Amy & her boys

Bob, Geoff & Amy

The plan was to ferry some supplies over to the Kitsap Peninsula for the 300km and for a couple volunteers to get-in a ride before they supported the 300km. Mark’s email message read,

“Here's the proposed plan for ride on Saturday.

I'm going to take car over to Bainbridge and park up the hill at the motel. It will probably have a lot of brevet supplies, so it would be better to plan for others to ride up the hill from the ferry.

I was thinking of taking the 7:55 ferry to Bainbridge and riding to Port Hadlock via 305, Big Valley Road (or maybe go along the water in Poulsbo), Hood Canal Bridge, Paradise Bay Road, and Oak Bay Road. After lunch, return via Beaver Valley Road, Hood Canal Bridge, Port Gamble, Squamish. See http://tinyurl.com/59y8vq.

We'd probably be back in Bainbridge by around 4, depending on coffee stops.”

Willing participants included Bob Brudvik, Geoff Swarts, Mark Roberts, Jon Muellner, Robin & Amy Pieper and me. While 15 other randonneurs planned a 300km ride for the day, ours was much less ambitious. With a few coffee stops, our plan was a casual ride of 120km.

Bob spent the first half of the ferry boat ride showing off his new mini pump to Robin. According to the hype on the packaging, it was more powerful and quicker. After Bob and Robin returned from the car-deck, we could see that Bob was itching to tryout his new pump on a real ride (rather than on Lisa’s tires in their garage).

For the rest of us, the boat ride provided an opportunity for those who traveled to Wenatchee last weekend to share their experiences. We who didn’t go to Wenatchee were green with envy.

As we approached Bainbridge, we observed the rain hitting the sound. It was wet out there. With the hope that if we stopped for coffee in Bainbridge, we could wait out the rain we made our first stop before we really got started. While drinking our coffee, Eric Vigoren called Mark Thomas to inform him that 15 riders started the 300km, with Jennifer Chang and another rider starting about an hour late. Jennifer had fallen leaving the ferry boat at Bremerton and bent her front wheel. Eric retrieved one of his wheels from home for her to borrow.

After about an hour in the coffee shop, our choice was to ride in the rain back to the ferry terminal or to start-off towards Port Hadlock. After much debate, we headed north, away from home and towards Jon Muellner, who would be meeting us on the other side of the Hood Canal Bridge.


Geoff, Amy & Mark

After crossing the Agate Pass Bridge, we detoured off Highway 305 and onto the back roads into Poulsbo. Once in the pretty town, Mark made some comment about a coffee stop. There was a very nice bakery and café straight ahead; I pulled in, and others joined me. The éclair (my first since Paris-Brest-Paris) was delicious!

Eric called to inform us that a car pulled out in front of Michael Huber in Shelton. The front fork on his beautiful Rivendell was bent and unrideable. Mark called Jon to inform him that given our current pace, we would not meet-up with him on time. That was okay for Jon; he turned around and headed home to a warm shower.

We skipped crossing the Hood Canal Bridge and made our next stop at the General Store in Port Gamble. After a light meal, Amy dropped her spoon into the trashcan. For the next few minutes, we watched her bent-over diving into the trash to retrieve it.

It was still raining when we readied to depart. Mark noticed that his front tire was a low due to a small leak. Bob pulled out his new mini pump ready to give it a go. The rest of us left them alone to do their thing, while watching from inside the warm and dry General Store. The two of them made quite a spectacle. Mark’s hands were nearly black from his dirty rim and cleaning out the tire. Bob gave it his best shot with the pump. However, he looked really unsatisfied. At best, he filled the tire to 85psi. His quest for a fulfilling mini pump experience continues!

We rolled back onto Highway 104 and then onto Port Gamble Road. This was Amy’s first time on this road, and she enjoyed its climbs.



Once back to Bainbridge, we refueled at an eatery before saying goodbye to the Marks and Geoff and returning to the ferry terminal. We had an enjoyable day with friends!!!

Pure utility - bicycles in Italy

Anita, Emma & I spent Emma’s spring break in Italy. While there, I observed Italians and their use of bicycles in their daily lives. The rain in Pisa doesn’t deter people from using their bicycles in their daily routine. They adapt with umbrellas.

