On a mission

I'm in Seattle and had some time today, and the weather was dry.  I took off on a mission to get 37 miles. That would put me over 500 miles for the month.  Whoop de doo. (not) This milestone used to be reached 10 or so days into each month. Now it only marks a progression: 0 miles in January, ~125 in Feb, ~250 in March, ~500 in April.

I thought a ride out the Burke-Gilman Trail and Sammamish River Trail might be nice.  Before I could get too far along, I decided to see if the new I-520 floating bridge was open to bikes yet. I poked around the west end looking for an access to the bike lanes. I ended up riding in the Arboretum, a favorite spot to kayak.

As I rode around in the Arboretum I came across a Golden Chain tree.  I happen to know this tree because my parents had one in the front yard for a year or two before deciding that they wanted something different.

I eventually found myself at a conglomeration of cyclone fencing, orange cones, and construction tape, as well as a supervisor type construction worker.  He told me that the bike lanes were not yet open, and wouldn't be open until the old bridge was removed.  He said that should be done by late July.  Oh well, I made my way back to the BG and headed out.

The Burke-Gilman is not the nicest trail to ride.  There are many root ridges, as well as numerous street crossings.  Once I got to the Sammamish River Trail the surface improved and there were far fewer crossings, mostly because the trail ran along a river and vehicles wouldn't have anywhere to go without having a bridge.

I did cross a pedestrian bridge to scope out the Bothell Schoolhouse.

I continued out just a short distance beyond Red Hook Brewery. I was near Lake Sammamish.

I turned around and began my return trip.   After a few miles I came across a woman trying to fix a flat tire on her three wheeled cycle.  I offered assistance, she accepted.  It was a tough tire to change, but I eventually got it changed and back on the bike. She thanked me, and I rode on, having done my good deed for the day.

There was a bit of headwind as I made my way  along Lake Washington, but it was only slightly bothersome.  The clouds thickened as the day progressed, but no rain fell.  The high was 62 degrees.
Not a bad day for a bike ride at all.

.........Road Bike.....Rollers.............MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ........45................0...................0.......................0...........45
Jan...............0................0...............,...0.......................0............0
Feb..........124...............0...................0.......................0...........124
March......277................0..................0........................0..........277
April......508................0..................0........................0..........508
YTD...... 909...............0...................0.......................0...........909