Begin With The End In Mind

From Port Townsend to LaPush - 130 miles

Damn it. I need a goal. Disappointed that I didn't ride much this year. No more excuses, then. I've decided to ride the Olympic Discovery Trail next year. By August. No later. Between now and then, I will plan, stay in shape, and stay motivated. Oh, and ride. of course, ride.

There was a time when I rode my share of club events: Seattle To Portland, Tour De Blast, RAMROD, RAPSody. Then stuff happened. I rode less and less. Then...you get the picture. All of those events were good times. I met people, took selfies before they were called selfies, put in lots of miles and was healthier for it.

But those events cost $. And they were crowded. Even more so now. I'd like to try one on my own. Self-supported, that is. I have no desire to camp, so I may not be saving any money. The cost of an event's registration fee will just go towards lodging. At 260 miles roundtrip, I'll need to figure out how many days to spread out the trip. Don't see myself riding all the way to the coast in one day. I could. I would rather enjoy myself, make stops along the way, visit town to town, take in the scenery.

I'll worry about the logistics later. Right now, I'm feeling excited about this goal. It is as worthy as any I've aspired to make.

An Aging Cyclist

Thea's Park, circa January 2014

Has it been a year? Oh, boy. Wish I could say that life has kept me busy (it has). Truth be told, I'm just getting older...and lazier. Can't remember the last time I went on a decent ride. My body isn't what it used to be. I'm waking up with aches and pain from sleeping too long. From sleeping! How crazy is that? Can't sit for too long, either. Have to get up every so often so my back doesn't complain. And forget about being in the heat. It's above 90 degrees today, so I opted to stay in. So sad.

I'm trying to decide if I should fight the future and stay fit through my middle-aging (You know, like the men you see in magazine articles on how to age well?) or accept the passage of time as an inevitable march to whatever awaits beyond the here and now. Okay, even I admit that's a little depressing.

It's times like this that I think about change. From Life As A House:

"Change can be so constant, you don't even feel the difference until there is one. It can be so slow that you don't even notice that your life is better or worse until it is. Or it can just blow you away, make you something different in an instant."

So what's next?

Tour De Parks 2013: Wright Park

Arguably one of the most beautiful parks in Tacoma, there's no question that it is one of the most visited. Home to the W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory, Wright Park is a 27-acre arboretum with walking and biking trails, sprayground for kids, and a pond that's well populated with ducks.

Because of the park's popularity, it regularly hosts special events throughout the year. Lawn bowling? Bring your bocce balls. Zombie tag? Get ready to survive the apocalypse. During the summer, there's always something happening each week.

Newly acquired Dragon Koi at the conservatory.

Amazon Begins

NBBJ

It was reported today in the Seattle Times that Amazon will be incorporating a two-block cycle track that will run alongside its future office buildings in downtown Seattle. Scheduled for completion in 2015, only time will tell if this is a vision of more to come or just a plan destined to fail.

Or you can scan the reader comments right now and hear from both haters and supporters.

In a nutshell, a cycle track is a bike lane that exists on the sidewalk but separated from pedestrians by a natural barrier. Obviously, wider sidewalks equals less space for motorists. I don't want to regurgitate the arguments either for or against such plans. I will say this: change is the only constant in life.

As creatures of habit, I think we have a long way to go with how we eat, how we communicate with one another, and how we travel. It wasn't so long ago when smoking was a normal part of everyday life. Today, you have to go to designated spaces to light up and still get dirty looks. I predict the same will happen with how we consume food. At some point in the future, you'll have to visit a specialty store to get Twinkies and Doritos.

And just maybe, alternative modes of mass transportation will be the norm and cities everywhere will have the infrastructure to support it. So what's the big deal about a two-block cycle track that only benefits a mere 3.5 percent of commuters?

What is an ocean but a multitude of drops?

You've been warned.

Signage at a cross-fit gym next to Defiance Bicycles in North Tacoma.

Tour De Parks 2013: Fort Steilacoom Park

As a transplant from California, I miss the mountain bike trails that are abundant in the bay area. Sometimes, the sound of fat tires rolling over gravel is just what I need to soothe away stress. There's also a Zen-like feeling when you focus on technique, assess what's ahead, pick a line, and execute it.

I've had my Poprad for awhile, but shamefully have always kept it on asphalt. Feeling adventurous and needing a change from my road bike and commuter, I set out to find some local trails. A quick online search led me to Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood. I knew that I wasn't going to get the high mountain peak views and singletracks that I grew up riding. But for just 10 miles from my front door, FSP has lots to offer.

Granny gear, where art thou?

At 340 acres, FSP has something for everyone: sports fields, playground, off-leash area for dogs, a beautiful lake. Oh, and a labyrinth of trails for biking and hiking. Some of the trails are best ridden on a proper mountain bike, with or without suspension, but definitely with a granny gear. I had to walk my Poprad to get to the view of Mount Rainier.

Worth it.

Rising From Ashes

Hope is an amazing ride.

A new documentary, due out in theaters next month, tells the story of the first Rwandan National Cycling Team and their journey to the 2012 Olympic Games in London. If the trailer is any indication of the full feature, then count me in to be first in line to see it.

Remember Jonathan Boyer? First American to compete in the Tour de France, winner of the 1980 Coors Classic and 1985 RAAM. Turns out he has been living in Rwanda since 2007, where he created Team Rwanda Cycling.

Forest Whitaker lends his star power to narrate the 80 minute doc. The featured athletes were just children during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. This is their story of how cycling helped them to rise from the ashes of their devastating past.