100 miles - Cycling to Flaming Geyser State Park and back

(Photo: Courtesy of LUNA Chix Cycling - Seattle)

After five days of paddling around San Juan Island and upper body work, my legs were ready for a good ride. Besides, just before I left for my trip, I finally got my new compact-double chainring installed and I wanted to test it out and see if I would be missing my "granny gear." Ever since the accident I witnessed at the beginning of the month where I watched a woman lose control of her bike on a descent and flip head over heels, I've been really tentative going downhill on my road bike. I hated that I had lost that edge and I knew that by squeezing more on the brakes and riding on the hood of my handlebars, I was increasing my chances of getting into an accident. I had to take care of that. So, on Saturday, I attended a workshop on descending (emergency stops, turning, etc.). It was held by the local LUNA Chix chapter in conjunction with Cycling University. It was the best 2-hour clinic I've taken. By the end of the class, I was way more comfortable than ever descending in the lower position (hands grasping the curve that comes under the bars), and had better body position (my ass way back and off the seat) for emergency braking on a downhill.

But, that wasn't enough time on my bike. That same day, I found out from one of the people in class that there was a 100-mile bike ride out to Flaming Geyser and back the following day (Sunday). It was perfect because the ride was mostly flat which gave me lots of time to play with my new gears. And, I had to work off some of that awesome food I had consumed the week before on my kayak trip.

OK, so Sunday was also the hottest day in Seattle...by the time the ride started at 8:00 am, it was already in the 70s and we were heading southeast out past Auburn so it was going to get warmer. The ride also felt more like a cyclocross event (the bike is like a hybrid where the tires are a little fatter for handling the off-road obstacles, but the frame is light enough so you could carry it over the obstacles when you needed to) because of the number of times we had to dismount and carry our bikes due to closed trails, and routes cut-off by a local marathon. Once we even had to carry our bikes across a teeny bit of a golf course. The ride out was fine and we reached our turnaround point just before noon. But, I was so hot and all I could think about was filling up my water bottles with cold water so I stopped at the first restroom and didn't even ride all the way in to see the infamous Flaming Geysers. Going back sucked. It was hot and there was a good headwind (isn't there always?). I rode with the larger group so I could poach off of someone's tail (all-in-all there were 60 riders in our group....I thought I was the only insane one who willfully chooses to ride 100 miles on a hot day). Once we entered Seattle proper, the first test of my compact-double was coming up. One long steady hill into Seward Park, followed by a shorter, but steeper hill up from Lake Washington and through the Arboretum. The first hill was loooong....and there were no trees to shade me. I always thought it was cool when pro-cyclists poured the contents of their water bottle over their head as they rode up a hill. I was so hot on that hill so I got my chance to do it. I made sure that I grabbed my bottle that didn't have my energy mix in it otherwise it would be a sticky mess. Wow - the water felt great and it gave me enough energy to finish that hill and coast into Seward Park. I wanted to be one of the first ones in so that I would have more time cooling off and resting. Time to refill - again, one bottle for dumping on my head, the other with fresh energy mix. By now, it had to be in the upper 80s or even the 90s. I looked around and others had gone for the shaved ice station and were happily munching on grape and cherry-flavored ice bits....WAAAAH! I had no time to buy one because just at that point, the ride leader gave us a 2 minute warning. I poured one more bottle of water over my head, threw on my helmet and was mentally prepared to attack that last hill.

I enjoyed the view along Lake Washington and traded stories with Alain who I met on previous rides. He's a much stronger rider now, while, before I used to cruise by him on hills. Now he's right up there with me....(Great riding, Alain!!! Keep it up and good luck on the STP!!!) We got to the final climb and I was behind 2 riders who immediately geared down to their grannies...to my left, I saw Alain ride by me so I maneuvered out of that rolling roadblock, hammered, and gave chase to Alain and others who had just blown by me. Wow.....I LUV my compact-double!! I quickly gained ground and was at the top in no time. OK - thank you, Oleg (from Veloce Velo), for recommending that change. I made it back to my car just in time because I was beginning to get punch drunk. I didn't pack enough food and, oh, did I tell you it was hot (LOL)? So, I treated myself to a chocolate shake and a Kidd Valley burger afterwards (I had a few calories to spare after burning probably close to 6000 that day). I can't believe it took me this long to eat one since my move back to the northwest. Normally not what I would recommend as recovery food, but it was close by and I had to eat soon. Yummy! Within an hour, I was back to feeling human again.

Paddling Around San Juan Island - Part 3 (the end)

OMG, I can go on and on. OK, part 3 and I will try to sum up the last 2 days succinctly without forgetting some of the finer details that I think is worth sharing and remembering.

Day 4 - Sandy got us up early with french toast and more of her kick-ass coffee! We packed up our stuff and headed out of Posey Island, past Roche Harbor and down the west side of San Juan Island along Haro Strait. Again, in hopes of catching more sightings of the orcas and Haro Strait is one of their more popular routes. Our destination was Smallpox Bay county park but we first had to deal with some strong winds and swells that were between 1.5 - 2.5 feet. As we were coming out of Mosquito Bay, we ran into a group of about 7 river otters. One swam really close to Sandy and ended up hitting her boat ;-) Later on, when she told this story to someone else, it evolved to the river otter jumping into her boat. We were starting to get the idea that she embellishes her stories just a *little bit*. It all started with how she survived a snake bite ....how could she forget that she wasn't telling the story to a bunch of city folks like me, but biologists! The other thing that I found amusing about her was how she always found fault in the way we would pack our boats, start a fire, etc...it got to a point where we all wanted so much to help out but in more fear that we would do it all wrong (and, believe me, she lets us know just how wrong we are). So, we just got good at piling stuff on the beach and packing our own belongings and waited for her to show up and direct the show. I helped out a lot in the food prepping...this was my way of connecting with her and also a chance to ask her anything about guiding. It worked and she really did enjoy sharing all her guiding knowledge and food prepping secrets with me and I am very grateful for that.

