John’s Ramblings

Saturday morning we drove down to Point Defiance Park in Tacoma. Our goal was to do bicycle laps around 5 Mile Drive, which is closed to cars on that morning every week. We have gone there on occasion since we started cycling, so it is a nice “touchstone” to see how we have progressed, and it is also a pretty fine workout given the rolling terrain. I did one “leisurely” lap with Terri in 25 minutes, then did two laps on my own at a more “brisk” pace, 18 & 19 minutes respectively. 12.8 miles for the day. We had to leave at that point because we had be in Seattle in a couple of hours, and we needed time to unload, shower, eat, and drive.

Saturday afternoon we picked up Kevin and Nina, and we headed up to Nancy and Ed’s place on Big Lake, near Mount Vernon. Regular readers will remember this as the lunch stop on day 1 of the RSVP ride. We got the grand tour of the new house, and a boat tour of the lake. The highlight of the visit was doing two laps of the lake on Ed and Nancy’s jet ski at 40 to 50 miles per hour with Nina giggling on the back. That woman likes going fast!

On Sunday I did 25 solo miles down in the Kent Valley. The weather was nice, and the trail was practically empty. Tuesday after work Terri and I did much of the same route for 19.

Wednesday I went out to plot some mileages for my Cascade Bicycle Club ride to Black Diamond and the Green River Gorge. The ride will be about 55 miles long, and I feel the need to have a map and cue sheet so that if riders need to leave the ride or change a flat, they won’t get lost. I only did about 18 miles on the day, and I stopped frequently to mark down mileages at turning points.

It was downright cold when I started the ride, causing me to turn back to the car after 1/4 mile to retrieve my arm warmers and vest. By the time I finished, it was actually starting to get dark. Couple those observations with the fact that the cottonwoods are already starting to give up some of their leaves, and you can tell that summer’s days are numbered. The weather promises to be absolutely splendid for this weekend’s rides, so I plan on enjoying the rides as if they will be the last warm and sunny rides of the season. If I get more, it will be a bonus!

I completed my cue sheet when I got home. Now I only have to figure out the map, which always seems to be the hardest part of putting these rides together.

3,146 miles ytd

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