Well, duh!

Who knew that West Seattle has two bridges, not one?

Yesterday was clear and warm in the Pacific Northwest, so I planned on going to West Seattle by bike for the first time.

Crossing the Ballard Bridge, I espied the distant snow-capped Olympic Mountains (pic #1).

Then, downtown, Pier 66 (the summertime concert pier) enticed me to ride across rough-hewn boards, towards the railing, where two lone fishermen stood, trying to catch who-knows-what in Puget Sound. The day's second view of the winter Olympics (pic #2) is specifically what grabbed my attention.

The Seattle Bike Map was unclear as to the route to West Seattle--I thought there was a road-level way across the water. And so I looked for that road by going under numerous overpasses, around abutments, past trucks and cranes, in serpentine fashion until I finally decided to stop in at a deli for OJ and info. It turned out that there is a lower as well as an upper bridge to West Seattle, and, according to the helpful woman in the deli, I had to take the lower-yet-very-tall bridge. I rode the bridge's wide bike path, completely separate from the cars.

I traveled the back roads of West Seattle, including a long downhill ride and then a steep uphill climb (that I couldn't have ridden up, even if I were a 20-year-old Lance Armstrong) along Genessee. My first official stop, of course, was a bakery, where I met my friend and had a pastry (double-baked almond croissant--oh, my!--well worth the trip!). Cafe Nouveau (pic #3) should definitely be added to your bakeries-by-bicycle list.

After the refueling and the chat, I headed down to Alki, where I rode along the beach. Pic #4 shows downtown Seattle from lower Alki. Then I wheeled back to and across the bridge. As I passed downtown, in the Olympic Sculpture Park, I caught a glimpse of a statue I hadn't noticed before, backed by the old P-I Globe (pic #5). Friday afternoon workers were heading home early, and I rode the Burke-Gilman Trail with them, reaching home by 4:00, with lots of daylight left, and a huge appetite for dinner.

Today's mileage: 50 miles

46 Miles!

A friend (a veteran RAGBRAI rider) told me that among his RAGBRAI peers, it's been said that the best way to prepare for RAGBRAI is to drink a six-pack of beer and sit on a picket fence for three days--ouch!

Yesterday was supposed to be the best day this week for riding--only a 40% chance of rain. When I headed out in the morning, the skies had not yet opened up.

The first photo is one of my favorite biking vistas in Seattle--the Cascades viewed from the Montlake Bridge (although I'll admit it looks even better on a spring morning).

Next stop: the Hi-Spot Cafe in Madrona. I'd heard about this place for a while, and couldn't wait to try their cinnamon rolls (I'm definitely a believer in "Bakeries by Bicycle", in case you hadn't noticed).) Moist, delicious, cinnamon-y, and well-worth its reputation. Only problem was, I couldn't eat all of it--had to save it for later. The place itself is charming, with lots of light and friendly tables. I'm looking forward to going back, to try their scones, but it looks like the kind of place that would be pretty crowded on a weekend.

On to Lake Washington Blvd. with the idea of heading to Renton, which is the starting point of the Cedar River Trail, which I hope to ride to Black Diamond someday. Along the way to Renton, I stopped at the Rainier Beach Library, to get my library passport stamped (a Seattle Public Library program to get Seattle residents to visit all the city libraries). By the time I left the library, it was pouring.

Pouring, but not cold. That is an important point. If it were 36 degrees and pouring, I would've headed home. But it was 49 degrees and pouring, so I kept going.

Riding along Rainier Ave. S. wasn't much fun, honestly, because heading south, there isn't a bicycle lane. So I rode a sidewalk, dodging cracks and garbage cans. Once I got to the Renton Airport, the road was good, and I even rode about a mile of the Cedar River Trail--can't wait to do the whole length of that trail.

Heading back north on Rainier, there's a bike lane, so the return trip on Rainier was much easier.

On the way back home, the rain was steady, and, with Lake Washington and its birds always to my right, I grew soggy but determined to reach home before dark fell, still at about 4:45 these days. I stopped at a shelter at Seward Park for a little snack, not really hungry, but knowing that my body needed fuel.

I reached home at 3:45, wet and tired, and looking forward to next week's ride, and I hope there'll at least one dry day.

All my gear needs washing! In my many layers, I looked like a riding mudsicle.

The Most Beautiful City

Is there a city more beautiful than Seattle, for biking? If there is, I can't imagine it.

Yesterday, as I left home, I needed my snow mittens, because without them, my fingers would have frozen. I headed south, on the Burke Gilman, landed (for my first stop) at the Essential Bakery on Madision--yum! Then, I took the Seattle Bike Map's suggestion for getting to Lake Washington, by traversing Harrision over the hill, to Lake Washington Blvd., where I rode the several miles to Seward Park.

Side note-- (and a a good one)--I didn't have to walk up any of the hills I encountered on my ride, which means I'm getting stronger. A bunch of guys, as I approached Seward Park, were flying their radio-controlled airplanes (picture #1). Then, after riding around Seward Park (view of Mt. Rainier from Seward, picture #2), I rode to Beacon Avenue along Orcas, also a recommendation of the Seattle Bike Map. I thought the hills would be horrendous, but they were do-able. I got to downtown Seattle via 15th, so that I was able to take picture #3, a view of downtown from the Jose Rizal Park.

In downtown Seattle I hit the Elliott Bay Bookstore, the Central Library, and the Seattle Art Museum (first Thursdays are free!) to see Michelangelo's drawings (hint: if you're an artist, don't throw away your drawings--somebody might want to see them someday).

And finally, I rode along the Elliott Bay path to lower Magnolia, then across the Ballard Bridge just after dark had descended. The bike-and-walking path across the bridge is pretty narrow, so it's better to cross the bridge in daylight. And I rode the last 10 miles home, along the Burke Gilman trail, during bicycle rush hour. There are some really stupid bike riders out there. I saw one guy who flew across an intersection after the light had turned yellow, and he missed, by about one foot, being hit by a car making a turn. Bikers, please protect yourselves!

Total mileage for the day: 41.8