First cycling day in Greece!

This is our third day in Greece, but the first "real" day of the bicycle tour. It was a great start. Leisurely riding around a beautiful little island called Spetses, in the southeast corner of the Peloponnese peninsula. It was a good chance for Cath to try out a road bike for the first time since college, including her first real ride using pedals and cleats. She didn't fall even once and had no trouble keeping up with everyone, even on a couple bumpy stretches.

Since it was just a 15 mile ride, we took every detour to various beaches, and stopped lots of times to take in the scenery and take pictures. Once we got away from town and its buzzing motorcycles, there was almost no traffic around the whole island. And the road surface -- not counting the short detours to the beaches -- ranged from good to excellent. One slightly hairy stretch took us down a super steep road, on a very bumpy surface with a mishmash of grooves and layered concrete to a nice little beach. It was tricky riding both directions and a couple people in the group walked it.

At one beach, Colleen led us along a path to a cave. The cool thing is that you could approach the cave either through a hole in the rocks, or by swimming. It had a low ceiling, and went back about 50 feet or so. There was one strange large formation in the very back, with a kind of large depression carved in the top. It made me think of a throne and creatures that Ulysses might have had to fight off!

There's no question that we came at a good time. The weather is warm enough to swim, but not too hot at all. More importantly, the summer crowds are gone. Apparently most of these beaches are pretty crowded, and there must be a lot of cars on the road. Today the beaches were nearly deserted. Lunch was at a perfect little cafe overlooking the water. We wound up eating in town. We did stop and check out a couple other places around the island, but they were closed now that it is off-season.

Cougar-Issaquah-Sammamish

My objective was to simulate the first day of the upcoming Arizona ride, so I planned out a 100 mile ride with nearly 10,000 vertical feet. I came close. Randy, Gary, Clint, and Kevin were along on most of the first half and agreed that it was a pretty good route. We wound our way over to Hilltop, then Pinnacle, then Cougar Mtn Drive, all in the general direction of Cougar Mountain. Then we did Squak Mountain. At that point the others split off and I headed north and east to do a loop around Beaver Lake and Sammamish, which was the reverse from a part of the Randonneur route in February. On the way back, I went up the "zoo hill" from Newport Way. To round out the 100 miles, did Mercer Island and followed the I90 lid to downtown, and came back via Dravus and Fremont.

Cycling the Cougar-Squak Suburbs

As most cyclists in the greater Seattle area know, if you feel like getting serious about hills - head to the Cougar Mountain area. There are lots of great climbs on mostly light traffic roads. This weekend I tackled them both days. Saturday morning Kevin joined up with me and we slogged through a non-stop downpour for more than 50 miles and about 5,500 feet. It was not cold, and we had a lot of fun discovering new climbs and getting turned around. The cue sheet I'd made in advance was mostly correct, but had several problems that caused us to circle around a few times in a couple places. After a few hours, we headed back home and included M.I. on the way back.

Last night I studied the maps more closely and made some modifications to my cue sheet, and added in some more hills. Today I waited till noon for the showers to end (no rain all afternoon!) then tackled the hills again. This time things went quite a bit better - though I still had to make an extra loop or two - and I added in Squak Mountain and Lakemont climbs for a total of about 70 miles and 7,500 feet. Have now studied the maps more, and have updated the cue sheet again to make things even more interesting the next time.

Blown away in Death Valley

It was quite the contrast. Exactly one week ago I cycled 85 miles in the rain and wind, with snow on both sides of the road, past the forests, beaches, and vistas of Puget Sound and nearby lakes. It was a great ride. Today I cycled 150 miles through Death Valley. This was just as spectacular, and an unforgettable ride. I don’t think the grandeur and vastness of Death Valley can be captured in words or pictures. The rocks and soil are naked of most vegetation. The walls surrounding the valley are amazing colors and shapes. It is land in its rawest form. This was supposed to be the springtime in Death Valley, and I had coaxed Catherine into coming with me by promising stunning flowers. But this was an off year for rainfall. We didn’t see much other than bleak cactuses, shrubs, and grasses. Fortunately she too was taken by the beauty of Death Valley. But we agreed to come again when the flowers are really there!