OK, where were we....oh yeah, riding the swells and watching Dave (who was in the front of my boat) and Allen get wet from the waves crashing over the bow. It was a pretty dicey paddle that day and most of the paddlers that day had decided to stay on shore. We got down to Smallpox Bay in about 3 hours. It was a county park and our first step back to civilization. There were tons of people at the campsite and plenty of cars....sigh, I knew eventually we had to head back but it's always hard to get used to that again.

The one saving grace is Sandy's reputation...we got the best camp site in the area and here is a picture from inside my tent on our last morning. Not a bad view to wake up to. I kept hoping that I would hear whales in the night but that never happened. We hung out at the campsite the rest of that day waiting for the whales to come. For dinner, it was corn chowder, more garlic bread (with all the minced garlic you could possibly stand), and more of her excellent cole slaw (I am definitely making that on my trips).

Day 5 - Our last day :-( We woke up to an amazing day....not a cloud in the sky and the winds were minimal. I could wake up to that view everyday. The morning was crazy with activity....the young river otters showed up again at North Beach and we watched them feed along the coastline heading south. In the distance, we spotted a minke whale. But, later on, we found out that a humpback had come down right past our beach without us knowing it. Uh, I don't believe it because how can you miss a humpback. The hill we were on had a pretty expansive view so we would've had ample time to see it surface on either side so I'm thinking that someone mistook my minke sighting for a humpback.

After another hearty breakfast (blueberry pancakes), we broke camp and then headed down for a paddle down south to the Lime Kiln Lighthouse. Last we heard, the orcas were headed west out the Strait of Juan de Fuca so our chances of seeing them that day was close to nil. But, it was still a beautiful day for a paddle. There were a lot of day-trippers out there and the beaches were packed. I can't even imagine what the area is like during the peak summer months (July - August). I know what area I'll be avoiding and, for sure, I don't think I will consider working there. I thought about it briefly, but it's so crowded and crazy busy.

At 3:45, our trip ended and we headed back to the ferry. We had to wait for some day trippers who were running late. Sandy had us waiting for them at the beach and the minute they hit the shore, we literally dumped them out of their boats, grabbed their paddles and starting loading everything on to trailer and van. Once on the van, and heading to the ferry, one of the day-trippers seemed to snap out of her state of shock and asked me how long we were waiting for them. It turns out, we shorted them an hour of beach time....I felt bad but we had to make 5:00 ferry because the next one wasn't until 7. I figured that it was something that Sandy and Andrew (the day-tripper guide) were going to "discuss" later (gee, I wonder who was going to win that discussion) and I just did as I was told.

All-in-all, it was a fabulous trip. I had so much fun paddling with you guys (Paul, Dave, and Allen). You were all great and I learned so much from each of you....I just wish I could write faster! Dave and Allen, thank you for taking turns at the bow of my boat! Your paddling was perfect and you both made me appreciate tandem paddling again! I also had a lot of fun paddling with Sandy and I learned a lot from her. I want to head back to Smallpox Bay county park and watch her in action once she starts working as night security. Once the clock hits 'quiet time,' it won't take her long to get everyone to quiet down...LOL! Sea Quest Expeditions - check them out. Not a bad outfitter for trips around San Juan Island.

Paddling Around San Juan Island - Part 2

This is a continuation of an earlier post of a 5-day sea kayak trip I was on recently around San Juan Island. I covered the first day of the trip and spent an entire paragraph on our guide, Sandy. I hope my traveling companions will post some other 'Sandy-isms' that I may have forgotten. So, the journey continues.

Day 2 - I slept for almost 12 hours making up for the lack of sleep the night before and I woke up on Tuesday fully rested and ready to get out and look for orcas. Allen was already up and had been up for a couple of hours being that he was the one person from the east coast (N. Carolina). That night, there were 2 parties at the campground and Allen laughed at how one sound of a tent's zipper opening up at 5:00 am started a series of consecutive zipping noises from other areas of the campground as, one-by-one, people made their way to the lone latrine in the area. This campground was posh compared to what is up in the Great Bear Rainforest. While we have small huts to offer as shelter, there is no such thing as a civilized latrine, with toilet paper and hand sanitizer, nonetheless!! The sites were complete with firepits and picnic tables....I was camping in style! Anyway, one-by-one we woke up to a fantastic, clear morning with banana & walnut pancakes on the menu accompanied by big pots of french press coffee. Mmmmm....why does food always taste so much better outside? Our plan for the day was to paddle clockwise around Stuart Island.

