ready to go North of the Border, and the middle one shows up with a keeper (!), and C is busy with real estate, so life is good and busy, and somewhat full, and fulfilling, but still, not enough saddle time to arrest the free-floating anxiety.

On the current Notes to Self list:

* Yoga, yoga, yoga-- Stretch, breathe, stretch, breathe
* Ride more. Drive less.
* More salad, less sandwiches
* Less poetry, more problem-solving.
* Less TV, more reading, more films!
* Keep it simple.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Kent drops out of Tour Divide, a ride underscored by tragedy. Oil continues to flow into the Gulf and stupidity reigns. The national debate, narrative is depressing. World Cup is a mitigator. Tour de France will be on during our trip. Lots of other news may be adding to the FFA, and maybe it's time to unplug a bit, get away from the tweets and FB updates, certainly the Bb world, and get back into the Zen. The bike is good for the Zen.

GVB's Bike Rant

2010-06-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

Looks like GVB has taken up a new blog documenting his running activities. Here's a link to his rant about the ongoing struggle with those who travel via the internal combustion engine......

http://realrunning.blogspot.com/

Whinefest, retweeted

2010-05-02T20:27:00.001-07:00

Ross, who I met at the Chilly Hilly finish line back in February, posted this lament on his FB page.

Having my riding curtailed for other reasons, including full calendar of other events and responsibilities, weather wimpiness, travel and other factors, I've begun to feel out of shape, lazy, lackadaisical....Sure, I get my gym time and stationary bike trips in, but it ain't the same. And, the lack of a long ride to train for this year takes the motivation out of the midweek training trips.

Flat?!?

2010-04-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

Grant predicted that I would never get a flat with my Schwalbe Marathons, but I picked one up today as a pedaled by Green Lake.

First one in long time, and I was almost overjoyed to be ready for it, with tube, new pump, etc. Conveniently, I was close to Gregg's, where the air is free.

Atlanta

2010-03-09T17:05:00.000-08:00

Atlanta is a strange and interesting mix of old and new, brand spanking modern high-tech new, with miles of fibre optics, steel and glass towers, technology buildings, CNN Headquarters, vs. old memories of South, The Confederacy, racism and civil rights struggles.

Aggressive panhandlers, slightly scary first time on MARTA, ranting and raving, wanting to engage, shouting and swearing, but I walk away and ignore, just the same strategy as with the Invader from Mars.

MARTA to Fivepoints, can't get to Eastbound to King Memorial, so I walk through Underground Atlanta, where another street guy spies me eyeing a map. He asks, "What you looking for?” but this guy smiles, doesn't seem crazy, so I get directions to the ball park, and when he asks for money, I give him some and he seems pleased. Stroll past the State Capitol, statues of great Georgians (including Jimmy Carter) but also plaques describing the heroics of Confederate Army leaders during Sherman's occupation, destruction of the city, and then the March to the Sea, right there, on the Capitol Mall.

Turner Field was locked up tight, so I peer through the gate at a modern (retro) facility where KevMck and I saw a playoff game some ten years ago. Old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium footprint is directly outside the Braves' home, and is marked with a blue wall, now serving as a parking lot.

Returned via CNN Headquarters, remarkable as a huge atrium, with food court with all the usual suspects of fast (and bad) cuisine, adjacent to basketball/hockey arena. The building opens up to Centennial Olympic Park, a civic jewel with fountains, open spaces, artwork, monuments to 1996 Olympians, lots of people using, walking, touch football, both Atlantans and tourists. Decided to forgo World of Coca-Cola ($15 for more diabetes!) and worked my way northward.

While stopping to snap a photo of an old Carnegie library, still another street person comes up. This time, the line is, "Are you an American patriot?" I reply, "I'm an American....," and the pause cracks him up...he claims to be a gulf war veteran, family man, on food stamps, kid at home......I tell him I'll give him a dollar, and he's pleased. On my way again, passing Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles restaurant.

Instead of waiting in line, hoofed it to the Varsity, an Atlanta institution that serves two miles of chili dogs daily, or so they claim. Gut bomb time. Great pictures of famous eaters, including Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Roy Blount, George Bush Sr, Evander Holyfield, Warren Buffett...."What'll ya have?" Fed my face and digested by walking around Bobby Dodd Stadium at Georgia Tech.

Chilly Hilly 2010

2010-03-02T06:03:00.000-08:00

Chilly Hilly on Sunday, circumnavigating Bainbridge counterclockwise with 6000 + of my closest friends, plus a few pirates from point 83 who didn't see fit to pay the CBC man. Weather was dry and spring like and while hilly, definitely not Chilly. total mileage = 55+ but I think that that Garmin included the ferry ride to and fro, so a little overstated. For February, I clocked 169 miles, down somewhat from January.

But, the Bleriot was also in the shop for a week, as I popped a derailleur cable on President's Day and decided to have the good folks at REI do a complete 'performance tune,' including washing all parts. They scratched up the rear Shimano Ultegra derailleur, so that got replaced free of charge. With the coupons from the State of Washington Health Survey, the total was quite reasonable for what now rides and shines like a brand-new bike.

Also cutting into the miles was the weekend trip to So Cal for Auntie Char-char's memorial. Since I missed three-hour tour on the White Light for Joe's service, I got another opportunity. Williams family members, shirt-tail relatives, Macdonalds from hither and yon, including France and one Invader from Mars attended on a sunny but blustery day. The cruise route took us out of Newport Harbor, passed the bell buoy populated with sea lions to a spot a few miles off shore. Poignant words, voices, ashes and flowers overboard and then a return trip that stopped at Pirate's Cove for some visual memories. Great lady with a complicated life that touched many and now gone. One last link to a past, the last of her three siblings, and now we'll see what happens to the family bonds. Those bonds were severely tested a few days after my return to Return Address Space on America's envelope when the stupid and crazy Invader from Mars chose to engage in a flame war where he managed to dis me, my family, my family's culture and our intentions, plus the memory of my father in a ridiculous email exchange that ruined my good feeling about the reconciliation that had occurred, that we had managed to create, over the previous weekend. I'm done with that one.