There were 300 riders registered for this event, which was the maximum allowed by the Park Service. About half were registered for the 100 mile version, and half for the 200 mile version. I figured 12 hours on a bike in Death Valley would be plenty for me, so I split the difference and did 150. That was a good call. The ride out from Furnace Creek to Shoshone is 150 miles round trip, for a total elevation gain of about 9,500 feet. My GPS ran out of battery at 132 miles. I almost ran out of battery myself at about the same point. But my problem was mostly dehydration. I was feeling good at 100 miles, and had been almost over-hydrating. But the headwinds got really nasty for the last 50 miles as we headed back north up the valley. It was relentless - easily gusting to 30 right into our faces. Plus I let up a bit on the water intake from 100 to 130. That was a mistake. I took my time at the next stop and drank up a couple sodas and lots of water. I felt better, and headed out with my new friend Jens. He had also decided to pack it in at 150. But he helped a lot on our last 20 miles by letting me draft for a while till I felt better. Then I had a nasty leg cramp at about mile 145 which practically knocked me over. It was probably another consequence of the dehydration. Jens stayed with me until my leg relaxed, and then we pedaled the last few miles in dusk back to Furnace Creek. Cath was waiting and it was very nice to see her there – although I guess I wasn’t looking my best! We joined up that evening with Jens and a few of his friends for a great dinner at the Furnace Creek Inn.



The next morning I woke up early and headed out to a nice little scenic road called Artists Drive - very aptly named. The road goes up about 1,000 feet along the lower edge of some stunning cliffs and formations. The road surface was poor the first few miles, then it was smooth asphalt. Click on the link below and play the route in Google Earth (let me know if you don't know how to do this). Not quite the same as being there, but it is pretty interesting (well, wait till after the straightaway - then it gets interesting).

Sticky Snow at Cabin Creek

With all the fresh snow up at the pass over the weekend, Cath and I agreed it would be a good idea to try out the trails at Cabin Creek today. It was Cath's first time there (at least since a long ago trip with Bruce & Gro), and certainly the first time skate skiing at this neat place. The hills of the Viking course are respectable. Both of us felt that we are getting a lot more comfortable with the hills than we were at the beginning of the season.

The snow was surprisingly sticky. It didn't hurt going up the hills, but it really slowed the flat and the downhill runs. It would sort of catch you as you were going along. The poles would stick too. I don't know just what the conditions were that caused this. It was about 32 and there was a lot of new snow. The poles seemed to stick the most on "the road" (that's what they call the main access to the trails) where the snow was the most packed.

We both agreed that Cabin Creek is a very good place to go, maybe better than the trails at the top of Hyak. Other than the sticky snow, the conditions were fine. Not too much view because of low clouds, but no precipitation either. A worthwhile trip.

Conway north: Cold, wet, windy, and ideal

Yet another great Randonneur ride! This time it was a small group, around a dozen people. The poor turnout was understandable, because it was raining, around 40, snow along the sides of the road, gusting to 25 knots or more, and the route was a long 85 miles. But as is always the case, all you have to do is dress warmly and keep moving. The rain was sporadic, and can even be fun if you're not cold. So we kept breaks to a minimum and it went very well. The only really dicey aspects of the ride were some sudden gusts from the side. And on way south through the Skagit Valley the headwinds made the going tough at some places. But even there the bad spots only lasted a few miles before the road would turn, or you'd get into the lee of a hill.

The route was excellent and I plan to do it - or parts of it - again. The one thing I would definitely change is the last few miles where Beal Rd. hits the T-intersection of Fir & Moore. Instead of going right on Fir (which is what we did), it is better to go left on Moore and go to Skagit City Rd (or maybe Dry Slough Rd.). That is what one of the subgroups did, and they said it was much better. Our route on Fir had a bit too much traffic, and coupled with the south winds took the fun out of that stretch.

But overall I had a great time. We saw lots of eagles and herons along the way. Towards the end we passed a huge flock of snow geese. It was mostly a beautiful ride. Even the stretches that paralleled I5 were fine. There was very little traffic on Chuckanut so that was great too. The views from that road are better enjoyed from a bike than a car. And the cue sheet was flawless. My GPS came out almost exactly the same at every turn.

Spring Skiing in February

For about the 10th year, we celebrated the President's Day weekend with the same three wonderful families. There are fewer kids along than when we started, but the tradition stays the same -- Lots of good food, beverages, conversation, cross-country skiing, and hot tubbing. This year we had me, Catherine, Ruth, Fritz, Heidi, Michael, Bart, Esme, Luke, Sam, Ben, Bruce, Gro, and Marina.

Although there was plenty of snow, the temperatures were much warmer this year than ever before. Even so, early morning skiing was great. The temperatures were near freezing and the groomers did an excellent job. The fish hatchery trails were very fast. But by late morning the skiing conditions got a bit soft, and slushy by afternoon. On Sunday afternoon, Bruce, Gro, and I tackled Ski Hill. It was so slushy, and the snow was so dirty, that we got out of there after less than an hour. We headed over to the fish hatchery, met up with some of the rest of group, and salvaged the outing on the flatter and more open trails.