We headed out by 9:30, I think and we leisurely paddled out the inlet and hung a left. Along the way, we saw harbor seals, oyster catchers, eagles, and pigeon guillemots that I liked watching because of their bright, red legs. But, the highlight of that day were the orcas we spotted in the distance (across Boundary Pass). We're guessing (and, it was confirmed later) that they were the Transients because we spotted maybe 4 in that group. So, I also learned that one of the biggest differences between the J/K/L pods and the Transients is that the J/K/L pods are salmon eaters while the Transients eat marine mammals. And, that members of pods have figured out to mate with members of other pods. Funny how "nature seems to figure itself out" (a common remark made by the biologists).

Unfortunately, that was our only glimpse of the orcas on our trip :-( But, I continue to track the encounters on the Center for Whale Research Site and plan to head back up soon, maybe on my bike because it turns out that there are special campsites for bikers/hikers/paddlers and they can't turn you away. Anyway, that day we paddled about 13 nautical miles around the island and the day before we had only paddled about 7 nautical miles. Nothing too daunting...we were saving that for later!

I'm looking at my notes and I wished I could recreate each night for you because it was a hoot! For example, the conversation on our second night sashayed around topics like how in the Ozarks, people serve the placentas to their kids on their first birthday. Followed by a lengthy discussion on liver, tongue, and lung soup (mmmm....my appetite was building by the moment). Then, they talked about carcasses which rolled on to a debate on mayonnaise (of course....I see the connection...huh?) and the differences (or rather similarities) between Helman's, Best, and Real. For dinner that night, we noshed on the most garlicky hummus spread I've ever had. It was great - this wasn't a picky group at all....thing were never garlicky enough or spicy enough. I could've just eaten the hummus and crackers for dinner and be good but, dinner was actually vegetable curry served over brown rice. Yeah, for the second night in a row, I had eaten myself into a food coma. Do you see why I had to go on a bike ride the moment I got back home? Sandy continued on with her one-woman show and always had to have the last word in. That night, we enjoyed watching the ospreys hanging out by our site, and I think some hummingbirds came out later. Yes, I think it was Dave, who knew exactly what type of hummingbird it was before it quickly zipped out of view. I just observed in amazement....I'm lucky enough to have remembered their names by the end of the first night (hahaha). Later on, we had some bats fly around our campsite.

Allen struggled to stay up past 9:00 that night. His tent was placed perfectly at the site so that he could lay down but still be part of the conversation when it was around a topic that he was interested in. I forgot to mention how on the first night, we thought he had gone to bed and then Paul and Dave started talking about some obscure topic. Zip, zip, zip....all of sudden, Allen pokes his head out of a small opening of his tent to give his $0.02 on the topic. If any of you guys remember what that topic was, please let me know! It was just hilarious: a) first it was such an obscure topic to begin with, and; b) all that we could see was Allen's head....it was like the floating head on one of those late night shows...I think it's Late Night with Conan O'Brien where he has a skit with the floating head of knowledge which is what came to mind when that happened. Guess you had to be there, but it was seriously funny that first night.

Day 3 - That day, we paddled clockwise around John's Island and then had lunch on Gossip Island. Originally we were going to spend one more night on Stuart Island, but, quite frankly, I was done paddling in and out of Reid Harbor. It was a good 5 mile paddle round-trip and it felt like it was getting longer. The weather that afternoon looked great after lunch, we decided to pack up our campsite, load up the boats, and paddle across to Posey Island for the night before continuing down the west side of San Juan Island the following day.

By the time we packed up and started paddling, the wind had significantly picked up and we seriously hauled-ass to get across. That was pretty tough and it took us a over an hour to paddle the 6 miles. Posey Island was all of maybe 2 acres and we had it all to ourselves. This is also the night where Sandy told us about the most famous guide in the area (she's second). Testosterone Tim (of San Juan Kayak Expeditions). I'm not even going to bother and hyperlink the name of his company because I've heard nothing but bad things about him. I guess he doesn't make his customer wear PFDs and will sometimes leave his group on Posey Island while he heads out to Roche Harbor for some drinks. I heard about him before the trip and I guess all those rumors are true. And, yet, he continues to run his business. Go figure.

That night on Posey Island, we also heard the cheesy music, followed by a cannon shot, and more cheesy music. A tradition proudly carried on by the 'yachties.' I imagined Ted Knight's character in Caddyshack all decked out in his navy blue blazer and ceremoniously lighting the cannon each night. However, the sunset was amazing that night. This was a picture I took after dinner and was totally intrigued by the cottonball shaped clouds. For dinner, we had vegetarian chili with jalapenoes on the side so we can make our chili as spicy as we wanted. It was the perfect dinner for that night because the winds had picked up and it was probably the coldest night on our trip. OK....to be continued on the final post.

Paddling around San Juan Island - Part 1

When I first heard the stories about the return of Southern Resident orca pods to the area, I wanted to head out to the San Juans to get a glimpse of them in person. I was also getting restless and wanted to get out and do some paddling so I signed up with a local outfitter, Sea Quest Expeditions, for a 5-day trip around San Juan Island (the westernmost island in the San Juans). It was also a pragmatic solution because it was an opportunity for me to gather information for my own knowledge bank around the finer details of guiding and cooking for a group of people on multi-day trips for my own gig as an assistant guide for Tantalus Adventures.

Day 1 - My alarm went off at 2:30 am on Monday morning - the first day of my trip. I grabbed my dry sacks and drove up to Anacortes to catch the ferry to Friday Harbor and meet the rest of the group. On the two-hour drive up, I wondered who my traveling companions would be and why didn't I spend the previous night in Anacortes? What a dim bulb! I almost talked my friend from the Bay Area, Karen, into taking the trip with me but she didn't think she could make it through 5-days of paddling. So, it was a solo trip for me which was fine and I generally get along with anybody so I wasn't too worried. But, damnit, I forgot my little traveling companion, Pescado :-( (a little, greem, plastic fish that I take on trips with me).

