Tour De Parks 2013: Titlow Park

Throughout this summer, I will highlight my rides to various parks throughout the Tacoma and neighboring areas.

Titlow Park is just about a mile south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (east-end). My favorite part of this ride is checking out the houses along South Seashore Drive. Only a couple of miles long, the quiet community reminded me of places like Friday Harbor and Monterey Bay. The houses are modest and well-kept. Many of them take advantage of their location with large windows and decks that face the Narrows.

Think I'd like to retire there.

The Art of Cycling: Pat Cleary

No other sport compares to the visual spectacle of bicycle racing.

I first saw this painting in a racing magazine back in the '80s. It featured artist Pat Cleary, known for painting local landscapes in his backyard of the Lake District in England. He also happened to have a passion for cycling.

Among Mr. Cleary's works are paintings of the classic races, including Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. But his primary focus has been on the Tour De France. In 2003, Mr. Cleary celebrated the Tour's centenary with four images, each one in honor of a specific era. The likes of Eddy Merckx, Fausto Coppi, and Bernard Hinault have all been subjects of his paintings.

Most people who don't understand the appeal of bike racing don't see what the true fans see: the energy of the crowds lining the streets for a brief glimpse the riders, the chance to pick-up a souvenir water bottle strewn to the side of the road, or cheering on the peloton merely inches away.

Or in Mr. Cleary's view, a beautifully captured moment, forever eternalized into your memory.