This morning I had a great time with Luke, Sam, and Ben who were enthusiastic beginning students of skate skiing. I'm just a beginner myself, but I had been to a ski workshop last December. So I was able to pass along a few pointers. They picked it up quickly. Within an hour or two, they were cruising right along. In fact, they did so well they could skate up some of the gentle slopes with no poles! Not bad at all. I hope they keep it up, and send me a card when they win their first competition! Here's the route we did - more than 8 miles - pretty good! So good we wrapped it up with celebratory Italian sodas and hot chocolate at the trailhead.

Issaquah - North Bend: A winter ride on a spring morning

Had yet another terrific ride with the Randonneurs today. None of my gang was available this weekend, but not a problem. I rode to the Issaquah park & ride, and met up with Will on Lake Washington Blvd. He was wearing a Randonneur shirt so I confirmed he was on his way to Issaquah and we rode the rest of the way together. It is a surprising nice ride once you get a couple miles east of 405.

This was a great route. A few of us connected up with Mitch who really knows his way around the area - in fact we passed his house at one point. He led us on a couple roads off the planned route so that we could avoid some of the heavier traffic. The weather was just about perfect. The mountains were out, and the temperatures were around 50. Lots of hills and good exercise.

Vashon and Flat Tires

Randy, Gary and I met at the dog at 7. We had to catch the 8:25 ferry to Vashon for the Randonneur ride. Ten minutes later Randy got a flat. We weren't sure about making the ferry, so Randy gallantly waved us on. As it turned out, Gary and I got there a couple minutes after 8, and Randy arrived later with several minutes to spare.

The Vashon ride was terrific. It was a bit dicey getting on Burma road, because of the sand and grunge on the steep hills, plus the occasional car coming the other direction. But overall Vashon is a great place to ride. We had a good workout with all the hills. The weather was perfect. Not too chilly, semi-clear skies, and the mountains out in both directions. Your quintessential, beautiful Puget Sound day. I got a back tire flat somewhere on the east side of Maury, and my spare tube had a broken valve. I wound up wasting my CO2 cartridge not realizing that my problem was the bad valve. After a good while another rider brought my size tube. From now on I carry two spares! Then I had pump problems, probably as much from exasperation as anything. Finally got back on the road, but then took a wrong turn with some other guys. Miraculously I made the same ferry as the main group. Randy and I (Gary had to go back early) had a relaxing lunch at the Luna Cafe near the west Seattle bridge. Good place to go on a ride like this.

The next morning I discovered another flat, this time the front. Ordered new tires the next day, along with a new carbon pump!

Cle Elum Sojourn

It was Ruth's first weekend in Ellensburg. She hadn't made any friends yet, and she and I came up with the idea of xc skiing up at Snoqualmie over the weekend. I figured that since I was going to be in Auburn on early Saturday afternoon, we ought to meet up at the pass later that day. Then we could spend Saturday night in Cle Elum and ski the next morning.

The plan sort of worked. The rain and time conspired against us on Saturday. Ruth had to return her rental stuff at 4, which was about the time I arrived. So I had a half-hearted, late day ski by myself in the much less than perfect snow on Iron Horse. Not bad, not great way to spend an hour. Then we drove to Cle Elum and stayed at the Stewart Inn, which was fine. Had a surprisingly good dinner at the Starlight.

We headed to Cabin Creek in the morning. I was not all that enthused about the prospect of skiing up there, because I figured the snow would be similar to what I had to deal with on the Iron Horse trail the day before. But I was pleasantly surprised on several counts. First, it is a quick drive from Cle Elum. Second, the trails were groomed perfectly, and the snow was good. Third, the trails were nice. They reminded me of the "easy" trails at Sun Mountain, which is a pretty high standard. And fourth, Ruth is a good skate skier for only having out been a couple times. She and I skied together some, and sometimes she'd take the shortcut and we'd meet up a little later. I had a very nice morning and would love to go back there. Spending a weekend based out of Cle Elum and skiing up at Cabin Creek isn't bad at all. Ruth and I wrapped up our weekend with lunch up at the Hyak xc ski lodge - totally forgettable. Better to brown bag it in the car! Unfortunately no GPS info for the Cabin Creek skiing - the unit was not charged.