Back to cycling mode after family rant.

Groundhog Spring?

2010-02-02T17:55:00.000-08:00

Went down to the Magnuson Dog Park this warm Groundhog day afternoon and heard the distinctive call of the red-winged blackbird. Looking up in a tree that was almost ready to burst into bloom, and I saw the blackbird and a robin.

It's spring, I tell you.

January Totals

2010-01-31T14:48:00.000-08:00

Today's 37 mile North Lake Loop raised the January total to 254 miles. Damp roads, cool temperatures, and sinus/phlegm issues didn't help, but a fine ride nonetheless.

Riding across Lake Washington on the I-90 floating bridge is always fun, with great views, sounds, and just the experience of being on the bike out in the middle of the lake making it an "E" ticket. But, at the overlook, a Starbucks Racing Team speedster pulled up angry, as he had just collided on the way down with a rider climbing the steep ascent to get to Lake Washington Blvd. He complained that the group was in the left lane. They complained that he took the drop at about 30 mph and didn't watch where he was going. Slow down, people, and pay attention to the rules of the road!

On the way back, stopped to assess progress at the Husky Stadium Light Rail Project. They have a ways to go.

And, I also came across another sure sign of spring!

Dueling GPS Systems

2010-01-29T18:21:00.000-08:00

30 mile loop to Golden Gardens, Locks and Magnolia Loop this afternoon, in what continues to be an unseasonably warm and spring-like January.

So, which is the better GPS system, the Garmin 305 that sits on the handlebar, or My Tracks, the Google Ap on my new Droid phone?

The Garmin has the cool player feature, showed an elevation gain of 1553 ft, some calorie statistic, and the time. I can export it to Google Earth with a converter, and can also keep track of all my rides, mileage, time, etc.

My Tracks has the advantage of being able to send to Google Earth with no converter software, and adds more Google Maps detail, including photos, videos, Wikipedia References, Transit and many other useful (or useless) facts that adds to the dork quotient. My Tracks shows an elevation gain of 3,454 ft, and I don't know why this is different from the Garmin Stat. But, there's more detail here.

I'll continue to use both, and then select the data I like better.

No Ride Today

2010-01-24T09:42:00.000-08:00

So, no, I didn't ride this morning. Thought about it. Intended to. Checked out the bike yesterday. Made sure that bike clothes were laid out, wool socks paired up. Woke up early. Had the good breakfast, eggs and toast. Orange juice. Coffee. Even made the second cup.

But, I didn't want to. I woke up tired, and with a bit of a sore throat and a stuffy nose. When I stepped outside to get the Sunday paper, it felt cold, damp and smelled like rain on the way. When you've lived in Seattle long enough, you learn to recognize the smell of oncoming rain after a few dry days. Checked the King 5 weather radar, and sure enough, showers are creeping up from the South. Maybe we could have made it around the lake before we got wet, but maybe not.

Rather than going for it, I called the riding buddies and wimped out. Went back to bed.

I'll hit the gym later, he thought, lazily. The Eastside loop will be there another time.

Landslide

2010-01-17T13:17:00.000-08:00

Rode up the BGT to Sheridan Beach to check out the damage and destruction wrought by Mother Nature (or property owners with inadequate drainage systems) at about 145th and the BGT, where a landslide blocked the trail. Riding north, the whole hillside to the west of the well-traveled trail seemed saturated, with numerous little slides noticeable since last week's spin.
Took some photos, and turned around, heading out to Ballard to see more effects of the daily rain that we've experienced since New Year's.

On the return, along Shilshole, I stopped to snap a few photos of the Ballard Terminal Railroad locomotive, the Lil' Beaver.

The engineer remarked that they had come out to the Salmon Bay Cafe for a cup of coffee. I smiled, waved, and headed on, wondering if this was another one of the reasons that the BGT Missing Link was being delayed, along with the lawsuit from Ballard Business Owners.

Cumulative mileage in first two weeks of January is up to 150 miles, remarkable given the lousy wet weather this winter and no commute rides. But 2010 is off to a productive start.

How To Prevent Road Rage

2010-01-12T21:24:00.001-08:00

Biking Bis reported on this link, and it's a good one. Great advice to all.

Ommmmmmmm.

First of the year...

2010-01-03T21:22:00.000-08:00

44 miles around Boeing Field, with stops to see the Dreamliner, the Merry Go-Round at Westlake Center, and Pioneer Square for a Zeitgeist break.

Off to a good start toward a goal of 3,000 miles, and without either the STP or the RSVP.

Elvis Rides!

2009-12-27T16:20:00.001-08:00

And the Beatles rode bikes too!

Boxing Day Ride

2009-12-26T17:07:00.000-08:00

The taggers celebrate the holiday in Loyal Heights!

Took a short (22.9-mile) loop out to Golden Gardens on Boxing Day to test out the new equipment and the old legs. The new shoes worked well, and after 4 years with the last pair, they represent a reasonable replacement after I got full use from the old ones. Less satisfied with new pump, too short for the frame and so I get to check Rivendell's replacement policy for that unit as well as the bike bag which is simply too small to justify the price.

So far in the past six months, the log totals 1,267 miles per the Garmin, and I'll probably finish the year with a bit more, given the weather forecast of dry, clear and cold for the remaining days of 2009.

The sundial indicated noon on the return on BGT at the U of W. We've passed the solstice, and now the days are getting longer!

Bob Young

2009-12-16T15:41:00.001-08:00

Family friend Bob Young passed away last week, from pancreatic cancer. He had been my brother Stan's best friend, and was an inspiration and counsel to nephew Matt as well. Bob traveled with my brother in Italy, and had been a friend of my father as well.

Here's the link to the obit from the Pasadena Star-News, but more importantly, here's a link to his art site, with some wonderful sketches and other pieces.

