Tag: 30DaysofBiking

30 days of biking: Riding a bicycle becomes a routine

Beware of bicycling; it can be habit forming.

That what I concluded as 30 Days of Biking came to a close today.

The scheme was hatched by some cyclists in Minneapolis to get folks out on their bikes in April. Even though I’d been riding all year, I knew there were plenty of dates in April that I wouldn’t get to ride.

I had to use a little ingenuity, but I only missed one ride the entire month.

Even though I regularly run errands on my bike and ride for exercise, 20 to 25 days of bicycling is a good month for me. …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/04/30/30-days-of-biking-riding-a-bicycle-becomes-a-routine/

30 days of biking: Coalfield and ‘Gobbler’s Knob’

Some plumbing issues at the house sent me out on my bicycle to a hardware store in search of washers on Saturday. It was no longer a “plumbing emergency,” however, giving me a chance to explore a little bit on the way home.

I started by heading east on Highway 900, part of the old Sunset Highway, between Renton and Issaquah.

This is part of the first automobile highway over Snoqualmie Pass that was dedicated in 1915. It ran through North Bend and Issaquah and around Lake Washington to Seattle.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/04/29/30-days-of-biking-coalfield-and-gobblers-knob/

30 days of biking: Heart of a lion, lungs of a mouse

Here’s the special parking area set aside for bicyclists at the health clinic I visit for my annual check-up.

Even though they’re in the business of improving health, they could certainly do more for those who try to maintain a healthy lifestyle by bicycling.

During my visit, my doctor congratulated me on my low blood pressure and pulse, weight in the normal range, and strong-sounding heart — all results of regular exercise.

Everything was great, until I took a spirometry test, which measures the volume and speed …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/04/26/30-days-of-biking-heart-of-a-lion/

30 days of biking: Pedaling through the petals

It’s pleasant enough to ride through trail litter if it consists of tiny white flower petals that have fallen off surrounding trees in the spring.

This shady part of the Lake Washington Loop trail in Newcastle runs within 100 feet of noisy, and often congested, traffic on Interstate 405. I wonder how many would choose this path if they could? …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/04/24/30-days-of-biking-pedaling-through-the-petals/

30 days of biking: Off the beaten path of Cedar River Trail

Today’s bike ride was to be an out-and-back errand to the video store to exchange movies.

The continued summer-like weather — 70s and clear — distracted me to such an extent, however, that I took a wrong turn on the way home and ended up exploring down by the Cedar River.

Considering this scene, I probably should have picked up “Iron Horse,” instead of “Iron Lady.” Or “Seabiscuit” or “Secretariat.” This reminds me of a day riding through the blue grass country of Kentucky …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/04/23/30-days-of-biking-off-the-beaten-path-of-cedar-river-trail/

30 days of biking: Lake Washington Boulevard in blossom

A couple of bicyclists at Seward Park pause to regard the awesome sight of Mount Rainier looming above Lake Washington.

They were among the hundreds, if not thousands, of cyclists who flocked to the road along the lake on Sunday.

Perhaps unintentionally, we were all celebrating Earth Day by exercising our rights to the road with human-powered propulsion. …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/04/22/30-days-of-biking-boulevard-in-blossom/

30 days of biking: 1962 Seattle World’s Fair

Today’s 50th anniversary celebration of the Seattle World’s Fair seemed like a good reason to make a bicycle pilgrimage over to Seattle.

The splendid weather for the second straight weekend prompted hordes of cyclists to take to the bike paths and roads around here.

For the first time this year, short sleeves and bare arms outnumbered yellow rain jackets and tights for cycling wear. …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/04/21/30-days-of-biking-1962-seattle-worlds-fair/

30 days of biking: Will Rogers and Wiley Post flew here

Boaters and rafters must consider these snags where the Cedar River flows into Lake Washington the same way that bicyclists view tacks or broken bottles in the road. Maybe worse.

While a chard of glass can puncture a tire, a limb from one of these trees can poke a hole in a fiberglass boat or rubber raft and sink it.

These trees have likely taken a long trip to get here. The Cedar River picks up plenty of fallen trees as it meanders through its flood zone to the river channel that cuts through Renton. The occasional flood pushes the snags downstream and eventually out into Lake Washington. …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/04/20/30-days-of-biking-will-rogers-and-wiley-post-flew-here/

30 days of biking: ‘I can see my house from here!’

Well, maybe not my exact house, but at least I think that’s my neighborhood way down there in the trees.

This is the view of the world from Somerset, the community that covers the west-facing side of Cougar Mountain. On a clear day, the Olympic Mountains would serve as a stunning backdrop to Seattle.

(I enlarged a tiny bit of Seattle below so you can see the Space Needle, which stands to the left of downtown.)

The residents are paying for the view up here, but their million-dollar homes aren’t too shabby either. Props to the cyclists who live up in these neighborhoods and face this climb at the end of every ride. ….

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/04/19/30-days-of-biking-i-can-see-my-house-from-here/

30 days of biking: Where coal was king

This is far as you can get by bicycle to the old site of Newcastle, aka Red Town, an historic coal mining center that’s now Cougar Mountain Park east of Seattle.

The park is closed to bicycle use, even though many of the trails are wide and stable enough to carry fire equipment and park …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2012/04/18/30-days-of-biking-where-coal-was-king/