Got to the terminal in plenty of time to catch the 6:20 am sailing - no traffic, no lines. Hell, it was so early the concession stands weren't even open. I threw my sacks up on the bench and closed my eyes. Later, I saw three men walk in, each holding a large garbage back filled with smaller bags. I surveyed their clothes and chances were good that they, too, were on their way to a multi-day kayak trip. My gut was telling me that they could be my traveling companions for the week but I was sleepy and it was too early to be social. Besides, if they were going on the same trip as I was, there would be plenty of time to get to know them. We landed in Friday Harbor and I proceeded to the rendezvous point by the big elm tree. I turned around, and there were the same three men looking as perplexed as I did. After a round of cordial introductions, we determined that we were going on the same trip. Turns out that it was a surprise birthday trip for Paul, one of the men in the group, and he learned about the trip just the day before. His wife secretly planned the trip and even got one of his friends, Allen, who Paul hasn't seen in 20 years, to come all the way out from North Carolina. Paul and Dave (the third member of the party) are both biology professors at Central Washinton University, and Allen is also a biologist and works for the government. I can't remember what he does exactly but let's just say that developers aren't big fans of him and his department. Sweet! Biologists on the trip! I am going to learn a lot and chances are good that they will want to spend a lot of time out on the water.

The van pulled up and we met Sandy, our guide for the trip. So, Sandy is a one-of-a-kind. Where do I begin?!? She's a hearty 61-year old woman who has experienced a lot in her life, primarily as a tracker and a guide both in the San Juans and up in Alaska. She has built kayaks with a local company, and....has lived in the big city and was a gopher for models (huh?!?). Do you see what I mean? In any case, she was hand-picked by the company to accompany the 3 biologists on the trip which made sense because she was the most seasoned guide and probably had the most knowledge about the wildlife in the area. But, let me tell you that by the end of the trip, we figured out who ran the show around San Juan Island. I liken her to a sheriff that you don't f*@# around with....respect Sandy's rules and all is good. If you don't, well, just get the hell out of dodge which I thought I had to do on our first day. Yeah, I made a comment that she didn't like and so I quickly backed off. It became my personal goal to break through and make a connection with this woman (thank goodness for all those debates and negotiations in the corporate world because it came in handy) otherwise it was going to be a loooong week.

We loaded up our kayaks - 2 triples (filled up the middle with camping and food supplies) and Sandy's single. How I wished I had a single because my last experience in a double (in San Francisco) was not good (do I have a control issue?...hahaha). So, yeah, the guide doesn't like me and I'm stuck in a tandem boat. Oh well, as they say, 'make lemonade' which I did from the back of the boat where I could match my stroke with the person up front and control the rudder.

We headed out from Roche Harbor, around Davison Head and across Speiden Channel to Speiden Island. We landed on Speiden for lunch though Sandy later told us that the island is privately owned by the owner of Oakley sunglasses. He doesn't like kayakers stopping on his island but, hell, we were with Sandy and it was her show (damnit). After lunch, it was one last push to Stuart Island and into Reid Harbor where we would spend 2 nights camping. Sandy was paddling like a bat outta hell....and, we found out why. We saw another group paddling out in the same direction and it was basically a race to the best campsites (close to the beach) otherwise, you had to unload your boats at another point further down the inlet and haul your gear a long ways to the other camp sites. From the stories Sandy told us, it sounded like she *always* won. I must say, she is one helluva strong paddler. Damn! We were in bigger boats but could never keep up with her. Once the other group found out it was Sandy, they backed off and we were the first ones to arrive at the campsite. By then, it was around 3:00 pm so we spent the rest of the day setting up camp and having an early dinner (spaghetti and garlic bread). The guys spent that afternoon/evening rattling off the names of all the birds that visited the campsite. I couldn't keep up! It was crazy....like a Jeopardy show on ornithology....I was just an audience member watching in amazement the way they could quickly identify anything that moved. But, you know what....the "sheriff" *always* had the last word. That's it for now...I'm going to have to continue on another blog.

Summer Wines to Enjoy

I'm taking a break from packing for my camping/paddling trip and while I was picking out some wine to bring along, I thought I would take a minute to share with you a couple of my summertime favorites (well, all of 2 days of Summer '08 so far). OK, I know I'm supposed to use this digital space to promote all the good things about the Pacific Northwest, but for this post, we're going Down Under.

The weather has finally gotten warm and so I tend to favor light, crisp, citrusy white wines. I love Sauvignon Blancs because you can enjoy them NOW and not have to lay them down for some time before you can open them up. And, Sauvignon Blancs are relatively inexpensive! One that I purchase on a regular basis at Trader Joe's is Kono's Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough Region of New Zealand which costs $9.99 a bottle. Very refreshing and extremely yummy with seafood dinners and light summer meals. They've recently changed their label from the one I posted here but definitely try it out the next time you're planning a grilled seafood dinner. Oh, and they have a screwcap for easy opening! The *perfect* wine to take on trips.