Jody and Gamelan Pacifica

2009-12-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

Wonderful performance last night! Jody, C's cousin from Uncle Jack, is a world leader and expert in gamelan, Indonesian music that combines percussion, flutes, vocals and a host of other fascinating sounds and rhythms. She had been working with Gamelan Pacifica for about a week at Cornish, and their concert featured her compositions, including an amazing blend of a Stephen Foster tune, Hard Times, plus Jewish themes, Sabbath Bride, with the gamelan.

After dinner at the Shanghai Garden on Thursday, she invited us to the performance. It was great to get her together with Max, so he could hear her comments and suggestions, as well as plug into her network of colleagues, while he continues to gather information in his college search.

We've been quite cultured this fall, Equivocation at the Seattle Rep, Abe Lincoln in Illinois at Intiman, after Othello and The Year of Magical Thinking, plus A Serious Man at the Harvard Exit. And, we'll wrap up the fall and transition into the holidays this week with Ellington's Jazz Nutcracker, guaranteed to keep you swinging through Hannucrist and into the New Year!

Where do we all fit?

2009-11-21T10:24:00.000-08:00

Burial at Sea for Joseph Charles Neally

Saturday November 28th at 1:00 pm
The ship the "White Light" docked at Lido Village will depart at 1:00 for a 2 hour service....

The charter lasts approximately 2 hours and will perform the scattering in the ocean with a view of Newport Beach and then circle the site before heading back to the harbor.

Born August 29, 1954
Died September 29, 2009

So, another friend from a long time ago is gone. Like Jim D, Jim B, Steve S, and Alan, gone before they should have, gone before their life could be considered full, gone without putting it all together. Not like Tony, who did seem to have it all together. But like many others though, gone after a struggle with addiction as well as that old problem, where do I fit in?

Facebook (and Diane, bless her heart) distributed the news. Thanks to that social medium, we got to remember the Balboa Peninsula Point gang, and as Vic, Joe's brother, described it with our gangs of tanned kids roaming the streets of what many, including me, didn't recognize as paradise while we were growing up. Many reunioned last summer, and by all accounts, had a ball strolling down memory lane. Balboa for me back then was beach, surf, skateboards, girls and boys, an enclave where kids could be out late, be relatively safe except for whatever trouble, the normal kind given that it was the 60's, we could find. Those gang members that got together last summer are adults now, with marriages, with kids, careers, mortgages, and the memories that tie us together.

Summer school teachers living in the Pacific NW didn't make it down for the party. Missed it. “You really missed it, Williams!” Oh well, wait until next year, maybe, until Facebook delivered this news.

Pick up the phone. Call Larry to get the scoop. Call Vic. Hadn’t talked to either for over 40 years. “Blast from the Past.” “What happened to Joe? Where have the years gone? Do you have kids? What are you doing with your time? ‘I’m sorry to hear that, but it’s great to hear your voice.’ What happened to all of us?”

But others missed it as well, including Joe. What's with that? Larry and Vic filled me in on the bare outline. The rest I can just guess about.

Joe lived there, still. In the house where he grew up. Where I had made my first friends since the move. After my Mom died, my Dad remarried within a year, and then we moved, away from my friends, from the baseball I played, from the school I enjoyed, where I had thrived, down to that ‘paradise’ (You’re moving to the beach? Lucky!) that I didn't recognize.

After a year of being out of sorts, wondering where I fit in, reading the World Book Encyclopedia (yes, I read it all), finally there were friends, Vic and Joe. They introduced me to the Wedge, their front yard. They played poker in their rooms upstairs, fought like cats and dogs (I wonder if the holes from the steel-tipped darts that Joe fired at Vic and landed on his slamming door are still there?), and pinball. Vic was cool, the only kid I knew with an actual pinball machine in his room. And we surfed. Bodysurfed, and later after their Dad got them twin Gordy long boards, (I got a Velzy that year for Xmas, knew about it before the Big Unveiling by sneaking upstairs and checking out Santa's stash), we surfed on boards. Road the waves. Shot the curl. Tried to Hang-Five. Maybe even Ten. Newport Pier, Santa Ana River Jetties, where the OC sewer met the OC sea, Huntington Beach, Surf City, here we come. We surfed a lot. Joe's mom (Vic’s too) would drive us and we surfed every chance we could get.

And Joe got to be pretty good. Real good. As we got older, other activities crowded into my surfing time. My Dad insisted I get a job, first a paper route, then at the supermarket, so my summers were wasted (Ha-ha!) bagging groceries. Coupled with that came all the drama (girls, and other hobbies) that high school itself involved and most of that took up the rest of my time.

But Joe still surfed. Taking on the Wedge on the big days. Always in the water. Once, during one of those times when the swell was up but I had to take my shift at the El Rancho (that's what we Williams did, we were responsible! On time! Earned a paycheck!), Joe chided me. "Summer's the only time to get really good, Williams!" implying that I wasn't a good surfer and that he was, and we both knew that. And, after a particularly epic summer day of huge south swell, glassy conditions, hot, wet and thrilling, that I spent as a shopping cart jockey, Joe rubbed it in, ‘“You really missed it, Williams!”

Adolescence, then adulthood, and hobbies, including alcohol and dope, coupled with other responsibilities and interests, girls, sex, relationships, where do I fit? Who am I? What I am to be, I am now becoming, or something like that, it says at RHS, but what if I don't like either who I am or what am I becoming? Which group suits me best? Surfers? Jocks? Brains? Stoners? Artsy? Where should I go? Why do I have to be burdened with this 'great potential' that my Dad doesn't want me to squander, or I that I don’t want to squander so he would once again be disappointed, but I could give a rip about really, especially if the waves are good and I don't have to be responsible for myself, my friendships, the way I treat others, relationships that in the words of the day, I can just choose to 'shine it on,' plus potential, what’s with that anyway, and deal with the regret and what might have been later, self-anesthetizing all the way.