Firenze (Florence) is a very busy city. Based upon my unscientific observations, I conclude that the preferred mode of transportation (other than walking or riding the bus) is split fairly evenly between riding bicycles, riding scooters or motorcycles and driving automobiles. Each participant shares the road with each other. There are no separate lanes for human, diesel or gasoline-powered vehicles. I often noticed a singe bicyclist taking the full narrow lane (that is a narrow curb-to-curb lane) riding at her/his steady pace while automobilists patiently drove behind the cyclist - amazingly beautiful respect for others!

Wooden bicycle built from the drawings in the Atlantic Manuscript drawn by either Leonardo da Vinci or one of his pupils

The on-street bicycle parking surprised me.

My favorite observation was watching a very nicely dressed woman with her two haute culture shopping bags. She placed her shopping bags into the front basket on her bicycle, unlocked the securing chain and readied to continue her trip. Wow!

Bicycles parked outside the train station in Firenze.


Ciao!

Nice time riding with buddies

Mark, Bob & I (along with Bill & Rick) volunteered to help Greg with the 200km. The week before, we pre-rode the 200km. Our ride stayed drier and a bit warmer that those who rode yesterday. Today, we went for a coffee shop ride; beginning with coffee and cinamon rolls in Lake Forest Park. We rode to Monroe via High Bridge and then onto Snohomish where we had coffee before returning the direct route to LFP.

We saw many others riding their bicycles. It was a great day to enjoy the company of friends!

The Politics of Human Power

Thanks to Kent Peterson for sharing his story about him and Christine walking to their caucus. Kent posted a photo of Barack Obama as a child riding his tricycle. It dawned on me that Anita and I each have a photo from the same period in our lives. So here they are. The photos date from 1964 when we were three years old.

“Hey, you’re happy!”

I was feeling disappointed that I wouldn’t be joining my buddies on the winter training series ride this morning. Instead, I would be riding my bicycle to work. This is one of my busiest times of the year and working both days of the weekend is becoming commonplace during mid January.

Riding home tonight, two young boys ran out into the street. One looked up at me and yelled, “Hey, you’re happy!”

Wow, am I really that transparent?

Wow, this is inspiring!

A lady rode her bicycle to church this morning.

Friends!

Bob Brudvik, Robin Pieper, Peter Liekkio, Wayne Methner, Mark Thomas and I met for coffee and a bicycle ride. The Great Harvest Bread Co. in Lake Forest Park makes as good a starting location as any. After fresh coffee and baked goods, we started our ride a round the top of Lake Washington. Mark is still recovering from damage to his tendons in his right foot. We all seem happy with the flat terrain.

If ever curious about what we talk about during these rides . . . we discuss women, children, bicycle frames & components, past bicycle rides and plans for future rides. As we turn into the head winds, Robin and Bob are pulling us along, when one them states, “if we are going to ride for Charlie Miller at PBP 2011, then we need to ride it in style.” Dreams.



We reluctantly share pulls up front as we head towards West Lake Sammamish Parkway. Peter Liekkio flats. We all stop. After Pete repairs his puncture, we continue. Soon after, Mark flats, except that none of us know this since he is behind.

He pulls aside. Seeing what he thinks is a piece of brown glass inside his tire, he continues to dig out it until he learns that “no that is not glass, it is the tire tread.” Having dug a hole into his tire, he replaces it. While preparing to inflate his new tube, the lever on his bicycle pump, the one that clamps the head of the pump to the valve stem, is broken. He finds a tool to “open” the pump head. Once seated onto the valve stem, the head will not clamp onto it. He needs to hold it in place with one hand, while the other hand pumps air into his tube.

After putting sufficient air into his tire to roll to our predestined coffee stop, he gathers up the “garage sale potpourri” of stuff from his bicycle bag and continues to the Tully’s in Issaquah; except that none of us are there. Robin has made an impromtu change of plans. We are waiting for Mark at the coffee shop inside the PCC, just down the street. After a phone call, Mark joins us. Gee, none of his friends were there to assist him with repairing his flat or to loan a good pump to him. Twenty minutes after getting some fresh coffee, he is feeling better and we continue our journey. Next up is the stretch of East Lake Sammamish Parkway that we adopted and cleaned earlier this autumn.

The return home is smooth and quick. We turned directions and enjoyed the winds at our backs. The group breaks into faster and slower groups. We regroup at the finish and make tentative plans for next weekend. Robin is eager for us to start at a place near his home in Renton.

It was a great day for friends to be riding our bicycles!