The other wine that I really enjoy is one that I actually discovered in San Francisco at my favorite wine bar, District. I miss that place (boo hoo) because they have a great wine selection, fabulous food, comfy couches, excellent people watching, and it was only 1/2 block away from my loft. Now, I vicariously live the experience through my friend Christine "Li'l Lim'" who will occasionally drunk text message me as she stumbles home from District. Anyway, the wine is the 2005 Tempus Two Melange from Australia. It's a blend of Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne.

Both of these wines have a citrusy and slightly fruity smell and taste to it so I love pairing it with grilled seafood. But, they are different. The Kono is very light and refreshing, whereas, the Tempus Two is slightly more dimensional (being a varietal) with a little more ooomph to it and a funny, slightly, fizzy sensation that lingers a little after a sip. I think that's why Kirsten and I really liked it...it's like adult candy! We both liked it so much that we split a case. Both should be served chilled. Cheers!

Boot Camp with BBTC (Backcountry Bicycle Trails Club)

I love the internet. It's so easy to find organizations and groups around activities I love to participate in and I don't have to wait for friends to clear their calendars or get off their a**es to join me. If I want to do something, I can usually find a group to meet up with and head out. My most recent find is the BBTC (Backcountry Bicycle Trails) for time on my mountain bike. Through them, I met up with the local chapter of the Lunachix riders and on Saturday, I signed up for their Boot Camp to work on some skills. On a side note, the other thing I like about the BBTC is the work they do to maintain trails as well as advocate mountain biking in Washington to help keep trails open and accessible to riders. I have to do my part and get out there and work on some trails myself.

My instructors were Bob and Ed and the class was at St. Edward Park in Juanita where I've ridden a few times before. And, I was happy to find one of my hockey teammates, Marie, at the clinic. Our class started out in the open field working on proper body positioning for turns and getting over obstacles like logs (big, bigger, huge). Then, we hit the trails and applied (at least attempted to) the skills we worked on. We rode around the part of the park that I was familiar with and that always helps so you know when to change gears. Then, we got on the trail that connects St. Edward with Big Finn Hill which I hadn't ridden. The trail was a bit more challenging because the climbs were steeper, and they had these crazy-ass bridges that were about a foot wide with a slight bend. Needless to say, the first bridge took me by surprise and BAM, hello ground. Bob came back and after I dusted myself off, he told me to do-it-over. I headed back up the hill but now I'm all freaked out in my head and waaay more tentative than I should be. I got on the bridge, and then saw the slight bend, and CRASH....hello log. I was really getting in touch with Ma Nature today. Bob wanted me to do-it-over again, but I looked at him like he was crazy. I just got back on my bike and continued on the trail....haha. Well, Bob wasn't done challenging us. He took us to a part of the trail called the 'Elevator Shaft.' I remember looking at Marie thinking "WTF?" Uh, yeah....it was steep on both sides. I didn't make it...but now I have new challenges in that area to work on - that damn bridge and that gully.

Next on my list is to try and find some time to get my golf game back (found another group online to join up with and start tracking my handicap again) so maybe I can head down to Bend, OR (Sunriver, Woodlands/aka North course - one of my most absolute favorite places to play) or even further south to Bandon Dunes on the Oregon coast. There's also so many other new courses that have sprung up including the one by my parents' house - Chambers Bay which is a links style course and the site of the 2015 U.S. Open (and the first course in the Pacific Northwest to get the Audubon International certification for its environmental discipline). Summertime....sigh, *so much* to do! Thank goodness the sun doesn't set until close to 10:00 pm. Toodles!

Fighting Hamsters....on ice

Oh my head. Last night was my fourth game in the co-ed hockey league I recently joined that plays every Wednesday night at Kingsgate Ice Arena. It's been several years since I last played in a co-ed league and I stopped because I felt like I spent more time picking myself up off the ice instead of being in the play (haha). At 5'4", any contact I had with guys was usually in their favor. But, this league is completely different. First, the guys who coached the Seattle Women's Hockey Club also play in this league so it's fun to try out the moves they taught us. Secondly, a lot of the guys are really good but will set up plays rather than taking over the game and only pass to each other. However, I must say that the women on our team (in the league in general) are good enough to hold their own on the ice and can keep up. I know most of the women through the SWHC or through the Friday night league, and its nice to finally meet their husbands or boyfriends who also skate in this league. That's probably another reason why the game is very friendly and unlike any other co-ed league I've played on. I still had to drastically change my timing if I want to keep up with the pace and participate in the plays. I'm playing right wing this summer so I have to decide faster whether to skate, pass, or shoot. Just keep moving.

Last night was extra fun, because I felt like it was all coming together for me. Everything was going just swell...good passes...shots on goal...picking off passes. At the beginning of the second period. I was going for the puck by the boards and then all of a sudden - WHAM, and I'm knocked to the ice. I remember thinking 'gee, how did I misjudge my distance and run into the boards like that?' Once the galaxy of stars cleared my head, I looked up and saw that I didn't run into the boards, but King Kong who was playing defense on the other team. OK, so maybe not King Kong, but a big guy who probably had 90 lbs. over me. He was totally apologetic and, supposedly had caught an edge and went crashing into me. I thought about stopping, but I stayed and played the rest of the game. I just had to work a little harder to stay focused and to keep my legs from buckling under me. Almost 24 hours later, I am still feeling the affects of that hit....my neck is stiff and I can only turn my head one way (makes driving a bit of a challenge so no weaving in traffic for me...slow and steady in the right lane).

