A little ride around Puget Sound.
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I spent most of this ride adjusting my saddle position, most of which involved moving it down. It kept getting better, though there's still room for improvement.
More after the break…
Part 1: To Ferry
I started at about 05:00 as usual, heading to the Bainbridge Island ferry. I had my panniers mounted on my bicycle's fork after what happened on my last ride.
Heading out west. (@ Seattle Ferry Terminal in Seattle, WA) https://t.co/sZYQ5T5VnR
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 24, 2016
All luggage is mounted up front, which is a lesson I learned last time.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 24, 2016
Part 2: Bainbridge, Kitsap, and Quimper
It was a pretty uneventful ride across Bainbridge Island, through Polusbo, across the Hood Canal Bridge, and north on SR-19.
I'm at Chimacum Corner Farm Stand in Chimacum, WA https://t.co/ZFVuDoqUjh
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 24, 2016
Rather than staying on SR-19 all the way to Port Townsend, however, I went through Four Corners and got onto the Larry Scott Trail.
The trail was primarily hardpack, tiny gravel…and dead, wet leaves. I was worried about losing traction up the steeper bits.
My only real complaint about the Larry Scott Trail (part of the Olympic Discovery Trail) is all the dead, wet leaves. #cycling
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 24, 2016
I was happy to see the trail so well-used. I saw another cyclist every few minutes!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 24, 2016
I enjoyed the windy climbs on the trail, but that was mainly due to how well this bike handles.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 24, 2016
The trail eventually dove down to Port Townsend Bay. I'd actually been on this section of the trail, but that was long before I was comfortable with gravel and I was scared enough to always use SR-20 instead until this ride. I love gravel now.
At the end of the trail, I ended up riding along a gravel parking lot, then small streets to SR-20 and the ferrry to Whidbey Island. The guy at the booth didn't give me an actual ticket card when I paid, but the lady who was supposed to scan them didn't have time and let me on anyway.
Barely made it. (@ Port Townsend Ferry Terminal in Port Townsend, WA) https://t.co/1Q5s7IsVXJ
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 24, 2016
There were a lot of motorcycles on the ferry.
A guy who's done a bike tour up to the top of Canada,and is a Warm Showers host, told me about his exploits and gave me a list of his pages.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 24, 2016
The guy's name is Pat Rodden, who's been in the Seattle Times because of his arduous trek to the northern tip of North America. He was quite eager to share his story with various ferry passengers, too.
Part 3: Whidbey Island
While Pat took the low route to Coupeville, I went over a ridge to get there.
And then I went on a little loop along Penn Cove.
I stopped in Coupeville on the way back, which I'd never visited properly before, to get some ice cream.
I'm at Kapaws Iskreme in Coupeville, WA https://t.co/6oWyKiNWEL
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 24, 2016
I took SR-20 and SR-525 down along Whidbey Island, stopping once for some bottled coffee in Greenbank.
I'm at Greenbank Store in Greenbank, WA https://t.co/a6MkBKxg5s
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 24, 2016
Saddle position is very close. Need to focus on foot pressure as another variable. #cycling
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 24, 2016
I've learned a lot of bad habits to deal with a bad fit, which make saddle positioning much harder. #cycling
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 25, 2016
One last ferry ride. (@ Clinton Ferry Terminal in Clinton, WA) https://t.co/o38ma7L2Z5
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 25, 2016
That ferry ride was so short that I just sat in a chair on the car deck.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 25, 2016
I ended up spending the entire ride eating, using the restroom at the terminal after disembarking.
Part 4: Mukilteo Boulevard
There was some climbing from the water, but the ride along Mukilteo Boulevard once up a bit of the ridge wasn't too difficult.
The Mukilteo Boulevard route between Mukilteo and Everett is pretty nice, albeit mildly challenging. #cycling
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 25, 2016
It even dumps you onto S 41st Street for convenient access to both Swift and Everett Station! #cycling
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 25, 2016
A few raindrops have been falling here and there, but I made it here before anything happened.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 25, 2016
I'm at Everett Station - @everettcity in Everett, WA https://t.co/DRIAxMGawn
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 25, 2016
The only thing I really remember about the bus ride is a guy who was in a very colorful getup complete with facepaint…and a Sharpie through his nostrils (he had a hole between them).
Mass transit is a great way to skip 'junk miles.' #cycling
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 25, 2016
Part 5: Return Home
It was still comfortably warm for the last bit of the ride home, too.
Definitely need a shower after all that.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 25, 2016
It might've been short relative to some rides, but I had to be somewhere the next morning, so I couldn't get home super late.
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