Another Hot One!

According to this morning's weather report today was to be the hottest day of the week and once again they were correct. Hey those weather guys, and gals, are getting pretty good at predicting the weather around here lately!

Well I learned my lesson yesterday; I started today's ride a bit earlier before it got really hot. Jackie and I left for our ride at 9:30 AM with an outside temperature of 78 degrees! We got a 30 mile ride in stopping at an espresso stand about 23 miles into our ride to replenish our water bottles and enjoy a tall cold glass of iced green tea and to eat our sandwiches that we packed. We had a good ride but the sun was starting to get to us by noon. Luckily we finished before it got even hotter. We finished at 12:30 and stopped at Subways for lunch. Temperature when we finished was 92 degrees!

Low front moving in tonight bringing cooler air and I hear thunder in the distance right now!

HOT Day for a Ride!

Today the weather report was accurate. It was HOT just as they predicted. And I went for a bike ride during the hottest part of the day. What was I thinking? Apparently I was not thinking! I left the house at 2:30 PM with an outside temperature of 92 degrees. How I rode 30 miles without passing out is a miracle. I did hydrate, drinking every single drop of water in my two water bottles and replenshing the water at an espresso stand I passed. Even so the sun took it's toll. I have been having severe leg cramps since I got back home hours ago. I think I'll go and have another big drink of water now. Better yet a nice big glass of powerade!

First Ride On My New Bike!

Last night my local bike shop called to tell me that my new bike was in. Joe and I drove to the shop to pick her up! She is beautiful! Peter, the bike shop owner, gave me a great bike fitting. My bike feels like it's a part of me. I couldn't wait to ride her.

This morning I woke up and Joe took a picture of Ruby, my name for her, and me. Finally around 3:30 I was able to get my ride with Ruby in. And it was a wonderful ride too. I left my front door and took off! I cruised around my neighborhood and then around Lake Tapps. Here are some pictures of Ruby and me on our ride this afternoon:

This is Ruby. She is a Specialized Ruby Expert Compact.

Ruby with Mount Rainier in the background.
Mount Rainier overlooking Lake Tapps.




Boat launch on lake.
The local news truck pulled into the boat launch area just as I arrived. I guess they are doing a feature on the lake and this beautiful day! The boat launch was busy. The line for the launch was long!

Ruby and I did 17 miles this afternoon. She rides so smooth and sweet. I love her!

Mountain Bike Ride With the Gals!

I rode with the Lunachixs this evening at Lake Sawyer. We met at the Black Diamond Bike Shop's parking lot and from there entered the woods of Lake Sawyer. The ride was great. The trails were sweet, winding, swooping, and dry. The late afternoon sun was beautiful. The woods were surreal with the sun streaming through the forest trees. We rode for 2 hours. Everyone had a great time. I signed up for the next Lunachix ride on Tuesday, July 1st! We got 9 miles in. They were awesome miles too!

Bought a New Bike Today!

All day yesterday Joe and I went from bike shop to bike shop while test rode bikes. Yes it was time for a new road bike for me! I narrowed it down yesterday to two. The Women's Cannondale Synapse Femine 3 Compact or the Women's Specialized Ruby Expert Compact. Today Joe and I returned to the one bike shop that had both the Cannondale and the Specialized. I test rode both bikes again and finally decided that I liked the Specialized a bit more. My lbs owner placed the order and said my bike would be here by the end of the week! I can't wait. I will post a picture of her when she arrives!

Summer Solstice . . . Warm Day . . . Hot Ride!

Jackie and I began our ride this morning at 11:30 AM. It was already a very warm 78 degrees. The sun was high overhead and beating down on us. The shaded parts of our ride felt wonderful. Jackie and I were enjoying the scenery, the ride, and the beautiful hot weather when half way into our bike ride Jackie got a flat. We stopped along the road on a shady section and I had her tire fixed in less than 5 minutes. I must admit that, thanks to my hubby Joe, I am pretty good at fixing flats. Joe made me practice years ago until I had it nailed.

