Andrew's Creek ride

What a beautiful day! bb and me rode to Andrew's Creek which is up the Chewuch to the end of the pavement. That's 26 miles from my doorstep. Slight uphill climbing all the way up and nice descent down except today a headwind made it a little more challenging. There were quite a few people riding today and very little car/truck traffic. That makes for lot's of conversation and an enjoyable day. And like all good rides it ended at the bakery. Our regular hangout after rides. Remember the Methow Valley Tour coming up June 13 & 14th. 

Ride to Sun Mtn #2

The ride to Sun Mtn can be done on the road or on the trail, aka single track. That is what we did this afternoon. I gotta say, it is a little more demanding. We had a great ride and the trip down is always fun. 

Ride to Sun Mtn.

The Sun Mountain road is always a challenge climbing over 1000 feet in nine miles from Winthrop to arrive at the lodge at 2824 feet. Its a great cycling workout if you just don't have two or three hours to spend. Today my climbing partner bbBob and I rode up to the lodge to enjoy the wonderful views of the valley. After a quick moment at the bench in front of the lodge we headed back down. Since my ski accident where I broke five ribs I am more cautious descending and I don't think I hit over 32 mph. Sliding down the chipseal rode on my a$$ doesn't seem like much fun so caution will prevail. To sum it up, great ride on a great day. Cycling season is upon us.

North Cascade Highway

A group of my friend's ride from Colonial Creek camp ground to Washington Pass every year with me acting as support, usually in August. Just saw on Facebook through Brian Drye's site where Shawn Pederson rode across the north Cascade Highway and back on a new bike without ever have driven it in a car. Talk about one ironman. He posted some great pictures. And this one I really like. I envy this guy's stamina and sense of adventure. I would ask why he didn't get someone else to go along but I think the answer is obvious. Great effort Shawn. Hope you post more of your rides.

Susie Stephens Memorial Bike Ride

Today my son Jake and I participated in the Susie Stephens Memorial Bike Ride. It was a beautiful day in spite of the forecast and about 30 people showed up to honor Susie. Most riders chose to ride the Chewuch Loop beginning and ending at the Barn. Jake and I added four miles by riding from our home. We got in almost twenty miles but did the Loop in under an hour. Not bad for this early in the year, for us.

Jake scored a demo bike from Joe at Methow Valley Sport and Cycle. It was a Bianchi cross bike and sells for about three grand. Jake liked it but it's unlikely he will be cruising around on one of those this summer. Not unless he decides to get a job which is highly unlikely. 

Chilly Hilly 2009

Bob and myself travelled 460 miles to Seattle to ride our bikes 33 miles last Sunday. We caught the ferry to Bainbridge Island with 4,000 of our friends and started the ride in a light rain. Within half an hour the rain stopped and we were warmed up from the pleasant riding on rolling hills. The whole ride was like that with a couple of very long steep hills that my legs were not quite ready to handle. We finished and eat great chili before catching the ferry back. We both agreed it was time well spent but now we are wondering how we will make it until we can ride again. This weather is just not cooperating.

First Ride of 2009, Feb. 13

Friday bbBob and I drove to the Beebe Bridge we rode up McNeil Canyon. They have done significant road improvement and half of the seven miles was asphalt. There is also a nice shoulder at least where it was clear of snow and ice. The temperature was in the thirties but riding uphill for 2200 vertical feet was enough to keep us warm. Considering how tired I was the Chilly Hilly in two weeks may take it's toll on my legs. Funny because just in November I was in pretty good shape.