#16 January 22, 2021
Oh goody! An unexpected ride with Cindy. I was planning on my solo ride until Cindy decided to opt out of a small group ride she had been dithering about doing. My gain 🤗.
Mill Creek was again our venue as there are many nice routes in that area with little to no auto traffic. Plus — Cindy knows the area extremely well. At about nearing the end of our ride together (Cindy would head to her house, I would head to mine), we stopped for tea and crumpet (my crumpet was a scone, Cindy’s an apple turnover) at Bequest cafe’s outdoor table.
The view from where we sat looked *almost* as if we could have been in Italy or a snicket (alleyway) in the UK. Cindy is off to the right there.
Gosh, first an outdoor table in *Paris*, now in Italy. And not needing to board a flight ;’-). Temps were in the low 40s today with only a few fleeting sun breaks while on our ride together. On my way home the sun shone bright in a beautiful blue sky, I took my sweet time for the ending of my ride to enjoy the last sunny miles.
#17 January 23, 2021
I knew I wanted to get out for at least a very short ride on this day because the forecast looked quite bad for almost the entire remainder of the month — low temps (30s), potential snow, ice, rain!! Though the forecast showed one day that MIGHT be dry with no precipitation the night before, we know we cannot count on long term forecasts, and this day could be my last ride for the month of January.
With the sun shining at noon, and the 28 degree earlier temp climbing all the way to 35, it was my time to ride. Short and sweet around the neighborhood where I found this little creature as a warning to others. This would do for my photo of the day. ;’-)
#18 January 25, 2021
As anticipated, the weather forecast of continual rain all this week has not held true 🤗. At least today would have weather good enough for a ride. So I did.
What I call my “Shawna Loop” was the route for the day as I have not ridden that one in a while. Very light traffic is always a plus and so it was on this day. Remember Shawna who I met last July on my ‘Bicycle Ride and Seek’ hunting...
I wrote about her in my July 2020 post (July 7, Soldiering on into July). I named this route for her.
Not far from the spot where I had met Shawna, I pass this door and window to nowhere. Has got to me my photo for the day.
I stopped for a gander at our iconic goat. The goat is placed on top of a fence and changes periodically depending on the season or holiday or whatever strikes the owner. The local people who drive by on this well used road let it be known how much they apparently enjoy having the goat around. At one time it was stolen and our little local newspaper had a big article with people asking for its return. Quietly it did get returned, apparently in the middle of the night as it simply reappeared one day. The locals were happy.
At this time, s/he is appropriately masked ;’-).
Goat must have been active for Halloween.
#19 January 26, 2021
Another gift of a day — no rain ;’-). You can see by the blue sky in my photo for the day that it was quite the day for a nice bike ride.
My ride was short as I had an early afternoon appointment that I needed to get ready for. I often ride through and around the small airport near us, and today there was the opportunity for a photo with no cars in the parking lot. Don’t know why, but I would take it as it was. The wet pavement dried up quite quickly and added to the delight of the ride.
#20 January 27, 2021
First I was, then I wasn’t, then I was, then I wasn’t, then I did ;’-). Go for a ride that is. I was not looking forward to the time it takes to put on all my bad weather gear, feeling like the Pillsbury Dough Girl, gathering all my battery warmers, and getting ready to start riding in the cold gloom. It rained until mid morning, was very cloudy until early afternoon, and was nearing the time of day that I don’t like starting on a ride.
But...but...but “they” are saying we have many days of rain, clouds, cold and possible snow coming our way very soon — as in today. 😏. With that forecast I want to ride as many days as present for dry riding, and this afternoon was it for this day.
I went out in some sun in 42 degrees (at least it climbed from earlier 37) and cut my ride shorter than usual, but rode for at least an hour. A very nice trail leads through the High School campus. Weekends or holidays, or pandemics, are really the only time you can ride the trail unless you go at night. There are a few rather nice bridges and I have posted one back in October that links to the Middle School This one is on the HS grounds.
#21 January 29, 2021
I must remind myself to take some time off from the bike periodically. Having had a full day off made today’s ride so very enjoyable! It did not feel like it was because my body needed rest, as I have not been doing strenuous rides. Far from it. I chose a bit longer route that would give me more miles than I have been doing, and I had a much better time riding. It must be a combination of time off the bike, and a route I do not do very often.
Anyway, I rode up to the trail that would take me to south
Everett.
Beginning of the trail...
I am about to head DOWN this hill on the trail, and I/we (my riding buddies) choose a different route back to avoid riding UP it 😉.
Once in town I crossed over a Main Street and scamandered through neighborhoods on surface streets rather than head back on the trail. Thus, making a loop rather than an out and back ride. Weather was ok with clouds, 40+ temps, no rain, no sun. All in all a good ride.
JANUARY
The last two days of this month have presented with much rain, and February is coming in with some soakers for the first week of the month 🤨. I will try oh so hard to get in rides when there is any kind of break in the raindrops ;’-).
It was a bit of a wet month, but many days allowed some bike riding, some more than others. Midway through the month we had 7.53 inches of rain measured in Seattle — “soggiest January ever” they said then. I have not heard what the measured rain was for the entire month. We live a little north of town, so may have gotten a bit less than that, but still — a lot of rain everywhere. For most of the month, the daytime temps were fairly good to us as they stayed in the upper 30s with many days in the low to mid 40s; even a few afternoons in the low 50s! For many of us who bike all year here in the PNW, temps anywhere in the 40s are welcome for a ride so long as there is not a ton of cold rain or icy conditions from overnight precipitation in freezing temperatures.
Much of the month was cloudy, (yes the wettest, and the sixth warmest January in 77 years!!) but did have some sun breaks on many days, and when the sun does show no one loves or appreciates it more than we do here in the PNW!
As we end this first month of the new year with adults now leading our country, I will quote this from an article I read just a few days ago “I hope for a return to a common purpose for the common good, but struggle to see how we get there from here”. At least I feel (my opinion here) we have a better chance at that with our new President and Vice President at the helm. Gives us all hope.
I will end with a couple of photos for the month.
Susan’s amaryllis bloomed a LOT.
And we have a reminder here...
This young lady had something encouraging to covey for us.
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