Ok, I don’t want to talk about it, but I had a fall again from my bike that had me sidelined for too many days in mid to late May. I got going with some mini rides at the start of June and kept all of my rides for the first half of June to 16 miles and under, mostly under. Today, Gay and I did 18 miles and I am just fine ;’-). Time to beef up my miles.
Gay lives on the other side of the mountains in Winthrop WA so I don’t get to see her very much. She comes over to this side a couple times a year and makes contact in case we are home and I am available for a ride. On this day, I was 😊. Here we are at the starting block at Lowell Riverfront Park.
Our ride did not go without some difficulties and challenges! First, Gay phoned to let me know she had taken her bike to the shop the evening before to have her flat tire fixed, maybe with a new tube. The shop did what they considered a fix and said no new tube was needed, it was just fine. This morning as she was loading her bike, there was that flat! Back to the shop this morning and this time they did replace the tube!
As an interlude here, let me post a photo of us from LAST year’s ride with me, Gay and Lucie.
Back to this year — since Gay would potentially be a little late for our ride start this morning, I dawdled just a little bit to get my bike and gear loaded into the car. Half way to the start I remembered my bike shoes — which were at home! As I was worrying about my shoes, the ones I forgot at home, and the too big ones I was wearing, I passed the turn I needed to take — twice! Finally on the road I got close to the park and there was a DETOUR, ROAD CLOSED. I passed that thinking there would be a detour route ahead. Nope. Turn around back to Lowell and ask a gentleman where I should go. He had no idea but told me I could park here and ride to there. He was real into chatting and soon asked me questions about my bike. In the mean time I was later for meeting Gay and excused myself from chatty man and went back to the detour. Whadda ya know — there was a detour route that I had missed. Finally I got there. All that and we were a mere 10 minutes later than our planned meeting time.
Finally in the saddle and on the road, making our way to cross the Rte 2 trestle on the bike lane, by comparison, was easy. Here is a view of crossing the bridge, looking back at south Everett.
Here is Gay crossing the bridge LAST year.
I have ridden this route many, many times and traffic has ALWAYS been light to non existent. Not today of course. There was way more traffic than we liked, and there is no bike lane or shoulder on this “quiet” country road. The traffic was intermittent thank goodness, and at least we did not have long lines of it.
We enjoyed the countryside, the cows and horses and views of the mountains, but we could not stop for photos due to that unexpected traffic!. Gay got a shot of Mount Baker at the start of our ride at least.
Our destination was the Snohomish Bakery where, as last year, we would again have lunch before completing our loop.
On the route to finish, the traffic was much lighter and there is a shoulder wide enough to feel safe! BUT it is a bit uphill most of the way, and today, of course (!) there was a strong headwind. Those conditions are not terribly bothersome for me with my pedal assist bike, but Gay was on her non-assist road bike and got quite the workout.
After all the glitches: flat tire to the shop twice; forgotten shoes; missing a turn twice; road closed detour; heavier traffic than normal; strong headwind uphill, Gay says she had a great day riding! So did I, and I said next time she is in town I will choose a different route, especially if it is on a weekend (this ride was on Saturday).
Thank you Gay, for riding with me and for being such a trooper through all our little vicissitudes!
Adventures with Nancy 