A Bike Day in Seattle

I blasted over to Seattle area for the long weekend for some visiting with friends and attending my cousin Keith's floating bachelor party. I came in thursday and headed out to Vashon Island to stary with my friend Charlie. Starting on Vashon Island in the AM I rode with my friend Charlie for a quick 10plus miles on the twisty hilly roads there culminating in a pastry feast and a brief spin around the block with his oldest son with the rest of his family watching.

Charlie:


Ethan putting out huge watts, while Karin and the wee ones watch:


Later, while Charlie went to work, Karin and I took the younglings to the beach at the vashon light house where we saw black bear foot prints. Apparently the bear swam across the Colvos Passage from the olympic pennisula to Vashon Island, walked across the island and then, most impressively swam from the Lighthouse 3 miles or so over to seatac. Bears, apparently, can do this. The lighthouse keeper informed us the sea lions hanging out on the buoy along the way were not impressed by the intruder.

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Then I took the ferry over to fauntelroy and road along the water over to downtown seattle. The view of seattle from Alki:

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I had a couple of hours to kill in Seattle before meeting Charlie for dinner, so I dropped in on bicycling superstar Kent at the seattle bike station. Kent gave me a sneak preview of his excellent repurposment of a dish rack as bike basket (here). Here is a nice reflecty photo of Kent helping a commuter with a nasty flat:

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Then a few of us absconded to the local coffee shop to engage in conversation. Kent, me and Brad, conversing madly at the 'geist (or is that the Zeit'?):

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I then took my leave and pedalled up Jackson to meet charlie for a delicious 7 courses of beef dinner at a vietnamese resturaunt near his work. 7...Delicious...Courses...Beeef...glarrrgh...

At some point on this trip, the styling convertacouch that Charlie had was by far the most comfortable place I slept. I think the 4 nights went: convertacouch-floor-(rocks/cacti+rattlesnakes-tent)-floor. Mmmm getting too old for this kind of low quality of sleep local weekend. . Hopefully some photos of the rest of the weekend tomorrow, stay tuned for fishing and fire.