A nice little snack of a ride.
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More after the break…
I needed to get home a little earlier than usual this time, as my partner and I had plans for a trip out of town the next day. Since this ride had to be shorter, I decided to try out the half frame bag I bought for an upcoming multi-day ride. It ended up performing quite well, and I was happy with my purchase.
Ditching the pannier setup today in favor of a svelter one featuring my new Oveja Negra half frame bag. #cycling pic.twitter.com/xH8QqSzkMC
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
Part 1: Outbound
When I walked out of my building at 5:00 AM, I was greeted with a light rain, the kind that tends to get blown everywhere, which put me in a bad mood since yesterday's forecast for today didn't mention anything about rain. Thankfully, these were simply scattered showers, so I didn't see any of it south of the Ship Canal, which made the rest of the ride south out of Seattle fairly routine, aside from a guy taking out his frustration on a line of bike share bikes.
Scattered showers right now. The forecast early yesterday said nothing of rain.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
A guy kicked over a large stand of Lime Bikes on one of the corners of the intersection north of the Fremont Bridge. #dominos #seabikes
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
I'm not going much faster overall on level ground, but climbing and riding into the wind are noticeably easier. #cycling
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
After crossing under I-405 on the Interurban Trail and crossing back over it on Lind Avenue, I proceeded to pass through downtown Renton, where I saw a number of "ROAD CLOSED" signs. While I didn't realize it at the time, these were for Renton River Days.
Why are there so many roads closed in Renton?
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
I think it might be River Days, based on the streets that were closed when I passed through. pic.twitter.com/JfF8mMFlz2
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
I left Renton via the Cedar River Trail, where I kept an eye out for the guys on golf carts from last time. I was happy to not see them this time, and proceeded to have a relaxing ride along the trail. Something that jumps out in my memory was this group of three women who I kept leapfrogging on the paved section, but I didn't see them on the gravel section at all.
Near the end of the paved section is a little raised bit of pavement that really looks like a building's foundation. I wasn't able to find any aerial views with sufficient resolution to tell whether or not it was in the past, unfortunately. I did get to enjoy some time to myself there, which was odd since it's usually occupied by groups of cyclists.
As always, the gravel section of the trail was a nice change of pace.
Near the far end of it, I noticed that there was some significant construction occurring along it, with the gravel surface's bumpy dirt underlayer exposed, as well as a lot of straw. What's going on?
Something's happening on the Cedar River Trail. #cycling #seabikes pic.twitter.com/4ujgC7qaNu
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
A quick stop at Landsburg Park marked my turning back point.
Part 2: Cedar River Trail Inbound
Since the trail is somewhat downhill in my usual return direction, it's always a good time! I still don't know what the speed limit is supposed to be on the paved section, though.
The gravel section of the Cedar River Trail is still my favorite part of it. #cycling #seabikes
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
I still say a full-on mountain bike is overkill for it. A basic hybrid with decently wide tires is more than plenty.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
These signs say 15 MPH, but the old guys in golf carts say 10 MPH. Which is it? #cedarrivertrail #cycling #seabikes pic.twitter.com/kKrMPjuOs9
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
When I got back into Renton proper, I ended up walking quite a bit because of the River Days road closures.
This gave me a chance to find a tasty brisket Philly cheesesteak sandwich being served at a booth headed by an older African-American man who kept calling me "boss." He was obviously very proud of his barbecued meats, as he should've been! The brisket was some of the best I'd had in quite some time. He kept a close watch over the younger people serving the food, which made me wonder if they were just hired for River Days.
I don't know what #RiverDays is, and I still can't figure it out now that I'm here.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
Got a tasty Philly cheese steak, made with brisket that tastes homemade!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
While eating, I was treated to a live performance, which added some nice color to the experience.
A live music performance is starting.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
Just saw some teenaged cosplayers go by.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
Part 3: Return Home
As I was preparing to leave, I noticed that the closure on S 3rd Street was being lifted. I also realized that the majority of River Days was at a nearby park and that I'd only visited the "annex," but I didn't really feel like sticking round.
I took the classic Lake Washington Loop route to leave Renton, which is something I hadn't done in quite a while. As I rode toward Colman Beach Park, I remembered how I often saw cyclists hanging a right into the park, and though that there might be an alternate route without the hill climb. While there wasn't such a low alternate route, there was a terrible route that would've put me on the wrong side of the road. Of course, I didn't bother with that and turned back to take the road again.
I took the classic Lake Washington Loop route through Leschi, making a quick stop to check out the Polka Dot Jersey's new-to-me location.
Quite the varied selection of fancy bikes at the Polka Dot Jersey! #seabikes
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
I deviated from the Lake Washington Loop route after I'd climbed up to the top of the ridge over the lake, deciding to stick to Lake Washington Boulevard instead since it was purely downhill all the way to the north end of the Arboretum. This also gave me a chance to finally check out the ghost ramps that used to connect to SR-520, and would've connected to the R.H. Thomson Expressway if it had ever been constructed.
After rejoining the Lake Washington Loop route after getting stuck in traffic, I had to wait again at the Montlake Bridge, as it was up to allow boats to pass through. Look at that trolley wire sag!
When I was riding over the Rainier Vista overpass, someone shouted "333!", referring to the 333fab bike I was riding. #seabikes
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
After rejoining the Burke–Gilman Trail, it wasn't long before I was stuck behind a large group of bike share riders. While that's not usually a major issue, one subgroup of them just stood around and blocked the trail after the rest crossed the crosswalk, not bothering to even start until the crosswalk signal was a solid red. I used my usual parking lot detour to get around them, and I didn't see them again before I stopped at FreeRange Cycles for a quick chat.
Reminds me of when I was heading back home today. There was a HUGE group of folks on Jump bikes on the trail waiting to cross Stone/Northlake. Some of them just sat there and chatted while the others left in their own group.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 28, 2019
I used my usual route through the parking to get past them and didn't see them again.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 28, 2019
At FreeRange, I saw what must've been a very old Bike Friday, where the frame could be disassembled rather than simply folded. The seat post's lower portion was exposed because it was held by a simple clamp rather than slotted into a tube. It was there because the proprietary Bike Friday front derailleur wasn't functioning correctly, and the shop couldn't source a replacement.
I saw what was likely an early-generation @bikefriday at @FreeRangeCycles. It had a proprietary front derailleur that they couldn't fix.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
I also saw a frankenbike #Bridgestone RB-1. #cycling
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
After leaving the shop, I had to ride a couple miles through light drizzle before getting home. It sure was different getting home when it was still light out!
It started to drizzle before I got home.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) July 27, 2019
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