Rollin' ... and walking. And resting. And rollin' a little more.

I  rode the Chilly Hilly with Seth on Sunday. It was a really good time despite being completely exhausting. 

chilly

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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.

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.

To Mercer Island (almost)

I'm in a coffee shop on Beacon Hill right now, enjoying a oh-so-healthy treat in the middle of my bike ride. I brought my computer because I'm much more productive when I'm not at home.

It's hard to work, though, since I'm so amped up with adrenaline: I rode across the I-90 floating bridge, and back. You'd think that because it's floating that it's flat, right? Wrong. You've gotta go up a hill to get back to land. Phew.

It's really noisy, since it's right along I-90. It's an interesting trip, though ... you're right by the water AND the traffic. Next time I think I'll ride around Mercer Island instead of turning around before I got to land (I had plans to make it to this coffee shop and going around Mercer Island would mean I would be too tired to make it up the hill to get here).

On the way back to Beacon Hill I came upon this sculpture, this time during an overcast day (last time the sun was blazing). 

It is 30 degrees cooler than it was last Wednesday. A perfect day to ride.

Ride around Seattle

And when I say around Seattle, I really mean around ... didn't go too far into the city core, since that's where all the hills are, after all. A good trip, though, and I got to see things I haven't seen before.

Three duck boats in Lake Union.

The very end of the Burke ... I've been to the other end too, but didn't catch the sign.

The beach and the Olympics at Golden Gardens park.

A long, narrow, rickety bike bridge above some railroad tracks.

Enough said?

I got tired so I didn't ride my bike all the way home (more hills!). Instead I took the light rail. Easy. Except for the getting-the-bike-hung-up part. That'll get better with time, I'm sure.

A map of my route:

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Map created by EveryTrail: Geotagging Community

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

Trip over I-90

I took off on a 16-mile bike ride yesterday, with the intent to go from my house, OVER I-90 (I just found out you could do that), then up Beacon Hill and back down to home. It wasn't a terribly long ride, but it was hilly and H.O.T.

That shore in the background? That's my goal.

Standing above I-90. The westbound lanes were closed. Odd.

Sign that greets you as you enter Seattle. I got to see it close-up.

Exiting the bike tunnel that goes above the I-90 traffic.

One of the sidewalk embellishments. Vampires, anyone?

Biking right ON I-90, almost. Crazy.

A cool pagoda, and our very parched land.

Detail of the pagoda.

A Monopoly-themed art installation?

After that I was too tired/in too much traffic to take pictures. The rest of the trip involved a picnic, so it was good, just not picturesque, I guess!

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.

10-mile cruise

My housemate and I took a bike ride to Seward Park , just a mile or so east of our house, then went up the closed-for-the-day Lake Washington Blvd., then, hey, why not get some groceries? I got some good tips from her on how to ride on city streets and some good tips from my lungs that hey, maybe they are tired.

There's my housemate swimming in Lake Washington. The I-90 bridge is in the background.

Instead, my bike and I just relaxed on a bench.