So I'm a cargo biker ...

First, I had to test out my new pannier by loading up the rest of the Halloween decorations in it:

That's right; there are witch boots hanging out of that bag.

Then I loaded up with some techy items from the UW bookstore (yay for student discounts), and brought those to Bremerton and back (the store was "on the way" to work).

My bike hauls pretty well.

It also needs new brakes, but that'll get remedied tomorrow.

More commute photos

I rode home in the pouring rain last night, so it was nice to wake up to this:

It's still chilly, but at least I'm not soggy! The view's not bad, either.

First early morning bike commute

And all is well. I got a new jacket and (more) new lights for my bike, so I'm riding pretty. I wouldn't mind a pair of gloves, since it's kind of chilly, but that will come along later.

Here's my gear on the ferry, complete with musliex and chocolate milk. A bit too sweet for my tastes, but that's all I could find (the milk, that is).

And this is the bag I tote it all around in. It has been a good bag.

Most ambitious ride yet.

switchback, originally uploaded by tonrix.

So I volunteer at the Arboretum, but have always driven there. I decided today that I'd buck up and try to bike there. I did it, and then some -- ended up going about 25 miles, about half of which was on city streets. Phew. Here's a photo of part of a switchback I had to force myself to go up.
Here's a map of my route.


Lake tour at EveryTrail

Opening day of Seattle's first light rail

I got on the light rail, which opened today, at my friendly neighborhood station, rode down to Tukwila (near the airport), then back up to downtown Seattle. And then back to my neighborhood. It was pretty packed and everyone was pretty excited about the goings-on. I was expecting long, long waits (perhaps an hour?) at each station that I had to get out at; the longest wait I had was maybe 15 minutes.

My station.

Inside the car.

This dude's taking a break. The people in front of me got a big laugh out of that.

I-5.

Test mode.

Substantial crowds at the Tukwila station, where we all had to disembark and get back on again.

View of Seattle from far south on the light rail line.

This is the closest grocery store to my house. I don't go there. It's really, really old and has more chips than carrots. Remodel planned for January!

Going under Beacon Hill.

The bus transit tunnel underneath downtown.

One of the many cool sculptures in the Beacon Hill station, which is 180 feet underground.

At the end, I stopped to get a cookie at my favorite bakery.

And I saw this bike, which I like a lot.

And this bumper sticker.

And here's a long video (six minutes!) of a few segments of the ride.

room of requirement

room of requirement, originally uploaded by tonrix.

A secret little door at the Columbia City Cinema. Too cute. Saw it as I was exiting "Harry Potter."

Ride to 90

I went for a bike ride up to I-90 and back along Lake Washington Boulevard; just kind of wanted to see if I could do it. It was a windy day and phew! Those hills! But I did it, and it was beautiful.

Mt. Baker Boating Club.

I-90! I made it!

 A pretty bike path near the I-90 overpass.

Seattle welcomes summer

The Fremont Solstice Parade is famous. It's held in the "Center of the Universe ," but it's mostly famous for its naked bicyclists that mark the beginning of the parade. Naked minus creative body paint. If that counts.

It was jam-packed on the bus ride to get to Fremont. It was so busy in other parts of the city that a friend who was going to meet me there wasn't able to make it!

But first, do you remember this guy? I do. I doubt I will ever forget him, either.

Then the naked bicyclists. This is all I could find that was appropriate!

And here is an assortment of characters from the parade:

The hula-hooper in the middle of this picture was on my bus: 

Zombies! 

And the Flying Spaghetti Monster! 

And a giant ball that runs over kids!

Oh wait ... now it's running over the audience.

And there's no explanation for any of these floats. There are few rules for the parade, but one of them is: No written words. So, we're left to guess.

But this was my favorite float of all. And I have no clue what group it might have been for.

Trees, trees and more trees.

I have been volunteering for the Washington Park Arboretum, taking pictures of what's in bloom -- or just interesting -- and writing blurbs about the plants. Eventually my work will go onto a website that will tell visitors what is interesting to look at in the Arboretum at that point of the year. 

It's a very precise process, as each picture I take has to correspond with the precise, exact, plant that it is representing. But it has been fun, and my co-workers/volunteers have been very good to work with. They've even been teaching me how to orienteer, which is a challenge, but one I'm really glad to be tackling.

Folklife

I went to Folklife Festival yesterday. It was fun to go back ... I hadn't been there since high school or early college. It's a free festival of local, independent, folk-type music. For hippies, you know? There were tons of crafts booths there (market research!) and the people watching was fantastic. The music was fun too. To top it all off, I went to the Seattle International Film Festival at the end of the day and saw "Opium Wars." A wacky and sad movie all at once.

Back to Folklife:

A punk band ... with a flute

Requisite shot of the beautiful surroundings

Audience-participating Haydn chorus

Female rappers with a full backing band, busking.

Some Americana folk

But the BEST PART of the day was this:

And for it I have no words.