Manny, Martha’s husband and who makes a great chile verde, described us as spoiled, rich kids, especially when listening about this adolescent, existential angst. He’s right, you know.

I went away to college, started to grow up in fits and starts, traveled, made different friends, found out I wasn't so smart, maybe didn’t have more potential than all the other overachievers who surrounded me, found others who shared my hobbies, (alcoholics and addicts can seek each other out), worked, went to grad school, met the woman who saved my life, and finally moved away from California all together. Kids, careers, mortgages, family triumphs and tragedies, some unexpected, some not, bar and bat mitzvahs, raising teenagers, paying for them in college, learning that the scary thing is knowing how much trouble I could get away with without my parents' knowing and that my kids could do the same...(Did they know? Of did they not know how do talk about it, so it was easier for them just to have another drink, or more likely, they were dealing with their own demons and confusion, and just making it up as they go along, the secret of adulthood...), and wherever you go, there you are.

And, Joe still surfed. And, apparently, lived in the house with the Wedge in the front yard. Jim made it as a lawyer, but ended up surrounded by boxes of wine, an infinite collection of Dylan, a manuscript that no one would read, and an internet girl friend. Steve didn't make it through film school, never held a job, and died in front of his face-to-face girl friend. Alan, probably the most talented and creative of them all, died in a parking lot, or so the story goes. Too many Luckies. Did they ever find where they fit in?

Christmas 2005....in the real paradise with the family, June-baby asked me to go with her to meet some friends. Those friends met several times a week, some every day. They shared a hobby and liked to talk about it, had to talk about it, why they had that hobby and what it meant to them and to those around them they loved. And, the words just came out. Yes, I belonged. This is one place where I fit. There are plenty of others, including family, at the college, among others. I’m fine, thank you, and quite lucky to be a survivor.

And it's fitting that Joe's ashes will be spread in the ocean he loved, where he seemed to fit. But, it was on dry land, with other people, with the complexities and the responsibilities, the compromises and other messiness of relationships, that adult world, where Joe and Jim D and Steve S, could never seem to get it together.

Hank was right, "You'll never get out of this world alive." That's not the point. It's being here now that's the point. We all can be somewhere else later, and maybe, probably, it's not about us anyway. It's all about the compromises and the messiness and everyone else and the relationships. Maybe I won't be on the boat on November 28, but I'll be there in spirit, and I'll be at the next reunion in person to see all the other survivors.

November Loop

2009-11-14T16:28:00.000-08:00

Rain, wind, and hail in the convergence zone on Friday, plus similar weather on Sunday meant I needed to grab my ride on Saturday a.m. if a ride was going to be grabbed at all this weekend. Pedaled 30 miles on a clockwise loop down to Leschi, through the I-90 tunnel, Pioneer Square and the Stadiums, for another break at Zeitgeist. I've actually stopped there enough to fill the coffee card!

The I-90 tunnel seemed unusually yellow and bright this a.m., uncrowded without the weekday commuters and weekend recreation cyclists. I noticed how much more pleasant the trails seem now that the weather has driven many of the riders inside, out of the wet, cold and dark.

Unusual placement for a Greenway Trail sign, but it looks like the Mountains-to-Sound trail ends along the first base side of Safeco Field, along Edgar Martinez Drive.

No hassle crossing at the Locks, and then snapped this photo of the Fremont and Aurora Bridges along the BGT, noting that the leaves are almost gone from the alder trees. We're about 5 weeks from the Winter Solstice, and I'm looking forward already to sunnier, warmer days.

Why a duck?

2009-10-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

Twenty file miles or so on a windy Friday p.m., over Interlaken, through Downtown and to the Pike Place Market. Headwinds are fine if you know the route to avoid them!

The Seattle Waterfront is both a popular destination as well as frequent route on my rides. Looking south from Steinbruck Park at the Pike Place Market, you can see the elevated highway, as well as the sports stadiums. But the Alaskan Way Viaduct needs replacement and is due to collapse during a major earthquake, for which the region is well overdue. The consequences of a big shaker would be dramatic, at least according to this video.

D0 we take unnecessary risks when we ride on the trail next to the 'sure-to-collapse sometime' Viaduct? Will we be able to dodge the chaos?

And, according to the video at 1:50, (this one with a sound track!), the Frankfurter will tumble into the sea! Oh, the humanity!

Returned via the Locks and then crossed Ballard, over Phinney Ridge to Green Lake and Ravenna.

What to Eat

2009-10-26T18:31:00.001-07:00

Kent does a great job explaining how we should eat on those long rides.

October North End Loop

2009-10-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

Neighbor Rob sent out the call for a Sunday ride, and I responded, inviting CAL along for the spin.

North on the BGT and up Brookside and Perkins to upper Shoreline, down to 155th and over to Greenwood, Sunset Hill and back on the BGT. Damp leaves, drizzle, wet pavement, ah, back in the real Pacific NW after a couple of weeks away from the bike or so it seemed.

Rob got a flat on of his 23 cm tires (another reason to appreciate the fatty Schwalbe marathons) just north of Gas Works. We stopped so he could fumble with his patch kit as the piece of glass punctured both sides of his tube, resulting in the need for two patches. I snapped photos while waiting. Most of the subjects were friendly, offering help, waving, saying hello. But one, this one, was riding hands free on her fixie while yakking on the phone. Just after a snapped the picture, she flipped me the bird, scowled, rolled on, and continued with her cell phone conversation. I guess you don't have to drive an SUV to be a jerk.

Life Cycles and Bicycles

2009-10-04T19:29:00.000-07:00

We were treated to another spectacular autumn day, today, strong and chilly north wind, like those Santa Anas in So Cal. The past few weeks have brought a new academic year at TLF, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, now a Full Moon. Zach landed safely in Guadalajara on the first leg of his latest adventure, and his parents exhaled.

I rode about 300 miles in September, which is more than I thought I booked. And, that doesn't include a 30 mile circuit today of Magnolia and then down to Pioneer Square to catch a bit of the M's season finale.

