Ride summary:
Route: Around the south end of Lake Washington, including Mercer Island Loop Distance: 48.2 miles
Time: 5 hours total Weather: Upper 40s; winds SW-SSW 5-15 mph; overcast with occasional showers and
sun breaks
(All pictures in ride description not taken on this ride, and mostly by other people)
It was one of those rides I end up doing around mid-January. It's when I realize that I haven't done
any riding except to and from work, and I've grown fat and lazy, and if I am ever going to do those
major rides I have already have committed to for the summer, I had better get on the bike starting
now and warming up for the spring season.
Originally I was going to go around the top of the lake, but while I was zipping up my booties I
remembered they were doing some construction on the Sammamish River Trail and had a detour going,
which I didn't want to mess with. I didn't have a plan as to where I was going to ride, then, just
that I wanted to do at least 40 miles. I got out the front door at 8:45 AM. Since I felt like riding
along Lake Sammamish (tinyurl.com35ur7Open ↗), that's what I did. I briefly toyed with the idea
I'd ride the zoo road (incredibly steep!!) but came to reality quickly, and decided to instead ride
around the south end of Lake Washington.
There was a brief shower, then a sun break, and then mist as I came up along side Vasa Creek
(tinyurl.comytwmkOpen ↗).
Since it was Saturday, and still fairly early, I decided to take the Scary Tunnel
(jimcarson.com069.jpgOpen ↗), and down the hill to the I-90 Trail entrance
(tinyurl.com2x6xxOpen ↗). I then took 118th, which becomes Lake Washington Blvd.
For this portion of the trip, I was basically cycling the opposite of the ride described here:
(tinyurl.comythl4Open ↗) -- opposite in both direction and season.
While I was in Renton, it struck me. I could ride out to Flaming Geyser State Park and back. It's
the easiest century loop in the area. I could do a century today! (OK, 93 miles from my house, but
picky, picky). Then I realized how stupid that was. I haven't ridden more than to or from work (16
miles each way, max) for months. I was in no shape for a century. Get serious, Petersky.
I rode past some old Boeing building that they are demolishing, and then alongside the airport there
that's used for flying out Boeing planes and small aircraft. Then I took a break and stopped at
Global Coffee at about mile 19, where I had a Clif Bar and a hot tea laced with turbinado sugar. By
the time I left at 10:30, I was seeing increasing numbers of cyclists out riding this section of the
Lake Washington Loop.
It didn't seem long before I saw the southern tip of Mercer Island from across the lake, and perhaps
because I was assisted by a tail wind, before I knew it I was at I-90.
(jimcarson.comp1 096.jpgOpen ↗) It was raining just on the lake -- before I
hit the bridge, and shortly after I left it, it was relatively dry.
I decided to do the loop around Mercer Island counter-clockwise. The loop is about 11 miles, and is
a popular destination or add-on to a Lake Washington ride. And there was a ton of bikes out there!
It was like a sunny Saturday in July, not January! I guess all that snow and cold, combined with the
lure of sun breaks and lessening rain as the day progressed drew cyclists out.
After I left Mercer Island and was nearly in Factoria, it was 12:15. I knew it would be at least
another 25 minutes before I made it home and my legs were just about spent. I figured I had two
choices: barley green noodles at my favorite Shanghai Cafe for lunch, or to suck down a Viva Vanilla
goo and tackle those final hills. You might have chosen differently, but I sucked down the goo and
slogged up the hill from Factoria to BCC.
At this point I was getting pretty tired, so I started to lie to myself. Do you know those kind of
lies you tell yourself? "That's the last hill you have to climb" (OK, there's two more, sure,
they're not as bad, but there's two more). "You're almost home" (Yeah, in five miles.) Anyway, even
though I knew they were lies, I told them to myself anyway, and kept pushing it.
When I finally made it to the top of the final hill, I knew that indeed was the final hill, and that
was no lie. I pumped the air a few times with my hand, and got into position for the long coast down
to my neighborhood.
Pulled into the driveway at 12:45, almost exactly 5 hours after I had left.
--
Warm Regards,
Claire Petersky
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