Pacific Northwest, Move or Die

Sometimes I feel like this car. If I don't keep moving, a tree will grow out of me and little animals will  nest in my hair and I'll be covered in lichen. By mid winter, I've gotten used to the lifeless grey sky and the never ending dampness. But I don't like it.

Lately, we've felt like it's time to move.  Someplace sunny where the weather is always nice. However, objects at rest tend to stay at rest and for now I don't see any U-haul in our near future.

And besides, summers are really nice here...

No, not that picture, maybe this one...

Anyways, it's March and we're in the home stretch. Only 4 months until it quits raining. I can hardly wait.

So it's Saturday and that means two things, it's damp and it's time to ride our bikes and get moving or end up like that car. Ellen gave me the camera so this week it's all about me, click here.

I'm not a big fan of mornings. So I was not too thrilled about starting the ride at the uncivil hour of 10:45am. I know, it's hard to get up that early but my public demands it or rather some other cyclists on the ride wanted to start that early.  My ride went through the city...

View from Broadway bridge, notice the grey

Our fair and cloudy city

Bike path across the Broadway bridge; should this be painted grey?

...and up some nice steep roads through the west-hills and up to good old Skyline. I am sick of riding Skyline, but, it's the main cycling route out to other good hilly roads. The only problem is that I've ridden all those roads too.  The only new roads are not paved. Not exactly great for skinny tire road bikes.

I actually like riding up gravel roads. It's quiet, tough, scenic and a new way to connect the dots back to other paved roads. There's something special about riding on a new road for the first time. The sense of adventure. Plus a little closer interaction with the local flora and fauna. I've seen deer, elk, peacocks (odd huh), swans, pit bulls, lot's of abadoned cars, trailers, and probably a few meth labs. Always a good idea to take someone with just in case. And it doesn't hurt if they're slower.

Two road diverged in the woods, and I choose the one not paved...

Murphy road, not paved