One of the many great things about Safeco Field is that you can peer into home plate from outside on Royal Brougham. Saw Felix strike out the side and Junior drill a line drive in one of his last at bats. Will he be back? We'll put a big we'll see on that, but as they say, "Wait 'til next year!" Is it the end or another beginning? Yes is the answer.

Safety First

2009-09-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

So, today was Car Free Day. Since I had an errand to run downtown, I hopped on the bike and headed out. On my short trip I saw….

A driver texting on his phone while attempting to drive his Cadillac, holding up traffic and swerving across lanes….

Another driver reading her day planner that she held in both hands along with her steering wheel, while she drove her Mercedes…

And, a third driver in a black Yukon the size of a luxury yacht who pulled out into the bike lane on Dexter, and flipped me a single digit salute through his tinted windows as I swerved around him….

To be fair, there were also many drivers who didn't catch my attention because they were driving their cars in a responsible manner, at least while I was present, but still, "They're out there…"

Safety first, folks.

Early Autumn Rides

2009-09-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

Two September weekends and two rides to remember. Last weekend, rode across I-90 and then out to Issaquah, using much of the same route that I rode on Livestrong last June. After a great and quiet ride through farmland on May Valley Road, I crossed a newly-constructed bridge and then turned north on Issaquah-Hobart into Issaquah, where Suburbia begins. Found the Starbucks at one of the universe of Strip Malls, refueled, then over Newport Hills, around Factoria and down to Coal Creek Parkway. Is there any easier way to find the I-90 trail from the Eastside south of the freeway? Maybe, but I've yet to find it. Entire route was about 60 miles on an 80 degree day, and well worth repeating.

The second ride should be labeled the Salmon Ride. While not riding the Cascade Spawning Cycle, there sure was enough overlap, as I rode much of the course in reverse. Coming up the Duwamish Trail, I watched one get landed in a boat adrift on the Duwamish. I watched two pulled in at the Duwamish Fishing Pier. Stopping at the Cascade Bike Club's spot at Myrtle Edwards Park, I ate a Ballard Brothers Blackened Salmon Burger, and then headed out the Locks to watch salmon heading up the fish ladder on their way home. Another 45 mile ride, and also worthy of a repeat.

RSVP - 2009

2009-08-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

A great two days of riding. Here are some of the highlights.

Stopped to take pictures of cows after Lynden, before the border. Soft shoulder and before I knew it, was headed down into the mud filled ditch. Caught my fall, soaked my arm, jacket and glove in muck, and amused the cows and several riders who at first were alarmed (is he still clipped in? Father of three drowns in ditch on RSVP!) and then laughed.
Day One started out inauspiciously. First, the Garmin didn’t hold a charge, so no electronic data, speed, map, elevation, etc. Second, clip needed adjustment right at the start as I couldn’t get foot in the pedal. Was this how it was going to be? So, commenced up the BGT with trepidation, but all well, including a relatively easy climb up the Woodinville Hill. Weather was autumn in Seattle, chilly, damp (rain shower just as I left the house @ 6:10 a.m.) But a south breeze, and tailwinds are good. Crossed into farmland, with cows, horses, llamas, goats, chicken squawks and made it to Snohomish, where I caught up with Shaun and Claudia, riding partners from last year.

For me the first 50 miles of this ride, to Arlington, are pretty easy, a few climbs but a great long descent into town. Marty caught up with us on the trail, peddling hard and setting a brisk pace. I insisted on lunch at the Blue Bird Café, remembering last year’s bonk on Lake Cavanaugh rode. That’s where Shaun’s stomach caught up with him, and we called for the sweep team. C and Max were coming up I-5, and picked him up, delivered him to Bellingham. Shaun was too sick to ride day two, and he took the train back to Seattle from there.

No bonk on Lake Cavanaugh Rd this year, but there was a shower, so picked up more road grime. And, there was no getting lost in the Skagit Delta this year, either. But, Chuckanut, with great views and hills to match those views, was still a bear. Stopped for a rest and a few pix, looked at the time and it was 6:00! Time to book it into B’ham, settle into the Rodeway Inn (Shaun described as a Motel 3), tacos rice and beans and then up the next a.m. @ 5:30 for Day 2!

The morning began with a meander through Lynden farmland to brunch at the Dutch Mother, where they hold an annual buffet for the RSVP’ers. Best meal on the trip! Eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, fruit, mucho coffee, and up to the border, with a slight detour into the mud. Border crossing was more bureaucratic this year. Long line, showed passports, guard checked my name on list (you go by any other name, perhaps?), photo ops, then into Canada! Horse farms, berry farms, small orchards, organic farms, gentleman’s estates, and beautiful countryside.

Heading north, you hit the infamous Wall of Day Two, which, frankly, is less than old 70th Street in Seattle, and all that complaining about living on top of a hill turns into some gratification for the training. Last year, Albion Ferry, including a long wait in the sun and a guessing game of Will This Old Wreck Capsize on the Fraser? This year, new, ultra modern sleek and slick Golden Ears Bridge with wide bike lanes, spectacular views after more gorgeous country side! Much improved.

On to the rest stop, through the suburbs, and then crossing a scenic footbridge over a stream in Port Coquitlam. As I was riding with a small group over the bridge, we saw two brown bear cubs scamper across the trail! Some remarked at how wonderful and cute they were, until I pointed out that where there were cubs, there was also Mama Bear, and she was likely not to be either cute or cuddly! Stopped for lemonade right there, and the locals offered that bears were common along the stream, and they had to be careful with their garbage and other food in the area.

One more fluid exchange in Port Moody, in from East Van, through Chinatown, past the junkies on Hastings, Gastown tourists, and then up to the Coast Plaza for the reception and party. Well done, Cascade!

Oh yes, after a charge, the Garmin now worked, and here are the details of RSVP, Day Two.

My photos are here.

