A Trip To REI

On the Fremont Bridge. Seattle, WA

I have always wanted to ride all the way downtown Seattle from my house, and now I've done it! It was never the mileage that worried me; just the route. As it turns out, it really wasn't that difficult. Much of it was on a separated bike path, or in a designated bike lane. I can't say that if I started working downtown again that I would make a habit of biking in every day though... Portions of the trail went through parts of town that I didn't feel 100% comfortable in. I wasn't worried yesterday, because there were a lot of people out, and I had 1.0 with me, but early in the morning...alone...that would be a different story.

Lake Union

There were definitely a few good climbs on this ride; Of course there was the Meridian hill that I always complain about. (It isn't so bad really, it's just that I am trying to take my hills standing up and sprint them, so they feel suckier.) Our route led us south on Freemont Ave, and on 65th, we needed to take a right (head West) to get up to Phinney Ave. 65th is pretty flippin' steep! Of course on the way back, what was a fun descent into Freemont on Freemont Ave, was one LONG climb back up. The grade wasn't challenging, though.

I was a little nervous riding when we got all the way downtown. The stupid old train tracks are nerve-wracking, plus the roads are just crap in general down there!  There are pot holes and and chunks of pavement missing everywhere! I opted for the sidewalk. Luckily REI is very close once you come off the trail at the south end of Lake Union.

When we arrived at REI, I was very hesitant to lock up my Cervelo outside with the other bikes on the racks. First of all, most of them were pretty beat up. I seriously doubted that anyone was going to take care not to bump there bike into mine; scratching or chipping it. I was also concerned about theft. I did have the nicest bike there. I never lock Fiona up actually. She always comes in wherever I go.

While I was deciding what to do, I noticed another Cervelo chained up to the rack. It was quite a sight! It had obviously been ridden like mad, was a bit older, and was covered in...stickers. What stood out to me the most though, was the fork. A few weeks ago, one of the blogs that I follow posted about a cyclist who had been killed, and it had turned out it had been due to a recalled Cervelo/Wolf fork. Read that post by clicking HERE. This guy had that recalled fork, and I couldn't just walk away and do nothing! I ended up finding an employee who got me a piece of paper and pen, so I could leave a little note. He also told me there was another bike rack on the inside of the store that I could use that was far more secure. Yay! Karma for the win! As I was locking up my bike, the Cervelo owner had come back and found my note. The REI employee pointed out who I was and he came over and thanked me. I felt good. Like Paul said, we need to watch out for our fellow bicycle riders!

So what wonderful goodness did I find at REI do you ask?? Oh Mama! Well, I did good! I have been wanting to replace my rock climbing shoes for awhile now, but 1. they are pricey, and 2. they were out of season until recently. BUT with my REI dividend, (which was significant) and my 20% off coupon, I bought a new pair of La Sportiva Miura climbing shoes, and a boat-load of my favorite energy chews, and when I got to the register, they ended up owing ME $3.00! How awesome is that?!

Total miles traveled: 30 miles

Here is just a little treat. This is a video of 1.0 this past Saturday, on his slackline. I swear the man could be in a circus! Enjoy!