Day 40, Feeling a bit like Noah!

40 days and 40 nights.........   well it was my 40th consecutive day on the bike.  It was raining and blustery.  I thought about that Biblical story of Noah and his ark after 40 days and nights of rain.  With all the riding in November I was lucky to have mostly dry days, and so far in December it has been pretty nice as well.

It was in the high 50's as I put on my raincoat, booties, helmet cover, waterproof gloves, and my  wind and water resistant long pants.

I rode to Fred Meyer to get some holiday items.

It rained nonstop, but it was warm. The high today was a December record 64 degrees!

I guess every cloud does have a silver lining.

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today............13...............0..............0...............0..............13 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.............650...............0..............0...............0............650
Dec..............166.................0..............0...............0.............166 Total..........6352...............0..............0...............0...........6352

Day 39, surprisingly dry!

The forecast called for heavy rains today in the Seattle area.  It was raining lightly this morning.  I had a few errands to run and took off during a lull in the rain about 10 AM.  A few drops fell as I descended the south side of Queen Anne.  I rolled all the way down to Mercer then followed that down to Elliot. The rain stopped, but I had a great tailwind as I took the lane all the way to Staples. I had a coupon for a ream of paper for the grand total of $0.01.  I had a few other computer related items to shop for while there.  As luck would have it, all they had was the paper.  I bought that and loaded it into my pannier, then continued downwind across the Ballard Bridge to Fred Meyer where I had more luck in finding the cables and adapters I was seeking. 

I loaded the newly purchased items, and since it wasn't raining, I turned toward the west along the Burke-Gilman Trail and rode out to Golden Gardens. 

I turned around and rode back to Fremont, then up Queen Anne the Kralik Way.

I was a good trip, much drier than expected.  It had not rained at all since the first couple miles.
Not bad at all for the 39th consecutive day on the bike!


...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today............22...............0..............0...............0..............22 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.............650...............0..............0...............0............650
Dec..............153.................0..............0...............0.............153 Total..........6339...............0..............0...............0...........6339

Day 38- dry, and then there was rain.

Today I biked to Costco via the US Post Office and back.

The temperatures were in the mid 50's and winds were light as I pedaled out just after 10 AM.  The late start was due in part to the time necessary to determine whether I needed a new laptop or not.
It was a nice ride out.  My mapping program sent me along Seattle's waterfront as I pedaled south.

I made a stop at the Post Office on S 4th to drop a small gift in the mail.  I also stopped for a quick bite to eat. I rode the remaining short distance to Costco where I checked on the details of a recent purchase, and picked out a new laptop.

I loaded it into my pannier and stepped outside, to see that the warm dry weather of my ride to Costco, would be replaced by a warm wet ride back to Queen Anne.  At least I'd have a tail wind.
2 hours after I took the first photos, I took this one from the same location.

While it was raining, I had my rain coat along, and it was warm.  I decided to take the longer way back.  Rather than steep busy streets with wet slick pavement, I decided that multi-use paths and less steep sleepy residential streets with slick pavement would be worth the 7 extra miles.  I traveled from the south side of Queen Anne around the west side to the north side and climbed up via the Kralik Way.

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today............21...............0..............0...............0..............21 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.............650...............0..............0...............0............650
Dec..............131.................0..............0...............0.............131 Total..........6317...............0..............0...............0...........6317

Day 37, hardly worth blogging about

The only thing that can be said about biking today was that I rode.

It was a nice day, dry, warm, nothing like December is supposed to be.
Julie and I had an invitation to join friends at The Swedish Club for the Swedish Pancake Breakfast that is held on the first Sunday of every month. With the weather being so nice it was an easy call to ride the bikes there.

We rolled down Queen Anne for just over 1 mile.  I probably didn't pedal more than 1 revolution the entire way. ( tough duty, but someone has to do it!) 

After a yummy breakfast and sufficient visitation time we continued down to Mercer, then jogged over to Seattle Center where Julie wanted to attend the Urban Craft Uprising.  There were a lot of crafty people selling, and a lot of crafty people buying.

I used some of my "down time" to change out my rear tube, that had developed a very slow leak. It ended up being a small piece of glass.

