That perfect time of year again. On Saturday I took a ride to the post office, then a side-trip to Squalicum Harbor for a snack break. I don't actually know anything about boats except that they are pretty to look at and I enjoy idling around the harbor and waterfront.
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| Saturday fish market |
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| Americano & croissant |
The streets around the Bellingham waterfront have been torn up and detoured all summer, while intersections and railroad crossings are improved. The pavement has been in terrible condition for many years, and there have been some pedestrian deaths at rail crossings, so the work is much needed.
When I headed home on Saturday I decided to try a detour on a little connector street called Seaview Way, a small, steep, curving road that goes under the train tracks from the waterfront up to Eldridge Ave. When I turned off I could see it went up sharply and I down-shifted, but as I rode under the tracks and around the curve it suddenly got much steeper, going from a 45-degree slope to pretty near 60-degrees. It was too late to down-shift any further, if I'd let up pressure on the pedals, gravity would have taken over and I would have fallen over in the roadway, right in front of the large 4x4 truck that was following me up the slope. All I could do was stand on the pedals and try to keep my feet circling, pulling back against the handlebars, bearing down as hard as I could.
I made it all the way up and stopped by the stop sign at the top, gasping for breath, and turned to apologize to the guys in the truck. They pulled up beside me, cheering and yelling "wooohooo".
I think I strained something in my back. On Sunday I took an easy ride that loosened things up, but as of Monday I'm still a bit sore and achy from the base of my skull all the way down to my knees.
This is why I don't ride clipped in anymore.
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