Why Drivers Hate Cyclists

Thoughtful comments by the Reno Rambler on the never-ending friction between those who use different modes of transportation.

Life Hacks and Rules for Living

Lots of Life Hacks and Rules for Living out there, and some are worth repeating, noting, while others are best ignored.    Here are a few.....

• Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson  - "Get yourself a really good bullshit detector."
• Russ Roberts - "Learn to enjoy saying, I don't know."
• Megan McArdle - "Be grateful."  and "Always order one extra dish at a restaurant, an unfamiliar one."
• Tyler Cowen -- When shooting the basketball, give it more arc than you think is necessary.  Consistently.
• John Perry Barlow - "Remember that your life belongs to others as well."
• Stewart Brand  quoted by Steve Jobs - "Stay hungry.  Stay foolish"

Others have things worth saying....

• Lloyd Kahn on old age.
• Anne Lamott on perfectionism.
• Henry Miller on turning eighty. 
• Jose Texeira - "I No Longer Have Patience."
• Mario De Andrade - "The Valuable Time of Maturity"

And maybe my favorite set, Satchel Paige - "Avoid running at all times."  and "Don't look back.  Something might be gaining on you."

The World as it is in 2018.....sort of.

From Ursula Le Guin's blog.....The Wall and Constructing the Golem.   Worth a read in light of her passing and the current regime in power in the USA.

And other observations regarding the State of the World 2018, from Bruce Sterling and Jon Lebkowsky.

2017 Bike Recap

2868 miles in 2017, 300 more than in 2016, and more than any other year for which I kept records.   100 rides,  15 more than 2016.  But, only 700 more feet in elevation.  So, more rides, over shorter distances with fewer hills.   Lots of rides to Locks, Sunset Hill, Golden Gardens — a staple and a favorite.   

Rides to remember—>

• New 520 bridge.   Game changer, route changer, easy access to Eastside, where there are better bike lines, longer segments and fewer stops.  
• STP - Faster times than in previous several years, rode train back to Seattle.   Staying at EconoLodge is old.  We’ll put a big 'we’ll see' on 2018.  But Cascade says I’ve done nine of these, including 3 in a row, so there’s some momentum there to continue
• GR2R - 1st one was wet and cold and we had a few rain outs along the way.  But we had a big turn out of new riders and Cascade RLs.  Successful series, and I'm organizing the 2018 editionl
• Chilly Hilly - Signed up but didn’t ride - too wet, cold, and windy for me.
• Snohomish County rides with Dorothe, Cheryl F, Larry, et al.   Thoroughly enjoyed when I rode, especially the ride through Tulalip and farmland.   
• Completed the coffeeneuring challenge.
• Bike share rides in Tampa, Austin, and even Seattle, plus excursions in Key West and the Bahamas.
• Scouted and began rides out of EdCC in SnoCo for exercise during the day.  Want to do more of those in 2018, including some more commuting.
• Mid week Less Hills rides during daylight savings time.  
• CTS - I got burned out on this.  Ride leader work, rules and roles, waiting for the slow riders, etc., all served to make me grumpy about this, which I've done for several years.  

Goals for 2018?  Keep pedaling and enjoy the ride!

2017 Coffeeneuring Challenge Report

The 2017 Coffeeneuring Challenge has been completed, is in the books, and I'm ready to report.  Some of the rides were solo.  A couple were with the Cascade Bicycle Club, but those events hardly qualify as 'organized,' in the sense of a race, century, fund-raiser or the TdF.  This year, I tried to avoid large intergalactic retail chains that have metastasized across the commercial landscape, and instead patronize the local shops, preferably those who also baked their own goodies.

Here's the rundown:

1.   Lundeen Coffee Company in Lake Stevens, Washington, after a 41 mile route with the CBC from Lake Stevens to Granite Falls and then returning via Marysville.   The coffee shack was right across the street from where we started and, coincidentally, we finished.  Drank my standard, a double short Americano, here balanced on my saddle.

2. The next day, a 30 miler solo stopping at Zeitgeist Coffee in Pioneer Square, Seattle.   A must for ambiance, flavor, history, java and their molasses cookies.  I've stopped at Zeitgeist every year during the Coffeeneuring Challenge.  It's worth it.

3.  And, the following Sunday, a similar route took me to the SODO neighborhood (South of the Dome, which no longer exists).   This time, 32 miles and a stop at Macrina Bakery, followed by a visit to The House that Griffey Built, and a return on the Ship Canal Trail.  Autumn is a great time for cycling in Seattle.

4.  Again, back with the Cascade Bike Club, and again with the "Steady" pace group, also known as the slow riders.   We started in fog, with the sun breaking through as the group approached Warm Beach.  Coffee this time #4 at First Class Coffee in Arlington, WA., at rest stop on 40 mile ride in Snohomish County. 2X Americano at coffee stand adjacent to a cannabis shop.  We were downwind from a chicken ranch, but the retail staff at the cannabis shop assured us that that the aroma was better inside their establishment.  We chose to ride on with just caffeine in our system.

5.  Once more, rode the next day, and this time a regular route used for training, city exploring, with a stop at the venerable Larsen's Bakery, a Ballard institution.  Kringle and a double-short Americano to boost my tired legs over the 2nd half of the 23 miler.

6.  Raining, windy, chilly and I needed to go to the library, so I put on the rain jacket, rode up to return a book and pick up the next read, and stopped at the Grateful Bread for a coffee and a cookie. 

3 and a half miles, but hey, it got me out of the house.

7.  It's now November, it rains in Seattle, but in between storms and showers, there's still good cycling, and today, 25 miles out to Sunset Hill, the Chittenden Locks, and back via the Ship Canal trail to Byen Bakeri, for a 2X Americano and some amazing goodie with a Scandinavian name that had sugar, butter, almond paste and puff pastry, and the clear winner of treats for this year's challenge.

So, that's it.  7 rides.  All on the Blue Riot.  7 coffees, all at independent stores, some with excellent bakeries.   All rides took place on Planet Earth, and in all instances, I kept to the Spirit of Coffeeneuring, even on those two excursions that were scheduled group rides.  Our gratitude, thanks and admiration for the Goddess of Coffeeneuring, and once again it is an honor participate with the international community of coffeeneurs in harmony, peace, goodwill, and friendship.   

No Chilly Hilly for Me!

Woke up, looked outside at the rain, the cold (35 degrees F!), saw the breeze, and decided, no.

I wasn't alone in not going.

Here We Go Again

How many times have I done this ride? I've got a record in Garmin Connect from 2010, a ride report from 2008, but am sure that was not the first time.   What I do know is, I don't need the map.

Chilly Hilly is always an adventure of some sort, and this year the weather is supposed to live up to it name.  I've pedaled about 125 miles this year so far, with 3,400 ft of elevation gain, and will add to that before next Sunday.    Here we go again.