But, the game was way fun! We were down 0-3, and halfway through the third period, we scored 3 unanswered goals all in one shift! And, I scored the second goal - WOOT! I'm finally feeling like a contributor on the ice rather than just filler. My timing is quicker and I'm being more creative in the way I move the puck or get open for passes. I can't wait to skate again. As for King Kong who took me down, I got to return the favor later on (oops, sorry) and he went crashing hard on the ice (the bigger and taller they are, the harder they fall). With less than 1 minute to go, I think he scored the winning goal. Oh well. Go Fighting Hamsters! You know, I've got to get on a team with a more menacing name....Ice Monkeys, Flying Pigs, and now Fighting Hamsters? Sigh....what's next, The Soo Pugs?

Flying Wheels Cycling Century '08

The Flying Wheels Century started in my neighborhood and was along a route that I'm getting familiar with. Starting in Marymoor Park, the route led us out to Duvall, up to Snohomish, down to Monroe, through Carnation, back into Issaquah, and then back to the starting point. Not quite 100 miles (98.5) and 3,850 feet of cumulative elevation gain. I have done parts of this route about 4 times, but gone in the opposite direction so it felt like a completely different ride.

Today was the first break in the weather for a few weeks and I got to wear cycling shorts for the first time this year - woot! Still a little cool at the start, but no rain. In my pockets, I packed my usual century smorgasborg: pb&j sandwich, banana, handful of almonds, fig newtons, some sports gel (these days, my preference is Hammer Gel: chocolate and espresso of course), some electrolyte tablets, and Tums just in case my legs start to cramp up from lactic buildup. We headed out at 8:00 am with the hordes of riders all decked out in their colorful jerseys. I think it's the century with the largest attendance in Washington which was good because it lessened my chances of getting lost. I'm known to get so discombobulated in the last 25 miles and stop paying attention to cues spray painted on the road and end up missing a turn.

Within the first 5 miles, we hit our first hill. I'm finding that lately, it takes me a good 10 miles to warm up on those cool days and I really don't like hitting hills this early. It wasn't long, but it was steep and it sucked and I sucked. I immediately hit my granny gear which I haven't used this year. I didn't get my compact-double in time for the ride because we had to special order a part. So, for this ride, I still had my triple and actually had to use it twice. After that hill, I was warmed up and we cruised towards Monroe. I'm glad that I had packed my own grub because the food selection at the stops wasn't the best. I remember some of the centuries I did down in California had some of the best spread....homemade cookies, homemade banana breads, great selection of fruit. The only thing missing was a waiter when you pulled into a rest stop. Today, the selection was slim and I was happy I brought along my own fig newtons. How do you not have fig newtons for a ride?

Into Snohomish and the halfway mark - woot! The sun was out, my legs and body felt great and my pb&j sandwich was extra yummy! Now we were in the valley which meant the next 20 miles or so was going to be flat and a little breeze was picking up so I definitely had to find a pace group who could break some of that headwind. Of course, I returned the favor and did my share of pulls.

After Carnation, we hit 75 miles and I was starting to feel a little fatigued. I had one more hill to go at the 82-mile mark and it was a 3-mile climb. I threw back my last gel and hoped for the best. All through the ride, everyone talked about the last hill and it was the part of the ride I've never done so I had no idea what to expect. Thankfully, it was staggered so I geared down into that granny gear, and attacked (well, more like 'endured' at this point) the hill in steps. After each step and as I approached a corner, I kept wondering if that was the last bit...ugh, no it wasn't! At the beginning of the hill, I stopped looking at my odometer (yes, I finally got a new computer!) and just focused on turning my legs despite the cramps developing in my calves and quads (OTP!! - how I wished I ate a banana at the 75-mile mark). I reached the peak just in time and then I hit my wall and wanted off my bike. I know it's a bad mental habit I get into and all it does is make the last 15 miles worse than it actually is. The last part was on a stretch of road that I've ridden on so many times so that eased things a bit. At last, almost 6 hours later, I reached the starting point. Get me off my bike, now! I downed my recovery drink and headed over to the Velodrome but the massage tables were all full so we got some ice cream instead (the best fudgecicle ever). They have beginner clinics on track racing so guess who's signing up :-) teehee. So, there, I finished my first century for the year and now I have my North Cascades Loop to look forward to - 382 miles in 4 days. My pace will be much slower and I will also be lugging a trailer with my compact-double....hmmm....should be interesting.

382 Miles - Cyling Part of North Cascade Loop

OK, the dates are set and the route is planned. My neighbor, Jen, and I have decided to take on this epic ride July 22 - 25, 2008...WOOT! From our homes on Cougar Mountain in Issaquah, we will embark on a trip that will have us riding through the area that make up the infamous North Cascades Loop. This route is considered one of the most spectacular drives in North America by the likes of National Geographic Traveler (or is it Explorer, or Adventure). The North Cascades Loop is a very popular drive during the summer and in the fall for the autumn colors (note to self: a backpacking trip must be planned around this time). But, I will get to savor the scenery on my bike...yes, my bike.

