Day 23 of #ridingeverydayinNovember

 As the day dawned it was raining and windy.  I pulled up the weather app on my phone and noted that the chance of rain dropped to 20% between the hours of 10AM and 4PM.  I decided that I was going for a ride.  My Seattle friends were wringing their hands in angst while looking at the rain falling trying to decide if they would ride. I knew they would continue to waffle until there was no longer time to ride.

As I rolled out there were still a few drops falling, and would continue to do so while I rode the first 7-10 blocks.  Then it quit, and would not return for the rest of my ride.

My plan today was to take a self guided tour of some of my favorite water views. I rolled straight down Queen Anne to the Ship Canal and followed it toward salt water.

 I arrived at the Hiram Chittenden Locks, the dividing line between the freshwater lakes and the saltwater of Puget Sound.

I followed the shoreline closely and was soon looking across Shilshole Bay.

Looking upstream, back up at the locks.

The Kitsap Peninsula in the distance

 I continued through the Lawtonwood neighborhood where I got a good view of sailboats on the Sound.

I arrived at Discovery Park and set about exploring.

I  rode to the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center. I did not stop in today but will make a point to do so soon.  Today I would be content to ride the car free roads.

I rode out to the West Point Lighthouse.

It seems that no matter which body of water I ride by in the Seattle area, I see these signs.

It is sad the progress comes at such a cost.

On my way out of Discovery Park I detoured a bit to pass through historic Ft Lawton.

Surprisingly, the fort closed just 3 years ago.

I exited the park and followed Magnolia Blvd.

Soon I was able to look south across Elliot Bay and see Alki Point.

I made my way off Magnolia and rode along Seattle's waterfront.

Elliot Bay with Bainbridge Island in the distance

I 

Looking across Elliot Bay toward the Duwamish Waterway

 I rode across the West Seattle Low Bridge and stopped to take a photo as I crossed over the Duwamish Waterway, the highly modified Duwamish River.

I stopped at Jack Block Park, a former Superfund Site.
In addition to being yet another location with signs warning that it is not safe to eat seafood from the waters, it also has some nice views of Seattle across Elliot Bay.

 

I rode out to Tully's a traditional turn around point and refueling stop.  I did not stop, just turned around and started back.  The day had continued to clear as it progressed.  I ran across friend Eric as I exited the the West Seattle Bridge. He had just completed an interview with some cyclists for his new blog project.

With the skies now clear enough to see the Olympic Mountains across Puget Sound I couldn't help but stop to take another photo.

With time running short I tucked the camera away and pedaled. It had taken me most of the day to ride about 50 miles and take some photos, but it was now time to get going.

 I took the Elliot Bay Trail to the Ship Canal Trail back to Fremont, then The Kralik Way back up Queen Ann.

It was a surprisingly good day, far better weather than expected.

Day 23 of #ridingeverydayinNovember can get checked off the list!

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today...........52...............0..............0...............0.............52 Jan.............710...............0..............0...............0............710
Feb............ 578...............0..............0...............0............578
March ..........701...............0..............0...............0............701
April...........749...............0..............0...............0............749
May.............613...............0..............0...............0............613
June............309...............0..............0...............0............309
July............615...............0..............0...............0............615
August..........359...............0..............0...............0............359
Sept............292...............0..............0...............0............292
Oct.............708...............0..............0...............0............708
Nov.............550...............0..............0...............0............550 Total..........6086...............0..............0...............0...........6086