59. Bike to Work Day

Today was "Bike to Work Day."  I put my bike in the Volvo, drove to Fed Way Park & Ride then cycled 11.8 miles in the the cold rain to work.  Why drive at all? Tomorrow after my night shift, I'll bike/bus back to FW, pick up the car and drive to pick up Sage at the airport that's just a few miles up the road.  I'll have 15 minutes from end of shift to catch the bus; no problem.

It took me an hour because I still don't have a working high gear, and the faster I cycled, the more rain swept up from the front tire into my face.  Put on a fender, you say? Like you said you would last fall?  But the monsoon season's almost over, so maybe I'll wait it out.

I could have met with follow cyclists on the steps of city hall, greeting our new cycling mayor, but no, there I am alone on Hiway 99, through Milton and Fife, past the native American smoke and firework stores, the truck stops and trucker motels near the port, and finally up the hill to St Joseph's.

58. Googlegate

Sure, I knew that Google Maps for Bicycles is still in the "beta" phase, and even if it weren't, I should have brought a traditional road map, but still naive after all these years, I just printed up the Google directions and started the 44 mile trip home. After a light night shift and weather predicted for sunny mid-60's, I was looking forward to the ride. Six (yes, six) hours later, I wheeled into the driveway, thinking, dumb, dumb, dumb. It wasn't all Google's fault. For a while I followed the Green River trail upstream when I knew my destination was coastal not glacier. And the headwind didn't help.