Mark Rides with Great Friends: Memorial Day in the Pacific Northwest

I'm a leaving on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll see sun again. Living in So Cal, everyone including myself takes our weather for granted. Spending a weekend in Washington state reminded me of how lucky we Californians have it. But I don't mind the occasion sprinkle and gray clouds, if it means taking a break from your normal grind. My wife and I decided to enjoy our 4 year wedding anniversary with the rest of her side of the family. Since her father's birthday is the same day and her god-daughters first communion was the day after,

this weekend could not have been a better time.

Some might think taking a break from the warm weather will deter me from running or biking. Not me, I was even more determined to go out there and enjoy the great outdoors and what Washington has to offer. I took a short run to keep the legs fresh for the upcoming marathon. Scenery was fantastic and the air is so much cleaner up there.

For the price of having a small constant drizzle it is not bad at all. But this trip would not be complete without a bike ride with my brother in law Rinadi and his wife Soo. Rinaldi was also bit by the bike bug a couple of years ago has not recovered since and has now rubbed of on the Mrs.

Taking my bike up there was not economical. Instead, with road shoes, pedals and helmet hand. We went to rent a road bike. I have never rented a road bike before and did not know what to expect. The guys a http://www.kirklandbikes.com/ were helpful and straight forward. They have a large selection of Cannondale and Giant bicycles in stock. I was able to rent Giant Defy Advance 3, somewhat of a upgrade since it was the first Carbon bicycle I have ridden. It was a great ride and would recommend it. In California, its to no surprise that to enjoy the great outdoors on your bike you have to learn to enjoy it responsibly with vehicles on both your left and right at times. But in Washington, the cities and suburbs collaborated on a unique system of pathway and trails for people, bicycles and even horses. I am not talking about gravel or your occasion dirt path. I am talking about bike lanes with arrows, signs, and even restrooms on those long trips. No need to search for a gas station or fast food joints when nature calls. Check out yourself at www.kingcounty.gov/transportation/kcdot/Roads/Bicycling.aspx.

There is a rest stop every 5-7 miles. Granted I only rode about 50 miles of the hundreds and hundreds of bike lanes the city had to offer, but I was really impressed to say the least.

What was the weather you maybe asking yourself. Rainy and wet, surprised? According to my brother in law summer time tends to bring some sunshine more often than not. But just my luck it was 75 and sunny two days before we landed. I was prepared like a boyscout and brought everything I have to keep warm in and cold out. But nothing can keep the rain out. I have to admit, I enjoyed it since there was no vehicular traffic nor any hills to worry about.

In day one, we headed East out from the City of Bothell then south to the city of Redmond.

Commonaly known by locals as the Bicycle Capital of the Northwest. Along the way I was greeted by bicycles ridden by people of all sizes and shapes. From Tribikes, Fixies and Mountain. It was great to see that other people truly enjoy riding in this weather. I also saw a horse on the adjacent trail. Which answered the question, why is there hay on the bike path? We ended our first ride at Maymoor Park next to Lake Sammamish. A beautiful park filled with baseball fields, soccer fields. We wanted to end our ride on the Microsoft Campus but the rain was not letting up. It was an out and back route since we tried to keep the ride within a 2 hour time frame. More awaits on our second ride.

Since the rental was for 2 days. You know I wanted to make sure we get a second ride in. Again we headed out of from the city of Bothell. This time headed west through the University of Washington campus and ending at Gas Works Park. Once again the weather was predictable and wet. Riding west meant riding through more residential areas of the city. It was a great change on scenery to ride along the north and northwest side of Lake Washington. The trail itself has been dedicated since 1978 so the road condition was not as pleasant as the previous day. Nevertheless, I would take a less desirable riding road condition over riding with automobile cross traffic any day. Riding through the University of Washington was great. We rode by the college University Distritct and the famous Husky Stadium. There were several bicycle stores near the area, one even had a bicycle repair stand and a air compressor outside for anyone to use in case of an emergency.

We reached the halfway point of the ride when we reached Gas Works Park. Originally built to manufacture gas from coal in 1906, now stands a public park. Most of the heavy boilers are still standing today not accessible to the public. But the city has added picnic tables and converted the exhaust compressor building to a children's play barn.

Even on this wet and overcast day, you can clearly see the famous Seattle Space Needle surrounded by the downtown Seattle skyscrapers. After a quick pit stop and pictures, we headed back to Bothell.

This concludes my amazing and incredible bike ride in Washington State. I would like to thank my wife and in laws for showing me that even in rainy weather, the company you ride with will dictate how much fun you can and will have. I definitely recommend to my fellow riders when they visit the pacific northwest to ship theirs or just rent a bike and hit the road.