All Factors Considered

Day 168: I'm ashamed to admit that I did very little bicycling last year, taking my exercise largely as a mix of hiking and kayaking (oh, and Morris dancing), so I resolved to remedy that sorry state of affairs this year and began today with a measly little seven-mile ride. I would have preferred riding a rail-trail to pedalling up the highway, but all factors considered, staying local was the better choice. First of all, it's been a year since I sat on a bicycle seat for any length of time. Second, Morris dancing and hiking use a different set of muscles than pushing pedals does. Third, I wasn't sure how my injured shoulder would take to leaning over the handlebars. Fourth...and the most important item in my decision-making process...the damn bike won't fit in the new car! Despite the fact that the car is wider, the dimensions are constricted in the arch behind the rear seats, and the trunk depth lacks about 3/4" inch for accommodating the handlebars. Looks like I'm going to have to invest in a cheap bike rack if I'm going to stick with the program.

Follow The Yellow Brick Road

Day 291: "Select a function or mode on your camera that you've never (or rarely) used and take a picture to demonstrate its purpose and/or usefulness." That was a bit of a challenge! I use most of the functions on my camera on a regular basis, so I parked my butt on a bench alongside the Chehalis-Western Trail and reviewed the various possibilities. When I came to "Color Swap," I said, "Hmmm..." and an idea was born. However, the trail offered very little in the line of colors I could exchange without using the red or blue of the bike. I had dark green fir trees and Scotch broom, and tan dry grass. Oh, and yellow Hawkweed, the plant so many people think is a species of dandelion. Yellow...maybe I could turn the asphalt yellow.

I selected a large area of asphalt to get an average of the shades of grey, and then zoomed in on a Hawkweed blossom for the exchange. The viewfinder flashed the projected swap alternately with the true-to-life scene which didn't really give me much opportunity to review how it would affect the peripheral colors. I snapped a preliminary shot and then zoomed in on the resultant image. It looked like it might just work! In post, I eliminated a slight color cast on the top of my bike bag and on the tire tread. I left the yellow on the chrome because it would be reflected from the "Yellow Brick Road."

Now you might wonder what use this could possibly be to anyone. Well, for one thing, it was fun, but a more practical application might be if a realtor wanted to show a client a house painted in a different color, swapping a sedate blue for a dingy tan, for example. I doubt I'll ever use it for anything so purely functional, though.

So why was I out on the bike today instead of in the kayak? I figured my arms were getting stronger at the expense of my legs, and today, it cooled down just enough to make a 30-mile bike ride a pleasant prospect. Unfortunately, the mower had trimmed all the wildflowers I'd hoped to photograph, leaving me very much tempted to do a color swap to turn magenta Fireweed into a rare blue-flowered variety.

Interurban-Green River Trail

Day 230: In the winter of 2009, the Green River went out of its banks and the Green River-Interurban Trail was heavily sandbagged in an effort to protect the homes on the far side of the dike along which the trail runs. Some areas of the trail were damaged as well. Once the floodwaters had receded, King County did not have the funds to remove the sandbags and/or repair the trail. It was a sad day for bicyclists and walkers when it was announced that the trail would be closed for the duration.

One particular bicyclist missed the memo. Three years ago, operating on the blithe assumption that all had been put to rights, I parked in Pacific (the southern trailhead) and launched myself toward a Taco Time lunch at the north end of the trail, approximately 18 miles distant. When about seven miles from my start point I discovered a small mountain of sandbags blocking further travel, I was disappointed, to say the least. Unfamiliar with the city streets which might have allowed me to bypass the damaged section and not fond of riding in city traffic, I simply turned around and went home.

The trail has since been reopened, but circumstances haven't permitted me to ride it until today. I had Old Blue in the shop in Sumner for his annual physical, so when I picked him up, it seemed logical to drive a few more miles to Pacific. That hadn't been my original plan for the day, but what the heck, it sounded like a good idea even if I hadn't packed much in the way of snacks.

So there I was, going merrily along, thinking about lunch at Taco Time as I pulled into the Three Friends Fishing Hole wayside, and what did I see, to my surprise? A big orange "Green River Trail Closed" sign! But this time, there were arrows pointing to a detour route. Dismayed, I followed them, knowing I'd be forced onto city streets whether I liked it or not. In a few hundred yards, I came to a busy highway. I scanned for another detour arrow, and the only one I could find seemed to point in entirely the wrong direction, crossing an overpass. Or did it? It was set at an angle, hard to tell. I gave it a try. No, that was definitely wrong. Maybe it meant that I should go through a parking lot and enter the trail again by a local access. On the trail again, I was alone but for one walker on his lunch break from the industrial complex. I made an inquiry and was given some rather vague directions which I followed...again wrong, but at least they led me to a construction worker who pointed me the proper way. In a mile or so, I was back on track. But as I got closer to Taco Time, I spotted more orange signs saying that other areas of the trail would be closed until some time in 2015. Oh dear!

I'm glad I made this ride today. It feels as if it was ordained by the Fates or some such nonsense. I don't think I'll be riding this way again, not until I hear that the construction is completed.

My Bicycle And Me

Day 224: The Pacific Northwest has been basking in summery temperatures for the last several days and they're due to stick around for a couple more before the rains return. Anyone who enjoys the Great Outdoors can't be expected to stay inside if there's any possible way they can escape other obligations. I did have some shopping to do, and thus my destination was dictated by the convenience of locations where I could purchase pet supplies, fishing lures and possibly pay a visit to the bike doctor for the annual derailleur adjustment.

It's only been a week or so since I rode the Foothills Trail from Orting to South Prairie, so I wasn't expecting any surprises. The frogs aren't out at the wetland wayside yet, nor have I seen the Great Blue Heron who sometimes hangs around, but Red-Winged Blackbirds provided a brief diversion. South Prairie's little riverside park is a pleasant place to stop for lunch, and if no children are about, the swing is great fun for an "older kid." The emu (a sight which stops nearly everyone) was grazing in his field, and otherwise, the river just rolled quietly by, its passage only marred by the regrowth of invasive Japanese Knotweed along the banks. Given this pastoral vignette, the word which might come to mind is "uneventful," which indeed described the day until I came to the bull ambling casually down the center of the trail.

This is not the type of obstacle one normally encounters on paved bike paths. His ladies were calling to him from the pasture, voices he answered with a loud and mournful bellow. It was clear that he had no idea how he'd come to be on the wrong side of the fence and unfortunately, I had no clue either. We exchanged glances and passed each other without incident, and I rode on, stopping at the farmer's house to report his errant charge. The owner's comment? "Yeah, he does that from time to time. I'll take care of it."