RSVP Tune Up

2009-08-02T15:25:00.001-07:00

Booked about 375 miles in the past month, and did a 40-mile RSVP tune-up on Seafair Sunday, around Boeing Field and back up via the Ballard Bridge and the BGT. Bleriot is riding quite nicely after a new cassette, chain and once over from Elliot Bay Bicycles. Plan is to back off the training, catch up on rest, and be ready in two weeks.

On the way back north, through Myrtle Edwards Park, I stopped at the fishing pier for fresh water, the view, and a chat with this guy who was trying his luck. "How's fishing?" I asked. Response, with a shake of the head, "Real good, for the fish!" Still, it was relatively cool, but no wind to stir up the water or blow away the haze in the distance.

It's been hot, record-breaking hot. The sort of heat wave and thick air that reminds me of So Cal smog, grey woolen blanket, humid oppression, you know, Raymond Chandler stuff. For all, it's been difficult to sleep, to stay focused, to keep on top of classes and to motivate students, much less keep up with the flow of all the other projects on the plate. Three weeks until the end of summer quarter, and I can't wait.

Namesake?

2009-07-27T05:48:00.000-07:00

Here's the answer to the musical question, 'What's a Bleriot?'

Real Life

2009-07-24T08:11:00.001-07:00

It's been a tough few days for some friends out there in the Blogosphere.....

Elden is the Fat Cyclist, and Team Leader for Team Fatty, the group with whom I rode in Livestrong.

Lisa is the Wild Celtic Rose, constant Blogger, FB and Twitter poster, triathlete and medical volunteer for Cascade.

Choose life. Cancer sucks. Addiction is a life-denying illness and poison.

Link Light Rail

2009-07-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

A fine weekend indeed, finishing with a 40+ mile ride in perfect Seattle summer weather. We've had a string of those in the past week, almost payback for last winter and spring. I've started to use this Airport Way, South Seattle loop as a training run, as the neighborhoods are interesting, there's little traffic on the weekends, Pioneer Square coffee and treats stops are convenient, and the route is somewhat flat. Pleasant alternative to the Eastside loops through Yuppieville.

After an early dinner at the Shanghai Garden, we walked down to the International District station to ride Link light rail yesterday, the first day of service. And, we rode the entire line! Great to ride through the Rainier Valley and see neighborhoods that we just don't get to very often. Plenty of places to explore, restaurants to frequent, now so easily accesible. The line goes all the way to Tukwila, with a shuttle to the airport for now, but by year end the promise is delivery to SeaTac. It will be interesting to see how this rail service changes how people commute as well as what happens to the places around the stops. But for now, we give the service two thumbs up.

Four weeks until RSVP. Should be ready, once the Bleriot gets a little tune-up.

STP - 2009

2009-07-11T18:02:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not riding the STP this year, for the 2nd year in a row. Instead, I volunteered for Cascade Bike Club, handing out packets, bib numbers and those funny paper jackets at REI on Friday and then at the starting line, starting at 4:00 a.m. on Saturday. Got to see most of the 10,000 riders cross the line to head down to Portland for 204 miles. They picked a good weekend for the event, with 80+ degree weather and a tailwind.

Great people to work with, and riders were a fun, excited and interesting lot, most adrenaline-pumped and ready-to-go, a few intimidated, and a couple a little surly after not getting the right size paper jacket. Can't please everyone.

The SeaTimes had a writer on the ride, and he posted here. One noteworthy post includes a description of the revenues and profits from the event.

Sunday afternoon, view from Myrtle Edwards Park. One of the behemoth cruise ships headed north to Alaska.

The weather turned back to what passes for normal around here on Sunday, with the old-fashioned Great Northwest marine air-conditioning kicking in Saturday night, with Sunday filled with a southwest wind, rain, thunderstorms for those 2 day riders. I circumnavigated Boeing field, about 30 miles, and beat the downpour home by about a half hour. In retrospect, had I ridden STP, I would have been one of the poor souls who rolled into Holladay Plaza soaked to the bone.

A Good Ol' Fashioned 4th of July

2009-07-05T20:46:00.001-07:00

A fine 4th of July, it was! Summer weather, hot and dry, not normal for Seattle, where Independence Day usually is wet and cool. Z came down from Vancouver, bringing three friends. One of them was the Aussie, a chef who had shared their house for a month or two while settling down, and it was his first trip to the States.

So, we ate. Bar-B-Q, corn on the cob, baked beans, strawberry shortcake and a salmon on the grill.

Such a great couple of days of eating that I had to get out on the 5th and put in over 35 miles, this time circumnavigating Boeing Field on a long, relatively flat ride.

Dancin' in the Street

2009-06-28T20:21:00.000-07:00

On the 32 mile (and 1883 ft. elevation gain!) loop to Pioneer Square and back, I stopped for sustenance at Zeitgeist. While drinking my coffee, I got caught as the crowd started moonwalking (or at least attempting to walk backwards) down Jackson Street. Hilarity ensued. Then around the parking lot to hear the crowd yell for a Sounders goal. Elevator up to Weller, then heard the drums and encountered some kids doing the Lion Dance in front of a restaurant. This was part of an effort by CISC Seattle to bring awareness to the community about the 2010 Census, so all would be willing to be counted. I helped out by taking this photo, donating a dollar, and getting some metal chopsticks with US Census embossed on the handle!

Fremont and Wallingford

2009-06-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

Waiting for the Fremont Bridge, the M/V Anchor as well as a few other sailboats. Nice to have the time between quarters for these midweek afternoon rides around Lake Union.

Archie McPhee, purveyor of fine goods for the 21st Century, has now opened in Wallingford!

Recumbent tricycles with flags at the corner of Stone Way N and 34th.

New Technology

2009-06-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

C and the kids gave me a belated Father's Day gift, a Garmin 305 GPS. How much technology do you need? Do I need to to know elevation gain? Do I need to know calories burned (hint: not enough). I do like to know distance, speed, time, etc., and the direction I'm going is helpful. But, where it got cool was when I got home from the test ride and loaded up the mapping features.