After a few hours of "shopping" we rode back up Queen Anne via Taylor Ave.  Julie was pleased that she made it all the way up without stopping.  I've been riding up that way with loaded panniers most recently, and found today's ride up to be very easy.  ;-)

'Tis the season, we had to immediately attend a dinner party near Discovery Park, and while the distance was certainly within range of bicycles, we had a multitude of desert contributions that were not easily transported by bike. We parked the bikes and became motorists.

And so, the sun set on one of the nicest days in Seattle this winter, with a paltry 4 miles of biking.  If there was anything worth noting about today's short ride it was that we had almost 600 ft of climbing.

It was a good day, and good enough to be counted as the 37th consecutive day on the bike.

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today.............4...............0..............0...............0...............4 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.............650...............0..............0...............0............650
Dec..............110.................0..............0...............0.............110 Total..........6296...............0..............0...............0...........6296

Day 36

Today was the 36th consecutive day on the bike.  I started off with a couple of errands, one to the hardware store to get some materials to repair a bike rack, and a return via the grocery store to get the last supplies needed for rum balls. ;-) The roads were damp, but it was not raining, and it was 54 degrees!

I repaired the bike rack and dropped off powdered sugar to the rum ball expert, then took off down Queen Anne toward Fremont.  The sun had disappeared and there was some rain falling.  I was carrying a rain coat but rather than put it on I ducked under a roof at Gasworks Park and waited for the shower to pass.

The rain stopped soon enough and I continued along the Burke-Gilman Trail.  The bike advocates in Seattle are a strange lot.  There are limited resources for bike safety, yet they promote this kind of stuff instead of things that would make cycling safer for everyone "from 8 to 80".

At least those who need a rail to lean on will be out of the way of the rest of us.

 I had topped off the tires this morning before starting out.  The back tire seemed a bit soft.  Now, after a few hours, it seemed soft again.  I stopped and brought it back up to pressure again.  I was carrying a spare tube that would work, but was not the ideal size. I planned to keep my eyes open for an opportunity to buy a proper sized tube as I pedaled along.

The skies were grey and there was an occasional drop or two falling but not real rain. 
The view across Lake Washington looked grey and cool.  But while grey, it was quite warm today. There was a noticeable tail wind.

I made a fast food caloric replenishment stop then decided it was time to head back. Those rum balls had to be distributed!  

I was now riding into the wind, making for a more difficult trip.

The sky continued to look somewhat threatening, but rain never quite materialized.  I found out later that others were not as lucky and had wet rides today.

As I neared Fremont there was a bike shop right next to the trail. I stopped and picked up two 700x28-32 tubes.

 

I made it back without having to install the tubes.  That's good.  A floor pump and a sheltered warm garage for that chore makes things much more enjoyable. :-)

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today............41...............0..............0...............0..............41 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.............650...............0..............0...............0............650
Dec..............106.................0..............0...............0.............106 Total..........6292...............0..............0...............0...........6292

Day 35, more elevation than miles

I rode the bike down to the base of Queen Anne to do some banking then rode back up.  There weren't many miles to report, but the 758 feet of climbing I did in the 6 miles were notable.

2/3 of the way up Queen Anne I looked over my shoulder to this view.

  I dodged the rain.  All is well!

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today.............6...............0..............0...............0...............6 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.............650...............0..............0...............0............650
Dec...............65.................0..............0...............0...............65 Total..........6251...............0..............0...............0...........6251

Day 34

Today marked the 34th consecutive day I've been on the bike.  That and $5.95 will get me a Big Mac meal.

I started off from Hillsboro in light rain and rode to the MAX Blue Line  

In about 10 minutes the train arrived.

I exited the train in downtown Portland, right next to Pioneer Courthouse Square, where Portland puts up the town's Christmas Tree, and  also where it hosts the Holiday Brewfest under a city block of circus tents.  If I would have been thinking I would have arrived a bit earlier to allow a little time to be spent sampling some holiday cheer.

I only had to ride 4 blocks to where the Bolt Bus would pick me up for the next leg of today's trip.
 I had about a half hour before the Bolt Bus arrived, not nearly enough time to detour through tents.

A pretty decent rain shower passed over as I waited for the Bolt Bus.  It would rain most of the way as we rode up to Seattle.  We arrived in Seattle without incident.

