An Uphill Battle

Burger at Home Fries

I've done the ride from Mercer Island (suburb of Seattle) to Snoqualmie Pass a few times now but the ride on Saturday seemed especially long.  The route I take is fifty percent gravel and ascends slightly more than five thousand feet - for the most part it's a nearly constant low grade climb.

Normally mile sixty marks the beginning of a two mile long tunnel, but when I arrived two days ago the entrance was closed off with a chain link fence; a sign noted "Tunnel Closed, Open in the Spring."  Spring started three weeks ago, and due to a crazy low snow year the ground has been free of the white stuff for over a month and a half.  Oh well, I had plenty of food and half a bottle of water; it was time to find another way over the Pass.



Crossing Humback Cr

I descended the rail road grade (John Wayne Pioneer Trail/Ironhorse State Park) a mile and a half to the Annette Lake trail.  I figured that it couldn't be too far to the trail head so I started down the single track trail - in the saddle.  I made it about twenty feet: the trail was simply too rutted, rocky, muddy and steep to descend on my cross bike.  It was hike a bike time.  The first group I passed on their way up was a family with three kids under the age of seven led by a tiny white poodle.  I figured that the parking lot had to be close.  The trip down to the trail head was around a mile and a half wherein I passed a significant number of curious day hikers.

A short descent from the trail head took me to the Denny Creek Road.  From here it's a five mile ascent up to The Pass.  I love this road, it's smooth, scenic and, due to a couple of downed trees, nearly devoid of automobile traffic.

When I reached the Pass I stopped in to check out the Pass Life development and was happy to see a new coffee shop and even happier to see a new brewpub - DruBru.  I was tempted to stop in but I was running late so I dropped down the east side and coasted into the cabin.  Time for a beer in front of the fire.   



Thanks Darryl
 

Timely

In 1960 President-elect John F. Kennedy wrote an article for Sports Illustrated titled The Soft American.  Odd how something written 55 years ago could seem so timely:

http://www.ihpra.org/soft_american.htm

..."intelligence and skill can only function at the peak of their capacity when the body is healthy and strong; that hardy spirits and tough minds usually inhabit sound bodies."

John F. Kennedy

King Cage

Some cool American made water bottle cages.  Available in both Stainless and Ti from King Cage in Durango, CO. 

They have a cool flask cage; a nice addition to a bike on these cold winter rides.  Even comes with the flask.

Metal Search

Seattle is a fascinating city and even though I’ve lived here for twenty six years I still feel as though I’ve barely scratched the surface.

A South Hill still life

Earlier this week I went in search of a substantial steel “T” section for a massive pine countertop that I’m making for the third store in my friend Bianca’s chain of Jujubeet juice bars.  You can’t just go to Home Depot and steel and so I had to some digging, but eventually I found myself navigating the maddening dead ends and gravel roads of the industrial area known as South Park in search of Seidelhuber Iron and Bronze Works (this place has been in business for 108 years- one of Seattle's continuously running businesses).

I was a little nervous entering a diamond plated door on which a handwritten sign read “beware yard dog on duty” but once inside the cluttered office filled with equipment from the seventies I met Heidi and she put me at ease.  I described what I needed and she led me out to the yard to find what I wanted amid well-organized racks of angle, square tube, channel and T sections.  I quickly found what I was looking for, Heidi said “how about twenty bucks,” as easy as that I had what I was looking for.

A major aspect of making stuff is knowing where to get the raw materials.  When it comes to metal, I now know where to go.

Bagged and Tagged

Matt just finished up a big production run and they are now all bagged, tagged and ready for shipment.  We now have full inventory at www.greenliteheavyindustries.com

Words

"I saw no point in being the richest man in the cemetery"

-Peter F. Drucker

If you have forty five minutes pick up Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker. In it's fifty pages are half a dozen things that I wish I'd learned thirty years ago.

Waves for Water Part II

Some more shots from the Waves for Water UCI Cylocross race on Sunday.

The coolest American in bike racing today - Adam Craig

Jamie Driscoll showing his characteristic head lean

Logan Owen leading the front runners