Here's the link to Garmin Connect that shows more detail that you really need. And, the upload to Google Earth was easy and way cool!

Okay, this is going to suck up lots of my time and energy!

Livestrong - Father's Day 2009

2009-06-22T10:48:00.001-07:00

While standing in line at the first rest stop waiting for the normal fluid exchange routine, I struck up a conversation with a young woman. "Nice day for a ride. Heard we've got some hills in front of us..,' that sort of thing. Then, I explained I was riding in honor of my brother-in-law Tony, who passed away last March 15, and whose daughter was having her high-school graduation party today on Father's Day. The young woman then told me that she was riding to honor of her Dad, and choked up.

Lots of those moments today. Riders who were cancer survivors, (“Ten Years, Given No Chance!”), riders honoring their moms, dads, brothers, sisters, friends, husbands, wives, partners…..

Yes, it was a great ride on a tough course, well described here by Lisa and the mysterious RiderX. Yes, it was a typical Seattle June day, with clouds, a shower or two, and more headwinds than tailwinds. Yes, the course was well-marked and the rest stops staffed with friendly and helpful volunteers.

But the event started the day before at the packet pickup, where you had to be impressed with the Livestrong organization, all the volunteers in yellow, and those who kept coming in and filling out the cards ‘In Honor Of….’ and ‘In Memory Of…’

Because I had joined Team Fatty to add the totals of those who donated in support of Tony to a larger group, I was invited to the Fundraising Appreciation Dinner, where I caught up with friends Claudia and Shaun, plus met the Petersons and Fat Cyclists, all of whom shared the motto, Win Susan! The guest of honor was Lance’s oncologist, Craig Nichols, who took questions from the MC, Betty Otter-Nickerson of the LAF.

The highlight of the evening was when Steven Peterson led Team Fatty to the podium to be honored for most fundraising dollars, most fundraising members, and highest individual donor. We watch the video from Fatty Himself, Elden Nelson, who is not Stanley Tucci, and then heard from Steve’s brother, Scott, cancer survivor. Inspiring, and what a way to get you focused for the main event the next morning.

Congratulations, Team Fatty! from Fat Cyclist on Vimeo.

Started from home early (5:45) to get to Seattle Center in time for the line up and the 7:00 a.m. start. Dan the Man Wilson blew the start horn and we were off, down 2nd, no wait, 5th Avenue (slightly off track, but what a way to start), through downtown and onto the I-90 onramp to head east in the Express Lanes through the tunnel, across the Lake and then for the circumnavigation of Mercer Island. From there, it was Bellevue, then points east, including past Squak Mountain, to Issaquah, and up the infamous Montreaux Hill. Halfway up the monster, I stopped for water and to suck in some badly-needed oxygen. The Sag Wagon stopped and asked how I was doing, probably to see if I needed help. I told them, “This is why they call this a challenge!” Up to the top, to by met by Beelzebub, and then downhill to Newcastle and around the south end of the lake.

At the end there’s a relatively easy way to get back downtown, through the I-90 bike tunnel, but why do the easy thing when this is a challenge, not just a pleasure ride. Up and over the ridge to Yesler we rode slowly as the thighs burned. The Bleriot, with its granny gears and big rear cassette performed like a champ throughout.

Finally, got back to Seattle Center, and was met by Cynthia and Max, as wonderful a father’s day present as any Dad ever received. I had a hamburger, Cynthia drove home, and I napped, with my best dog by my side.

Thanks to all who supported me, and donated in honor of Tony and others. And, thanks to the Livestrong Challenge folks for organizing such an amazing event!

A Long One, but Not Here

2009-06-14T21:09:00.000-07:00

Look what's coming down the track. Opening Day for Sound Transit is soon!

Lot's of updating needed, but I'm tired after 65 miles today, finals pouring in, and mucho other stuff going on.

More to follow when I get overloaded and need to procrastinate.

950 miles YTD. Livestrong next Sunday. I'm as ready as I'm going to get.

Rainier and Old Bridge

2009-06-05T21:57:00.001-07:00

Rainier and Old Bridge
Originally uploaded by papahazama

This is a test

Seattle Summer Streets - Alki

2009-05-31T20:28:00.000-07:00

Cruised over the West Seattle Bridge to the Alki (Alk-eye!) Trail for the Bicycle Sunday, West Seattle style. The road along the beach was closed from California Ave SW by Salty's all the way to 63rd SW, around the point and down to where the famous Alki Bakery is located.

Even though the weather was great, the streets weren't as crowded as I expected. There was a big police presence, plus kettle corn, smoothies, and other treats, and a band playing all your old, tired favorites from the 70's.

On the way over, I detoured down the Duwamish Trail for a bit. One thing that's obvious from being around the Port is that there are a lot of empty shipping containers.

800 miles, YTD.

And, in other news, I became a great-uncle this weekend!

Memorial Day Ride

2009-05-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

46 miles around the north end of Lake Washington on a sunny Memorial Day, hoping to build some seat team in preparation for Livestrong. It being a holiday, once again the masses were out on the popular trails, although I timed this photo of the SRT to not include the families riding two and three abreast.

Took a right off the SRT at Marymoor and headed up the 520 trail through Nintendo and Microsoft Land, where I saw this sign at an intersection. What does it mean? If a car turns right and a bike proceeds straight ahead, apparently some sort of fusion-induced catastrophe will occur, perhaps rendering all the hardware and software in the surrounding area inoperable.

Stopped at Enatai Park under the I-90 bridge for a fluid exchange, and caught this summer scene. Fishing was probably lousy, but given the sunshine, I doubt if they really cared.

On the Seattle side, as I crossed 520 at Montlake, traffic westbound was completely stopped as some autos had tried to occupy the same space at the same time, just west of the overpass. And, traffic crossing the Montlake Bridge was backed up, probably as the drawspan was open. A glorious day not to be in a car!

