Chilly Hilly

Today was the Chilly Hilly, a 33-mile ride around Bainbridge Island. Bicycling Magazine named it "one of four classic rides" in the country and it's a rite of passage for Seattle cyclists. I've been wanting to do this for years but the "chilly" (and rainy) component of the ride really turned me off. I think we've become a bit more acclimated to the weather here and decided this would be the year to give it a try. We met Robin at the ferry terminal and departed on the 7:55 boat. It was amazing to see so many cyclists in one spot- we took up most of the ferry and that was only the first of four boats. The ride was fun and definitely lived up to it's name. Bainbridge Island is an awesome place to ride and I think we'll head back once it's a bit warmer :)

Robin whining because he's cold:

Saturday

Today was just awesome- probably the nicest day of the year so far. It was supposed to rain all week but it's actually been sunny and "mild". We started off the day with a singletrack ride with at Soaring Eagle park. After lunch we headed over to Cougar for some orienteering practice. Jerry and I just tagged along while Eric and Robin nav'd the course.

The three amigos:


Calling Robin to figure out where he is:


Some mossy stuff:

Mountain bike season has begun

Yeah, I know. February is waaayy too early for mountain bike racing. But that's how the season goes in Seattle-most of the races occur during the rainy season, then taper off when it's nice and sunny. I don't get it.

Anyway, my first race of the season was today at Black Diamond. This probably wasn't the best race to start with since I haven't ridden singletrack in months. Within the first 3 minutes I was like "ugh"- it was super technical and I ended up pulling off the trail to let few people pass. Double "ugh". My 2nd and 3rd laps were much improved but I still couldn't catch the leader. I came in 2nd...out of 2. 1st place had 4 minutes on me. I still had a decent race though- I didn't crash, bonk (sort of), or have any technical mishaps. Even though I've been mountain biking for years, today I felt like a total beginner. I guess I need to get off the trainer and back on the trail again!

Bono in 3D???

If you're a U2 fan you should check this out. In Seattle it's playing at the Pacific Science Center but I'm not sure about other cities. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical at first. Would this be another cheesy "musical journey" like Rattle and Hum? Thankfully no, this was all about the music and it was awesome. U2 is still be best band (ever) in my book. This movie totally sparked some nostaligia for me- back in high school I was obsessed with all things U2. Sarah and I used to spend hours pondering over important matters- was Larry really hotter than Bono? And what was up with Adam Clayton's modular digi sunglasses? Sarah I know you're laughing over this right now...

Happy Paczki Day!

I hope all my Detroit playas enjoyed a paczek today :) I took a dozen to work this morning (Krispy Kremes mind you) to the delight of my coworkers from Michigan. For those not in the loop I printed off this article from Wikipedia and placed it next to the box.