In the Snow, In the Snow, In the Snow (or Are We Idiots?)

Oh the weather inside's delightful.
But outside it is frightful.
We've got a few miles to go-
In the snow, in the snow, in the snow!

Stella and I and Leandra and Miss No Name braved the snowy weather for a 40+ miler in the snow today. It wasn't really supposed to start snowing until this afternoon. When will we learn to not trust the weather forecast?? Actually, except for the cold fingers and toes of Leandra, it wasn't too bad. AND...I got to use my new camera (it's waterproof, coldproof and shockproof--yep, it did not appear to be shocked at all that we were out riding in the snow!).

We did the same route that I did a few weeks ago (see previous post "A New Discovery and a New Road") except we took the road back into town instead of the trail. We stopped at a little coffee place in Rainier and had Peppermint Hot Cocoa and these sinfully delicious chocolate/cookie dough/caramel bars. YUM! Then when we got to Yelm we had a late lunch at Puerto Vallarta. The thing about riding in COLD weather is that you need to stop and warm up more often (or is it really just an excuse to eat???) Leandra's sister texted her and asked if we were idiots. Hmmm...hard to say.

I enjoyed the ride and had fun taking pictures. I noticed the buttons on this new camera (btw it's a Pentax Optio w90) are easier to push even with heavy gloves.



Here is a microscopic look at the delicious bar!

Me and my "Ninja" riding partner, Leandra.

Snow covered plastic flowers.

The Maiden Voyage!

Unfortunately, there are no pictures of today's ride. It was the maiden voyage of Leandra's new Cannondale t2 (as yet unnamed)! I thought it was going to be similar to Stella's maiden voyage which was in the snow and rain, but the rain stopped by the time I got to Leandra's and didn't ever start up again.
Stella and I and Leandra and her nameless baby headed out Madrona Beach Rd. to Hwy 101. We exited 101 at Hurley Waldrip and rode over to Hwy 108. We followed 108 to McCleary where we stopped at Subway for some lunch. After lunch we worked our way over to Hwy 8 and rode to Ranch House BBQ for some delicious Bourbon Pecan Pie. From there it was home via Old Hwy 410 back into town. By the time we got back to Leandra's, it was pretty dark. Leandra was in her usual, not so bright, black (although it was a very nice new Gore Wear jacket). She rode in front of me so I could have the tail flashers on and my headlight lighting her way.
Total miles for Stella and I: 59.8
Total miles for Leandra and Miss Noname: 50

Never a bad day to ride!

A Momentous Day!

This may be an unusual blog post, but I just had to!
One of the people I would love to tour with is my friend Leandra. We do a lot of day rides together. She is always game for any route I cook up. We have also done STP and Courage Classic. She works a full time job (J-O-B The three-letter four-letter word) and doesn't always have time to train yet, she will still go out and ride 60+ miles with me.
Anyway, today, we set out north on the trail in the rain. Leandra rides a Felt roadbike that doesn't have fenders. Needless to say, I don't ride behind her. We rode to Woodard Bay, then came back to downtown and stopped at Old Town Bicycles. They were having a sale on their floor stock bikes. Old Town doesn't typically have sales. Leandra wanted to get new tires for Maggie (her Felt). They had a couple of Cannondale t2 touring bikes in stock. They had a green one. Patrick fit Leandra on the green one. And...(drumroll please)...she bought it!!! Leandra bought a touring bike!!! Now we can tour together! I'm so excited! I know she won't be able to do super long trips, but definitely we will do some shorter tours. AND...she got fenders!

Never a bad day to ride!

It's Almost Like Summer!

What a beautiful and warm day for a ride! It's November 4th, yet it feels like summer (or at least late spring). I had my lightweight jacket on, but had to take it off because I was too warm! Same with the gloves. I don't think I have ever ridden in November in fingerless gloves!