Correction

2009-05-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

Some say that there are two seasons in Seattle, the rainy season and road construction season. A correction is in order for this sign on the Magnolia Loop. Bikes ARE traffic. Maybe the sign should read, Cars Merge With Bikes (and Keep a Safe Distance!)

30 miles today and I'm no way ready for Livestrong in four short weeks. Time to suck it up, grind out the miles and just do it.

First tomato of the year! A Sweet 100!

Mad Dogs and Seattlites

2009-05-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

Warm Sunday afternoon ride downtown and back. When the temperature gets above 60 degrees and the weather is sunny and dry, the Mountain comes out as do all the rest of the Seattlites. They clogged the trails and bike lanes, but that is a good thing!

The Cruise Ships are back in town, berthing neat the Pike Place Market and disbursing lost and confused tourists along the waterfront. Good times!

Put the new Schwalbe Marathons on the Ride and they are running great. No flats on me.

New York Bikes

2009-05-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

Lots of bikes in NYC, including this one on display at MOMA, plus these.

First Flat

2009-04-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

Warm afternoon and enough time to do the 25 mile Magnolia Loop, where I stopped along the bluff to snap a few photos.

On the descent on the back side of the hill, the front wheel started to wobble. At first I thought the wind was blowing me around, but then I realized that the front tire was out of air! After some 3000 miles and about nine months, the Bleriot had its first flat. Easy enough to replace the tube and get back on the road, but my little Blackburn pump could only so much pressure. Still it was enough to get back to the trail and on to Counterbalance Cycles, who kindly provide free air to those who need it along the BGT.

Ospreys along the SRT

2009-04-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

50 miles on the short loop for the Seattle (Half) Century. These two ospreys were resting above the Sammamish River, waiting for a snack.

With the weather finally turning warm, the dandelions were in bloom along the route, and especially at the entrance to Marymoor Park.

Other than the need to get more saddle time and miles in, plus to enjoy the day amidst a new and crazy spring schedule was the desire to see what Claire has been writing about the condition of West Lake Sammamish Pkwy. While I have mucho respect for Claire, I didn't find much out of the ordinary on the route. Sure, there were some rough spots, but after dealing with Lake Washington Blvd at Leschi, the rough route through Frink Park, and even the bumps and holes on the BGT due to tree roots, the Parkway was nothing special, IMHO.

Interurban Trail

2009-04-12T10:56:00.001-07:00

At the end of Week 1, Spring Quarter, I commuted to and fro the Learning Factory into the teeth of the PSCZ to attend a division meeting and listen to colleagues bicker and pick nits. But the highlight was the return via the Interurban Trail in North Seattle.

Along the trail are several art installations, meant to resemble a flip book, created by Jennifer Dixon .

These are great pieces that added some color and fun to an otherwise grey and drizzly commute.
About 30 miles round trip, including a side trip along the south side of Green Lake at a reasonably slow pace, having been influenced by Kent's piece on hypermiling.

I just need to get there. I don't necessarily need to get there quickly.

North Lake Loop

2009-04-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

First 70 degree day in months and a great time to head out on the North Lake Loop to clear the cobwebs and get ready for another quarter at the Learning Factory. Ongoing construction at Log Boom Park and along the BGT in Kenmore was mildly inconvenient, but kept a good pace and cruised down into Juanita Bay, where the cormorants were keeping watch on the old pilings.

And, in the beaver pond on the other side, I saw this heron concentrating on some brunch.

Stopped at the Mercer Island Lid for a snack and watched a bit of Little League baseball. The Mercer Island select team was in the field, with the Seattle Select Team at bat. I watched them load the bases and then the MI pitcher walked three batters in a row. This kid had a good curve and fastball but couldn't get it over the plate, as he started to fall apart. Pitching without confidence and trying to pinpoint the ball is one of the toughest things that these young players can do. It's truly a spot where failure breeds more failure as things spiral out of control. We've all been there, and it was difficult to watch, so on to the I-90 bridge and then up the Leschi side toward home.

On the Seattle side I had three separate run-ins with potential wrecks due to idiot drivers attempting to turn in front of me while talking on their cell phones. As Click and Clack advise, "Hang Up and Drive!"

37 miles, 438 YTD, and let's hope that we've turned the corner on the weather so I can rack up more miles.

Spring Now!

2009-03-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

The front passed through, the sun came out, and it was a good Sunday for a ride. Cycled over to QA where C was working, had a snack and conversation, circled back via Interbay, through Ballard and the north side of Green Lake, down Ravenna and then home. 27 miles, and 400 YTD.

While crossing the Fremont Bridge, the drawbridge was raised and the M/V Sikumi glided underneath, headed back into Lake Union. This looks like a leisurely way to visit SE Alaska!

Is it Spring yet?

2009-03-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

Is it Spring yet? There is loads of green moss on the trees along Interlaken Drive.

But, the forsythia are starting to bloom.

And, the buds are opening on the crabapples along the BGT.

20 miles downtown for coffee and then back, a Lake Union Loop.

March in Seattle

2009-03-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

A post BBD&A Sunday ride, amidst the drizzle and wind, was a great way to clear the cobwebs and release the tension from a successful, big event. Headed out on the BGT, and rode 37 miles through Ballard, around the Magnolia Loop and down into Pioneer Square, before returning. The ride south was into the prevaling wind, while the return, after lunch at Noodle Zen and purchasing dinner at Uwajimaya, the best market on the planet, was helped by the strong tailwind. Got home just before the rain stopped being sporadic.

Coming up Ballard Avenue, I ran into my first public market of the new year. Lots of organic produce, seafood such as oysters and salmon, fresh cut flowers, and of course, street treats like pizza, falafel, and other goodies were for sale.

After a Zeitgeist stop, I coasted over to Qwest Field, all decked out for the Sounders who earned a victory in their first MLS match, versus the New York Red Bulls, not to be confused with the Firebulls of LVR infamy.

Look who is back in town! Spring can't be far away, but, as is typical here, the long damp continues and will turn into warmth sometime, hopefully soon. 350 miles, or so, YTD.