A record setting day!

Well, okay, not a biking record, but a weather record, and technically it didn't set a record, but tied the record.  Today reached 54 degrees in Seattle.  That was the warmest day since just before Thanksgiving.

I took off about noon.

I started off by riding to Golden Gardens.  The view across Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains seemed like a reasonable goal.

With the nice weather, I decided to ride one of my favorite routes, Magnolia.  I rode to the Hiram Chittendon Locks and crossed over.

From where I took the above photo, I began a steep climb up the Magnolia peninsula. A good portion of the climb was at 15%.  It did level off as it passed over a deep ravine with a couple of railroad tracks at the bottom.

One of the best things about Magnolia is the smooth asphalt and wide roads. It is in deep contrast to most of the rest of Seattle.

The views from here aren't bad either.

I finished the ride along the edge of the peninsula then rolled down to Elliot Bay. It was a nice day to ride through Olympic Sculpture Park.

The construction along Seattle's waterfront has continued and today the two lanes each way with sidewalks has morphed into a 1 narrowed shared lane each way. I took the center of the lane and rode hard enough to keep up with the flow of traffic, There was a construction zone speed limit of 25 mph, and the cars mostly stayed pretty close to that given the the lane zigged and zagged back and forth between work zones.

I continued out across the Duwamish River.

I rode as far a Jack Block Park. I had stopped for lunch early in today's ride and  the sun was getting lower in the sky.  I thought if I rode all the way out to the Alki Lighthouse, it would be pressing dark by the time I'd be finished. I rode out to the observation deck and took these two photos.

I turned back around and retraced my route back toward Seattle's waterfront. The light had changed and improved the looks back southeast.

Clouds had begun to build as the day progressed.  It made for some interesting views of the Olympic Mountains.

I rode back around Queen Ann and made my way up via the Kralik Way.  Don't worry about not being able to find that on maps, it is a route that I learned from Cascade Bicycle Club's Scott Kralik.  It makes the climb up Queen Ann easier while adding a bit of distance.

I got back up the hill, and still had a bit of time before the sun would set.  I decided to ride out to Kerry Park for a classic view of downtown Seattle. I wasn't the only one with that plan, the overlook was quite crowded tonight.

It was a nice ride, and a great day to ride it!

.........Road Bike........Rollers.............MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today .......40................0....................0........................0.........40
Jan..............198...............15...................0......................31..........244