It continued to rain lightly as I made my way through downtown and up Queen Anne.  I dropped off my panniers and continued northward, heading toward a volunteer appreciation event sponsored by Cascade Bicycle Club. I dropped off Queen Anne and crossed the Fremont Bridge then followed the Burke-Gilman Trail. It was now dark but the rain had stopped.  There is extensive construction happening in the area of University of Washington and the trail is rerouted through campus.  With the combination of darkness, rain, and a plethora of  various signage, I missed a turn and soon found myself riding back toward Queen Anne.  I turned around and went back into the detour, only to find myself going the wrong way again!  This would not do, I was late already, and these missteps were only adding to my tardiness. For my third attempt I skipped the temporary two way cycle tracks of UW, put on my big boy pants and rode in the streets.

I finally arrived at CBC Headquarters and got "appreciated".  After spending some time there I geared back up and pedaled out.  There were just a few scattered drops of rain as I made my way back.

Looking across Lake Union

I crossed the Fremont Bridge in the opposite direction from what I did just a couple of hours earlier.  I paused along the Ship Canal to take a photo.

I rode back up Queen Anne via the Kralik Way and was happy to have made the trip without appreciable rain.

Free dinner and a beer........and chocolate cake!
Day 34 wasn't bad at all.

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today............32...............0..............0...............0..............32 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.............650...............0..............0...............0............650
Dec...............59.................0..............0...............0...............59
Total..........6245...............0..............0...............0...........6235

A few miles

I had a board meeting for the Forest Grove Rural Fire Protection District to attend this evening.  The weather was favorable, the sky was blue, temperatures were in the very high 30's, there would be a moderate tailwind.  It would be my 33rd consecutive day on the bike.  All good reasons to ride.
I took off a bit early to ensure that I would get the ride out to Forest Grove in daylight.  I spent a bit of time in the library reading while waiting for meeting time.

The meeting finished up near 9PM.  As I stepped out of the conference room into the night air it felt warm, and there was also a heavy mist falling.

I had raingear along, but chose to not wear it.

The wind had died down so the expected headwind did not materialize, well  not much anyway.
 It was a nice night to ride.  It was relatively warm. The rain drops got a bit larger as I pedaled along, but weren't falling heavily enough to even make the road wet.

You can't ask for much more than that for a bike ride in December.

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today............16...............0..............0...............0..............16 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.............650...............0..............0...............0............650
Dec...............27.................0..............0...............0...............27
Total..........6213...............0..............0...............0...........6213

Squeaky Clean

Today my Mom, my sister, and I attended the memorial service for my Uncle Harley, an American Hero. It was a pretty drive down the Willamette Valley to Dallas. It was 27 degrees as we left Hillsboro but was in the low 40's as we neared Dallas, far from the cold draft of the Columbia River Gorge.

With the commute both directions and the memorial service it was nearly dark by the time we arrived back in Hillsboro. My mom wanted me to drive to town and get some dishwashing detergent.  In the interest of #keepingthestreakalive I decided to take the bike.

It was dry, nearly calm, and 38 degrees.  So what if it was dark!

It was a good night for a ride, and now the dishes will be clean!

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today.............4...............0..............0...............0...............4 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.............650...............0..............0...............0............650
Dec...............11.................0..............0...............0...............11
Total..........6197...............0..............0...............0...........6197

Seattle to Portland to Hillsboro with a bike

But only pedaled 7 miles.  After a November that, while riding every day, I only logged 650 miles, I am hoping to bump the miles up a bit in December.  Today was not a very good start toward that goal.

I rode 4 miles down Queen Anne at 11AM with the temperature at 29 degrees to the Bolt Bus pickup point.
I made my way to Portland in comfort, warm, WiFi, 120VAC outlet to keep electronics charged.

There was a 75% chance that there would be freezing rain when I got to Portland, but luckily that did not materialize.

When I got to Portland I rode 6 blocks to the MAX blue line and took it to Hillsboro. Taking the MAX allowed me to get to Hillsboro just before dark.  I used the last few minutes of daylight to fine tuned some holiday lighting automation for my mom. 

...........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total Today.............7...............0..............0...............0...............7 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.............650...............0..............0...............0............650
Dec................7.................0..............0...............0................7
Total..........6193...............0..............0...............0...........6193