Because we'll be cycling, we will primarily be on side roads, though, there will be times where we'll be cycling on the highway next to the semi's (vroooom). Here's our itinerary for the ride:

Day 1--Issaquah to Darrington 96 miles
Day 2-- Darrington to Winthrop 109 miles (the most scenic day; at least 17 miles of this is downhill; good eats at Winthrop; cool campground at Winthrop on river)
Day 3-- Winthrop to Wenatchee 105 miles (hot and dry)
Day 4-- Wenatchee to Cle Elum 72 miles (over Blewett Pass)
Total mileage = 382 miles

We'll be staying in campgrounds along the way and eating a lot of quinoa or pasta for dinner. So, if any of you happen to driving along this route on those dates, feel free to pick up a pizza and drop it off at our campsite :-)) Oh, and coffee and breakfast in the am would also be much appreciated (french toast with fresh berries and maple syrup would be wooooonderful, thank you)! I'm pretty excited about this trip. Jen is a seasoned multi-day cyclist. A few years ago, she biked across the U.S. solo. I don't think I could ever do a multi-day ride by myself...I would drive myself crazy. I would rather drive someone else crazy. Stay tuned....

Getting Muddy w/my Trek Fuel EX8

Tiger Mountain (just right down the road from me) has some of the most popular mountain biking trails in the Puget Sound area and I finally succumbed to its lure and bought myself a new mountain bike. I remember my first ever mountain bike - a Specialized Rockhopper purchased way back in the early 90s. Wow, has the technology changed over the years - back then, my bike was hard everything...hard-tail, hard-fork...nothing fancy except the fat tires on a stiff cromoly bike frame. Thank goodness the shifters still operate the same way today so it's one less thing to re-train myself on. But, I remember how I used to lose all sensation on my fingers and counting my teeth at the bottom of runs to make sure they were all intact from all the jostling and shaking.

When I was out shopping for a bike, I thought I could just get away with a hard-tail. "No way" was the response I got from everyone I talked to. I must say, I'm glad I listened to them and got a full-suspension Trek Fuel EX8....I know, another Trek (that's 3) but I also tested out Specialized and Gary Fisher and it was close. I literally picked the one I could go home with that day....and, the Trek was ready. I'm really excited about being able to manipulate the level of suspension on my fork and and on my rear (from full to none). Sweet!

Lately, I've been spending time at St. Edward Park, a nice little park with some short, twisty singletracks where I can brush up on my technical skills like maneuvering around or over rocks, roots, and logs. Today, I met up with the Seattle chapter of the Lunachix and rode Tokul West located in Fall City, WA. OMG....so much fun! We did a lot of climbing....I'm better at that with all the endurance I've built up from road cycling. However, I'm still very tentative on descents and with each ride, I build more confidence. Today, we only did 10-12 miles, but with all the climbing and pedaling at a higher cadence, it was a pretty good workout. The thing that I find more exhausting was just how mentally alert you have to be on your entire ride. When I'm on my road bike, there are times where my body is on auto-pilot and I just pedal while my mind is miles away.

It's been raining a lot this spring so Tokul West was extremely mucky which made the terrain more challenging than it already was. I slipped a lot on the roots and puddles hid a lot of rocks and roots. As you can see, my bike is stark white! I'm happy to report that that is no longer the case. My skills are still very rusty but it's all coming back to me. However, I'm going to have to accept the fact that I am going to have to endure a summer of bruises and cuts on my legs as I shake the cobwebs. But, the full-suspension is a huge difference, and, it's so plush!! The only thing that hurt after my ride were the cuts and bumps on my legs from the little spills I took on the trail.

Return of K & L-Pods to San Juan Island (Baby Orca spotted)

(Photo: K & many of L pod off of San Juan Island. Courtesy of Center for Whale Research - 6/3/08)

I am so giddy with excitement! I just heard about the report of the return of the other two pods that make up the Southern Resident group of Orcas. There are a total of three pods: J-pod (26 members), K-pod (19 members), and the L-pod (43 members). The J-pod is the one most frequently seen in the San Juans and in Puget Sound. The K & L pods just recently returned and were spotted off of the west side of San Juan Island which is where I will be paddling for 5 days later on this month. Now do you see why I'm giddy?? I hope I'm lucky enough to see them.

(Photo: "Spyhopping" K-pod baby orca. Courtesy of Center for Whale Research - 06/03/08)

The most exciting news is that a baby was spotted in the K-pod (pictures of the baby are featured on this page). And, take a look at this video and you can see the baby swimming in the pod. What an amazing sight....I LOVE it here! Whee! So, why is the baby splotchy? Basically, it's a result of the baby orca's thin skin, and, as its blubber builds up, the baby orca will turn white. So, the splotches you see in the picture is comparable to blushing.

You can go to the Center of Whale Research for more information about our Southern Resident Orcas. And, also check out the CetaceaLab that is located on the northern coast of BC and they study all the whales that migrate up to the area.

Passages Northwest

A friend recently told me about this non-profit organization and I also heard about it at Vertical World, a rock climbing gym that I go to in Seattle. Passages Northwest represents so much of what I believe in and I had to find out more about this organization. This organization inspires courage and encourages leadership in girls through interactions and experiences in the natural environment and through the arts. Their programs include rock climbing and sea kayaking activities. After reading about the organization, I felt I had to get involved so I recently signed up as a volunteer and I hope to be writing about some experiences soon. Stay tuned! Girls rock! (Boys too!)

