Bike Ride Report

Distance: 8.2 miles
Time: 45 minutes
Route: The shorter southern route - down to Longbranch and back.

This was one of those days that remind me of fall back in my childhood; warm sun cascading down, leaves beginning to turn, tall firs piercing a dark blue sky, blackberries turning over-ripe on the vine, the hint of autumn in the wind, people out for walks, the shout of children in the schoolyard playground, pumpkins lying in the fields and apples dangling from gnarled branches.

It was a beautiful day.

Bike Ride Report

Distance: 10.2 miles
Time: About an hour (plus a 30 minute pause at Penrose Pt. State Park)
Route: KPH south, Creviston south, Erickson Rd. east, KPH north, Reeves Rd. east, 158th north into Penrose, Delano Rd. back to the house.

Number of cars passed along the way: surprisingly few
Number of people out and about: again, surprisingly few
Number of people in the Penrose Pt. campground: zero (well, I did pass one ranger on his bike)
Number of sea lions I watched swimming through the bay: 1

All in all, a beautiful, cool, late-summer evening for a ride, and a peaceful, quiet time to think, reflect, and blow off some steam.

Bike Ride Report

Route: South to Longbranch, West on Rouse Rd. to Whiteman Rd., north to KPH, back north on KPH to home.
Distance: 11 miles
Time: 1 hour

Just when I thought I knew where all the hills out here are, I found a whole new set of monsters.

Number of barbecues I smelled along the way: 6
Number of coyotes running across the road: 1
Top speed: 35 mph
Point at which I had a splitting headache: mile 2
Point at which I thought my hamstring was going to explode: mile 10

Still, I'd rather be the guy out dying whilst huffing along the road, then the guy sitting in front of my tv watching reality shows on a Sunday afternoon.

Bike Ride Report

Distance: 11.6 miles
Time: 1 hour, 6 minutes
Route: North to the post office, around Home, south along the water, back roads to Longbranch Fire Station, north on the highway to our house.

Did I mention there are a lot of hills out here on the Peninsula? But the sky cleared to a dark blue as I rode along the bay, the clouds turned purple and gold with the sunset (must be Husky fans, them), and only once did a red Explorer try to run me off the road.

Bike Ride Report

Route: Southern Key Peninsula, with a side trip to the beach at Penrose and a loop through the campground.
Distance: 10.2 miles
Time: 59 minutes

Number of piles of rubbish dumped along the road: 3 (one pile of televisions, one pile of whiskey bottles, one camper shell)
Number of times the chain came off the sprocket: 1
Number of really long, hot, sun-blistered hills: 6
Number of chipmunks running across the road: 3 (unless one was stalking me)
Number of arts/music festivals passed along the way: 1
Number of fortunate people enjoying the sunshine and water at Penrose Point: a lot
Number of times I couldn't get my foot out of the pedal clip, causing me to fall flat on my face in front of the fortunate people enjoying the sunshine and water at Penrose Point: 1

Bike Ride Report

Route: Southern Key Peninsula to Penrose Pt. State Park
Distance: 10.3 miles
Time: 1 hour
Weather: absolutely perfect

Nothing of much interest to report, other than the glory of Mt. Rainier rising over green rolling farmland, and the smooth waters of Puget Sound lapping at the Penrose Pt. bulkhead.

However, beside the joy of exercise and the exhilaration of riding through the most beautiful scenery in the world, the greatest reward came at the end with a bush full of huckleberries, and the first thimble berry of the summer.

Bike Ride Report

Route: Side roads through the woods to Longbranch, side roads through the woods to Penrose Point State Park, side roads through the woods back home.
Distance: 10.2 miles
Time: 58 minutes (plus a 20 minute water break at the beach at Penrose)

Nothing special to note regarding this ride, other than the fact that it was early evening, the sun was cutting across the trees onto the western flank of Mt. Rainier, the spring flowers are in full bloom, lawns are mown short, the water in the cove was smooth as glass, and the campground at Penrose is full of happy campers gathered around campfires, preparing for another warm night.

