Almost biking to Rivendell
Oct. 25th, 2005 10:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
annathepiperAnd oh yeah, because I haven't posted enough today yet, a bit more about the bike trip, and Rivendell numbers as well!
I was just a trifle disappointed that I got onto the trail too late to catch the fog. There was some neat fog at lake level before I left the house; we could see it from our front windows. But by the time I got out of the house and down the hill with the bike, it was gone. It was still quite chilly enough though that I was grateful for my fleece and the windbreaker I was wearing over it.
Critters spotted in transit included assorted dogs of assorted shapes and sizes being walked, ducks, geese, the feral chickens, and a bird that I suspect was a hawk flying high on a thermal somewhere between Bothell and Woodinville. From the glimpses I was able to get of it as I biked by, it seemed to have wings that were pale on the underside but with darker edges. I couldn't quite make out what the actual colors were, though.
The strangest thing I saw on the trail, though, was this white-haired guy on one of those reclining-type bikes. That wasn't the strange part, though. The strange part was that he had this black windbreaker-type tarp draped over his bike, such that when he went by, all I saw was the black tarp, the wheels sticking out of the bottom, and his helmeted head sticking out of the top.
There were small hills that I was able to take thanks to working up momentum. There were other small hills that I couldn't take, but that was mostly on the way home, when I was tired. I did try to bike up at least part of the hill leading up to the house, though. I took a couple of wrong turns on the way, just due to diverting down side trails that branch off the main one to follow, but I recovered quickly. I'm rounding up to 15 miles because of the diversions, though. I think they added at least half a mile to my distance, and if they didn't, I know I've left off counting bits of miles I should have all throughout the year taking the bus to work, so I can make it up here.
And I'll definitely make it to Rivendell by the end of the week. Woot!
Tuesday miles: let's call it 15 (biking + a tad bit of walking)
Miles out of Hobbiton: 450.95
Miles to Rivendell: 7.05
I was just a trifle disappointed that I got onto the trail too late to catch the fog. There was some neat fog at lake level before I left the house; we could see it from our front windows. But by the time I got out of the house and down the hill with the bike, it was gone. It was still quite chilly enough though that I was grateful for my fleece and the windbreaker I was wearing over it.
Critters spotted in transit included assorted dogs of assorted shapes and sizes being walked, ducks, geese, the feral chickens, and a bird that I suspect was a hawk flying high on a thermal somewhere between Bothell and Woodinville. From the glimpses I was able to get of it as I biked by, it seemed to have wings that were pale on the underside but with darker edges. I couldn't quite make out what the actual colors were, though.
The strangest thing I saw on the trail, though, was this white-haired guy on one of those reclining-type bikes. That wasn't the strange part, though. The strange part was that he had this black windbreaker-type tarp draped over his bike, such that when he went by, all I saw was the black tarp, the wheels sticking out of the bottom, and his helmeted head sticking out of the top.
There were small hills that I was able to take thanks to working up momentum. There were other small hills that I couldn't take, but that was mostly on the way home, when I was tired. I did try to bike up at least part of the hill leading up to the house, though. I took a couple of wrong turns on the way, just due to diverting down side trails that branch off the main one to follow, but I recovered quickly. I'm rounding up to 15 miles because of the diversions, though. I think they added at least half a mile to my distance, and if they didn't, I know I've left off counting bits of miles I should have all throughout the year taking the bus to work, so I can make it up here.
And I'll definitely make it to Rivendell by the end of the week. Woot!
Tuesday miles: let's call it 15 (biking + a tad bit of walking)
Miles out of Hobbiton: 450.95
Miles to Rivendell: 7.05
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Date: 2005-10-26 06:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-27 12:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-26 02:49 pm (UTC)Love love lvoe my recumbent. Hitting over 30mph on a regular basis on a bike, and 45 on slight downhills is just pure heaven. Averaging 21mph aint bad, either!
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Date: 2005-10-26 06:35 pm (UTC)Impressive speeds! I didn't know they could go that fast!
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Date: 2005-10-26 06:16 pm (UTC)The best stretch of trail for wildlife is actually a bit south of Woodinville. That's where I often see an otter swimming along at dusk, and if you look closely you'll see at least one blue heron pretty much every time. Huge flocks of Canada geese are also common, whether flying, swimming, or walking about in nearby fields. That's also the stretch where I've seen eagles, though not in recent weeks so I think it's a bad season for them.
The downside is that this is also where insects are found on evenings when it isn't raining, in huge clouds at head level. Sometimes I find myself chewing on a mouthful of bugs because I ducked too late. On the other hand, this encourages bursts of small swooping birds looking for a snack, and an occasional bat. Nature's buffet.
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Date: 2005-10-26 06:38 pm (UTC)I've seen a couple of herons along that stretch, yeah--they're gorgeous. Yesterday's geese were kind of fun because the flock I spotted were all bathing as well as swimming, so they kept ducking underwater and then coming up and shaking themselves like crazy.
I got hit in the face with some of those insects on my way home from Borg the day I biked in!