After I fixed Jackie's flat tire we got back on our bikes and pedaled for about 5 minutes and came upon an espresso stand. Our water bottles were almost empty and we were in need of food and liquids and a rest too so we stopped. We both ordered iced tea, large bottles of water, and cookies. We sat at one of the espresso stand's tables which had a nice big umbrella, which was perfect for keeping the sun off our faces. After 10 or 15 minutes and feeling much better, we felt recovered enough to continue our ride. On our way back we ran into a strong headwind. Trying to stay positive regarding the headwind on the last part of our ride I kept telling myself winds help stengthen legs. My daughter was not seeing it that way. We finally finished at 2:30 PM with a temperature of 82 degrees. Hot for us here in the Seattle area after weeks of 40-50 degree weather.

On our way home we stopped at Starbucks for an iced venti three splenda green tea. It was wonderful!

We got 30 miles in and averaged 13.67 mph.

First Day of Summer Break

Yesterday was my last day of work. No more work until after Labor Day. One of the benefits of working for a school are great summer breaks!

This morning I woke up at 5:30 AM. By the time I begin sleeping in until 9:00 it will be time to go back to work! Oh well! Anyway, as I was saying I woke up at 5:30 AM and came downstairs and started my coffee. Starbuck's Sumatra. Bold and delicious! While my coffee was brewing I started my laptop on the kitchen table and checked my emails and my scrabble game with my good friend Cookie. Hmmm nothing from Cookie yet. She must be enjoying her summer break too. My good friend lives back east and also works in a school. Every summer we read half a dozen books together and discuss them through email. Our kick off for this summer is called "Bridge of Sighs". I haven't started reading the book yet. Cookie claims it is a pretty good story. She does pick some good books, a few duds now and then but usually her choices are good. I will begin reading Bridge of Sighs tomorrow.

My son finally woke up at 8:30 AM. We planned to do a mother son day today. And Aaron wanted to go to Frys. So when Aaron was ready we left the house for Fry's Electronics. He is looking for a CS3 Adobe program and a new computer desk. He found a nice desk at Fry's but they did not have CS3. So we drove to Best Buys to see if they had a copy. No luck. It appears Aaron will have to order his CS3 from an online store. What did we do before the internet?

Before driving home we stopped and had lunch together. After lunch I dropped Aaron and his desk off at home while I ran to the grocery store. When I returned Aaron had his desk assembled and his computer and two monitors running. I asked Aaron if it would be okay if I left him for a few hours to ride my bike. He said that would be fine so I quickly put away my groceries, got into my biking atire, pumped air into my tires, lubed my chain, filled my water bottles and off I went. It was a beautiful day, a little windy but sunny and warm. I had a great ride. There were a lot of other cyclist out and they seemed to be having a good day too.

I got 64.3 miles in and averaged 14.84 mph. Not bad considering the hellacious headwind I had on my return ride. I didn't get back home until 6:30 PM. Lucky thing I took something quick and easy out this morning for dinner. I made my famous pork fried rice and it was delicious. It's amazing how hungry a bike ride can make you!

Monday After Work Ride

This is my last week of work. Actually my last day is Wednesday. School will be out for the summer and I will be off until the fall! When I got off work today the sun was shining brightly. It was in the upper 70s and just a gorgeous day. Too beautiful not to ride. So my daughter and I went for a bike ride on the Orting Trail. We got 30 miles in. We stopped at Starbucks about 25 miles into our ride for a break. Jackie had a peanut butter cookie and I had an oatmeal raisin cookie. We gobbled them up with large glasses of water. Refreshed we set off to finish our ride. We saw a coyote in a field next to the trail. He was just trotting along minding his own business, thank goodness. Our pace was good; averaging 14.37 mph. These are the days you live for! It was totally the best!

Father's Day Mountain Biking and Microbrew Festival

On Father's Day Joe and I joined some of our mountain bike friends at St. Edwards State Park in Kenmore for a ride. The day was beautiful. Sunny, warm, and just gorgeous! Jackie and Aaron came along too. They did not ride with us but enjoyed a run on the trails and then relaxed while they waited for us to finish our ride. We started at 10 AM and finished just before noon. After we locked our bikes into the truck we all walked over to the annual microbrew festival that is held there annually every Father's Day weekend.

It was a great day! We got 9 miles in and then enjoyed some good beer, food, and music.

Sunday Ride With Joe

Today Joe and I went on a ride together. It was cloudy and cool, 51 degrees, but when we finished four and a half hours later the sun finally broke through the heavy gray cloud layers and the temperature was a balmy 61 degrees!

We had a great ride. We almost didn't go but I'm happy that we did.