John’s Ramblings

I loaded up the bike after work and headed down to the valley for a little road time after work today. I started from Main Street & the Interurban Trail in Auburn, and made a beeline for Auburn/Black Diamond Road. I had done a few steep hills yesterday, so I figured I would ride as fast as I could reasonably manage up the Hatchery Hill. It is 400 ‘ of climbing spread out over 4.5 miles. I put a watch on the climb, and from the base of the hill (I think it’s an anti-littering sign) to the 3 way intersection with Kent/Black Diamond Road was 19 minutes. I’ll use that as my baseline as I hammer my way through fall and winter on the hills around here.

Just before the town of Black Diamond, I went right on 218th and flew down the hill to Green Valley Road. It is a really lovely little stretch of rural countryside, marked often with signs warning motorists that bicycles are on the road. I actually got a wave or two from passing motorists, and I don’t mean the single finger kind. I got one horn-honk as I started up Auburn/Black Diamond Road, but I wasn’t really in the path of the car. I’ll assume it was either a.) someone I know, tooting “hello”, or b.) someone admiring my chisled calves. Either way is fine with me. At my age, you take what you can get.
23 miles tonight, 3,025 year to date. At a co-workers prompting I did extensive research and found that this is the same mileage as if I had ridden from Seattle to Boston, Mass. Not bad for an old fart.

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