Auburn - Orting - Carbonado - Buckley in the Drizzle

This was my second ride with the Randonneurs. The first 20 miles was on not-so-great highways, too much traffic. There were a lot of turns, and I didn't have a cue sheet holder. Won't make that mistake again. Had to stop for a bio break at one point, and nearly lost the group. The last 2/3 of the ride was great. I'd like to do it again sometime with Cath and friends. Carbonado was really something. They're sort of trying to be an old cowboy town, but on this drizzly day in early Feb, it was a lost cause. The back roads were great for riding. Riding through Buckley brought back memories of some volunteer work with friends back in high school, and visiting my cousin - my age - who was committed there long ago. Strange and scary place.

Was pretty chilled at the end of the ride, but had some fast food and jumped in the car to head to Snoqualmie to meet Ruth. If you're looking at the map for this one, you'll see that I accidently messed up with the GPS. I should have reset it after my return to Auburn, but instead it picked back up the trip once I got to Snoqualmie. Garmin doesn't give me a way to delete the last segments from the trip. Hopefully I'll figure out how to do that and fix this post. In the meantime, just ignore anything after the return to Auburn.

Camano Chill

Went on my first ride with the Seattle Randonneurs today. What a great group! Way more people than I expected. There must have been 70 people or so. Everyone convened in Stanwood. That worked pretty well for me because I was up in Bellingham helping Ruth with her move to Ellensburg. I rendezvoused with Ken, who drove up from Seattle. He was a couple minutes late, but I was more late, and this group does not wait around! They shot out of the parking lot a minute before 9, and I was still scrambling to put on my stuff. Then I was in such a rush that I forgot my water and food, so Ken and I had to run into a convenience store to get my fuel that I would need for this 50 mile ride.

So the ride started out a little rocky, and the temp was about 31 or 32. So I was worried about ice as we were pedaling hard to catch the group. One bridge in particular gave me pause. Lots of traffic, and a little ice would not have been good. But there were no problems. Ken and I caught the folks at the back after several miles, then caught the main group at Camano park after about 15 miles when they stopped for a break. The ride had already been good up to that point, because the day was beautiful and the mountains were out. These were back roads with very little traffic. But the ride got better as we started to meet some of the Randonneurs. They're all into cycling, but in a fun way that I can relate to. They don't just talk about gear, and it is not at all a competitive ride. Everyone is out to enjoy cycling, get some exercise, and be social. Plus I met up with my old friend Jeff who I hadn't seen in 15 or 20 years. I think last time I saw him we were climbing Rainier.

The south end of Camano was particularly good, because there was so little traffic. I think our route on the east side could have avoided the main road more than it did this time. I need to study the map before the next ride. Also, I think it would have been much better to start out on Camano, rather than Stanwood. The highway from/to Stanwood was no picnic.

Workout at Sun Mountain

This was the last day of our long weekend in the Methow. We watched a few of the racers in the Methow Pursuit. Amazing energy and skill. That inspired us to head up to Sun Mountain. The last time Cath and I were skiing there together was more than 15 years ago, with our friends Bruce & Gro (unfortunately I remember that trip for the blisters more than anything!). I was there just last month for the ski camp, of which my memories are still fresh and very positive!
Cath and I parked at the Chickadee lot, and skied the easy trails from there. Warning to newcomers -- the easy trails at Sun Mountain are a bit like the intermediate trails down below on the Methow floor. At least that was our impression. But that was not a problem. After all, this was our fourth day of skiing, and we were no longer worried about little hills! Plus the snow was good (temperature in the teens), and as usual, very few people.
After an hour or two, I decided to try some intermediate hills. So I headed up Thompson Road trail, which was a challenging climb. Got to the intersection with the Upper Inside trail, a black diamond, which near as I could tell, headed straight down. No thanks to that. Instead I turned around and had the ski of a lifetime going down Thompson Road. Highly recommended. Not so steep that you go out of control with your edgeless skate skis, but steep enough that you can really get cruising and have fun with V2. Plus you have the satisfaction of knowing that you really earned that downhill run. I savored every second. Then Cath and I had a nice lunch at Sun Mountain lodge, enjoying the jaw-dropping view. The drive home that afternoon was pretty good - the scenery along the Methow is just beautiful in the winter. We'd been warned the night before by Dave & Jean about the multitudes of deer along the road. They were right - we had one close call when one jumped out in the dusk. I braked hard, it ran, we missed.