82 Mile Loop: Seattle -> Snohomish -> Sultan -> Seattle

At 8:30 am, I pulled into Magnuson Park just off Sand Point Way in Seattle just north of the University of Washington (go Dawgs, woof, woof). Today's ride was going to be a total of 82 miles and the route had us heading northeast up to Snohomish, then east to Sultan, and then southwest back to Seattle. Thankfully, after a week of predicting rain for today's ride, it looked like the rain was going to hold off. But, it was freezing! I think it was 52 when we pulled out of the lot and peaked at 59 today (it's pleasantly warm on other days when I'm not riding....grrr). While in San Francisco, I used to complain about how hot the rides started to get this time of the year and I would push our start times out earlier and earlier (i.e., the rides that were outside of San Francisco and away from that awful fog). Now, it's the complete opposite - it's always cold on the days I want to do long distances and I want to start my rides later and later on in the day when it's had a chance to warm up. Sigh....always gotta complain about something. My legs were feeling a little tired after my hike up Mount Si yesterday and the cold weather was making me grumpy. So, I decided to ride with the group that was a slower pace than my usual. And, not only was it my longest ride so far, but also the hilliest. I gathered with that group and watched my faster paced group head out. Just when they were out of sight, the ride leader for our group said that it was probably going to take us 7 hours to complete the 82 miles. WHAT?!?! I finish 100 miles in 6 hours....7 hours on my bike today? Grr.... By then it was too late to try and catch up with the others. Well, I thought to myself, this will be a good benchmark ride to see how I'm doing on my bike and to determine the pace I should maintain for the Flying Wheels Century in a couple of weeks.

So, off we went into the arctic blast...ok, being overdramatic again, but I changed my gears and pedaled at a high cadence to warm myself up as fast as possible. It wasn't too long before we hit our first hill....a low grade but it was long. I lost count of the number of hills we climbed, but we basically had to ride up over some hills from Woodinville to Snohomish and then descend into Snoqualmie Valley, and then back over the hills to Seattle. There were a lot and with each hill, my legs felt stronger as my body warmed up. Soon, I was regretting riding with the slow group because they were sloooow going up the hills and then we would always have to regroup at the top because our group (which was probably up to 35-40 people?) would get so spread out. Sigh...a lot of hurry up and wait. On one of the hills, I finally had to blow by the ride leader promising that I would stop at the top of the hill and wait for them - I hate going up hills slow....just hammer and get it over with. As I cranked, I looked behind me and I got me some chasers....woot, the ride was on! At the stop, someone asked if I was a racer. After I got done laughing hysterically and wiping the tears from my eyes, I explained how I usually ride with the next group up but not really feeling 100% today. From that point on, I was referred to as a 'ringer.' (Now, why can't I get that nickname when I'm playing hockey?) Actually, there were a few 'ringers' on that ride so we hammered on the hills and chased each other to make it interesting.

This was a day of calamaties. First, minor....at our stops, we had a lot of people falling over on their bikes because they can't clip out of their pedals in time. Ha! That's something I usually do...in fact, my bike mechanic asked why my right hand brakes were angled in and I said it was because I always seem to fall on my right side which is the side I tend to stay clipped in at full stops. He thought it was because I had wrist issues....no, just brain issues....i.e., my brain just turns off when I'm at a full stop.

But, we also had 2 bikers go down. One headed back on his own (it was early on in the ride - maybe 15 miles out?) and his injuries minor, though, he was unnerved enough to know that he didn't want to do the full ride. The other was crazy scary. We were starting to descend on a steep curvy road where I could see us maxing at 40+ mph. About 7 riders in front of me, I see a woman go crashing to the pavement. She tumbled 3-4 times head over heels and her bike finally released and went crashing into the oncoming lane and she finally rolled to a stop in the middle of the road. It could've been worse. Luckily, there was no oncoming traffic or any cars trying to pass us. And, we just started our descent so there was enough time to maneuver around her and stop in time. We had a couple of doctors on the ride so they quickly came over and checked her over. Given the severity of her crash, I thought she looked ok - abrasions on her chin and fingers, and, most importantly, she was conscious. But, she probably broke her collarbone. Her helmet saved her life....to all my friends that cycle....*please* wear your helmets at all times no matter how short your ride is or how familiar you are with the roads or trails. Gloves are also good not only for the padding for the comfort, but it will help prevent or minimize scrapes and cuts on your palms when you use them to break your fall. We think that she slammed on her front brakes on the descent and lost control of her bike.

Needless to say, that accident left the rest of us a little shaken up, and our ride through the valley was quiet and subdued. And, we had strong headwind (wait, there's *always* a headwind whenever one is riding in a valley, no matter what direction your heading). We didn't do a paceline through the valley because there were too many people, so kudos to the ride leader who pulled us those 20 miles.

But, the mood lifted as we talked about some of the hills we had to ride to get back to the starting point - including one that was a 14% grade. Thankfully, it was really short and then the rest of the climb was less than 6%. We got to the top and it wasn't that bad but it was hard enough to make it real gratifying when you reached the top. Then, we had one more steep descent to go. I went down it way too tentatively and could feel my rear lift off my seat. But, we all made it down safely. We got back to our starting point at 5:30 - that's 8.5 hours after we started. Too many stops, and the accidents slowed us down a lot. All I could think of the last 15 miles was getting off my bike...I was D-U-N, dun. But, it felt great to finish and now I know that I'll be fine for my upcoming century. I also asked a lot of people about their rides after they switched from a triple chainring to a compact double and they all love it. So, I'm looking forward to getting mine replaced tomorrow and taking it out for a spin later this week. And, to the riders who went down today, I wish you a speedy recovery and I hope to see you on your wheels soon.