Memorial Day weekend is rarely sunny in the Puget Sound area. If I believed in karma, I would think this was all a straightening-out from our cold, wet winter. But I don't - instead, I simply give thanks to the God who paints his world with such glorious colors, smells, sights, sounds, creatures, plants, coves, waves, and people.

These are the days I'm convinced there is no more beautiful spot on earth than where I live.

As to the greater day:

- Our rummage sale brought in about $4000 in one day - almost twice last year's total.

- The recycling bin has been emptied up at the local solid waste disposal site

- The yard and deck are looking clean

- The propane tank is full

- All we need is the family to show up for a party; then we can say summer is here.

And one more thing: If you're down in Longbranch Monday morning, in the vicinity of the marina, and if you hear taps floating across the water a little after 9:30, that would be me, doing my part for the local Memorial Day wreath laying.

Bike Ride Report

Route: North to Home, South to Longbranch, back north to Penrose Pt, then home again.
Distance Ridden: 11.2 miles (but let me tell you about those hills. . .)
Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes (plus a 20 minute break on the beach at Penrose)
Weather: stunningly perfect
# of bald eagles which flew alongside for a short distance: 1
# of times I was buzzed by a C-17: 2 (well, maybe not buzzed, but he was awfully low to the deck)
# of hills upon which I was descending at a high rate of speed, only to discover my brakes had disconnected and therefore were not working: 1
# of oyster-diggers at Penrose Point: app. 10
# of Jennifer Knapp songs that popped up on the Ipod mix: 3

Bike Ride Report

2nd ride of the season. It rained. Then stopped raining, but remained cloudy. Olivia joined me this time around.

Ride: Pierce County Foothills Trail, Meeker-Orting subdivision
Trail: Former NP/BN rail line, slowly being transformed to multi-use trail.
Distance: 17.1 Miles
Time: 2+ hours
# of fields in which rhubarb was growing: 3
# of Christmas Tree farms: 2
# of bridges crossed: 2
# of little red cabooses: 4
# of motorbikes in the parking lot of the Orting City Park: 75 (approx.)
# of Mormons who passed us along the trail: 2 (well, that were in uniform, anyway)
# of really cool old barns: 3
# of beautiful river valleys now over-run with generic housing subdivisions: 1
# of cows relieving themselves along the trail: 1
Minutes Olivia cried after losing the penny she had just found: 15

All in all, an excellent ride. We'll be back.

Bike Ride Report

1st ride of the season, and the weather was spectacular.

Route: Southern Key Peninsula and Penrose Point State Park
Miles: 10
Time: 1 hour (plus a 20 minute pause at Penrose Pt to read Wendell Berry poetry whilst watching the sun play off the bay, ducks flying high overhead, small birds diving for fish, and the sheer majesty of a clear blue sky)
Dogs by which I was chased: 8
Fields in which llamas were grazing: 1
Swamps filled in with skunk cabbage: 3
Magnificent views of Mt. Rainier: 2
Abandoned hulks of boats lying beside the road: 2
Horses: 2
Times I had to stop for road construction: 1

I'm feelin' it. . .

Let's just say I've never been a huge fan of working out. It seems like too much work without getting anywhere. Same for jogging. Too much sweat and you don't go very far.

But biking on the other hand - the wind in your face, the road unwinding beneath you, the trees whipping by at your side - that I enjoy. And I've been needing to get back into shape for awhile now, and spring is hear, and I've had a lot of time on my hands with the girls in California, so lately I've been doing a lot of bike riding. Mostly a 5 mile ride near our house, or the 10-mile roundtrip to Key Center, or an 8-10 mile ride around Pt. Defiance Park in Tacoma.

Today I pushed it and did a 25-mile ride along the Burke-Gilman trail in Seattle, from my parents' house to Gasworks Park and back. It was a beautiful day for a ride. Mid-60s, cloudless skies, flowers in bloom, slight cooling breeze. It was exhilarating, actually. But let's just say the last 5 miles found my legs turning to jello. And let's just say I've been in pain the rest of the day. Let's just say I'm feelin' the burn, as it goes.

But I saw a lot of people, scooted around some ducks, passed through the all the UW excitement, rode along Lake Washington and Lake Union, I burned about 1200 calories, and I didn't harm the environment in the slightest. That's the kind of workout I can get into.