Exploring Mazama trails

Well, if scenery, easy skate skiing, and solitude are your thing, then check out the Mazama trails where Highway 20 deadends in the wintertime. There's even a couple warming huts out there, and a place to get hot chocolate at the end of your ski! Cath and I got the tip from our new Spokane skiing buds Beth and Sharon - who shared their enthusiasm for the trails over drinks the night before. They were right. Jack's Trail, River Run Trail, and the others were pretty much perfect. The weather and the snow were great. The only hitch was that the snow under the trees could sometimes get a bit messy with fallen twigs and stuff, or even clumps of ice that you might trip on. But not a big deal at all. Also, we learned that it pays to know which way the wind is blowing before heading out. If the wind is blowing down the valley (which I suspect it usually is), then go counter-clockwise around Jack's trail. That way you are both going with the wind and down a gentle slope in an exposed part of the valley, which is really fun. But if you're going up the hill while fighting the wind (which we did on the first lap), it is more of a slog for that particular stretch. There's a rustic place called Basecamp not far from the trailhead that rents cabins and rooms. They also have a little counter to sell beverages and snacks to the skiers. A nice spot to recoup.


We had very nice dinner that night with our new friends Dave & Jean at their cool new place in Timberline Meadows in Mazama. They rent it out most of the time. Just contact Timberline and ask for their place. You will love it. Great view, comfortable, nice kitchen and everything.

Methow skate skiing

Cath and I arrived yesterday midday here in the amazing Methow valley. Everyone talks about how much snow is here. Seems like a lot to us, but we don't really know any different. We're staying at Nancy & Nigel's Eagle Pine chalets. Fun, but no heat when we arrived. Got hold of N&N in California, and they told us where to find some space heaters. Got things fired up so by the middle of the night we woke up to an oven!

Skied the main trail around Winthrop yesterday. Just could not believe how nice it was. Mostly flat, hardly any people, along the river part of the way. We skied several miles together, then I continued up to Wolf Ridge and back via Power Plunge. That was beyond my skill level for sure! But there wasn't anyone around to make fun of my style so I went for it anyway. Later I learned that there are a few hungry cougars around looking for idiots like me on lonely trails on ridges at dusk.

Today we met up with Ed & Char in Mazama, then skied together up to the suspension bridge. Easy trail, spectacular going through the woods and over the streams - really cool. Then Ed, Catherine, and I continued on for more easy skiing through the forest up to Mazama Country Inn. Char met us up there and picked up Cath. Ed and I gave ourselves a good workout skiing back. Really a nice run. Then had a delicious soup with Ed & Char at their wonderful Mazama home.

Met with Beth and Sharon - yet more wonderful cross country skiing people - at Duck Brand this evening and they told us all about trails at the end of the road. If the weather is ok tomorrow, that's what we'll do!

Late start but good skiing on Iron Horse trail

We were all getting a little tired of the chill and ice on the Seattle streets, so Chris and Randy called Sunday morning to suggest that we head up to go skate skiing up at Snoqualmie on the Iron Horse trail. Cath and I were dropping off Theresa at the Amtrack station, so we agreed to meet at REI to rent our stuff. Good idea, except that everyone else had thought of it earlier. We arrived at REI to find R&C looking less chipper than usual, dialing away trying to find some place that was open and had gear. No luck. We hatched a backup plan that involved borrowing snowshoes from Dwayne & Lorelle (very generous!), combined with a wishful thinking plan that had us renting gear from the Nordic center at Snoqualmie. Well, the wish came true. We finally got underway well after 2 pm, and headed down the trail for a great ski. Cath sprained a thumb in a fall in the first few minutes, but managed to keep going and still have fun. It turned out to be a very nice afternoon. We all got back feeling tired and glad we pushed ahead.

Icy, but made the most of it

This past Saturday morning Randy, Gary, and I set out determined to kick off the new year with a long, hilly training ride in anticipation of our big Arizona ride coming up in April. We got as far as Montlake before both Randy and Gary went down on an ice patch. Gary was hurt badly enough that he decided to pack it in for the day. Randy and I camped out for an hour or more at a coffee shop waiting for things to warm up. After we thought we done enough time, we stepped around the corner to look at the place where he'd fallen. At that moment we watched several more cyclists fall in exactly the same place. We got on the road anyway, taking a slightly different route to I-90. We rode cautiously to the bridge, then picked up our speed and headed out to Cougar Mountain. Had a nice ride up to about 900 feet, when we hit ice again. That meant we had to abandon our plans for the hills that day. Instead we headed north around the east side of Lake Sammamish (including about 10 miles on the new Sammamish gravel trail, just for kicks), then up through Redmond, and lunch in Woodinville. We did jog down to Juanita and back to pick up one respectable hill. Got in about 65 miles, but can't recommend the route too much because of all the traffic. As soon as we get a chance we'll try again to do the intended route up and down Cougar Mountain.