This past Friday was my last Friday off. I still only work half-day Fridays thru the end of the year, but once you go in it can be hard to get out. Plus, all too soon, it will be getting darker much earlier.
We had a wedding to go to at 5:30, so I had to be back earlier than usual. I had a hard time deciding where to ride, until the new phototag was posted. It was a Google-able business (custom bike shop) about an hour and 20 minutes from here. I set out early (8:00) trying to beat anyone else to it. And I did!
From there, I took it up to Kingston to some wood carvings along the way. Every time we go to the ferry, I think it would make a good tag. By putting it there instead of bringing it toward home, more people would be able to get into the game on Friday. It was a beautiful day!
That ride put me over 4000 miles of my own riding on the bike. With that, it was time for the bike's second oil change, and it's first since I've owned it. When I bought it, it had 861 miles on it and the dealer did the first maintenance on it. After Friday, it had 4906. I had ordered the service manual a couple of weeks ago, in anticipation of this "event". I wanted to do it myself.
I wouldn't even let P pick up the oil filter for me while he was at the bike shop. I had to go do it. Silly? Yes. Before I went to the store, and while I was alone at home, I set about removing the seat and lifting the gas tank so I could check the air filter. It's ridiculous how happy I was with myself for being able to do that alone. The air filter looked really clean, which is a good thing because it wasn't in stock at the dealer.
I waited until P was home before I started draining oil. The diagram in the book wasn't entirely clear. In the general area of the oil drain plug are two additional bolts. I picked the one I thought was for the oil, but had him verify. Yup. That's it. He's been wrenching so long, he can just look at a bolt and know what size wrench is needed. So he gathered tools for me and left me to it. I DID IT! lol. He also introduced me to a torque wrench, which I had heard of and seen but never used. So that was fun. :) It went really smooth and easy and was a lot of fun. Which will seem very dorky to those who have been doing this forever!
Yesterday I killed time on the bike while I waited for a prescription to be filled. It was the first time I ever had to use an escape route! I was on a stretch of road that was one lane in each direction. Suddenly, I saw a car coming at me in my lane. She was passing a line of cars, oblivious to me being right in front of her, oncoming. My headlights don't have an off switch. They are one when the bike is on. And she still couldn't see me. Or if she did, she didn't care.
Luckily, the shoulder of the road is really wide there. I was afraid if I tried to flash my lights or something at her, we would both head for the shoulder at the same time, instead of her getting back behind the cars she was passing (like she should have!). I got onto the shoulder and glared at her as she went by. Her hair was stark white, and she was looking in her rear view mirror and at the cars she was passing! I really don't think she ever saw me. Or if she did, she was completely content with me being on the shoulder of the road. I never got scared. I was immediately ANGRY.
Other than that, the bike seemed happy with its oil change...no leaks and oil level holding steady. :)
Monday, August 29, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Weekend Rides
For my Friday adventure, I planned to not stray too far from home. We had a date to go to the fair, so I wanted to be home by 3:00. I started out Hwy 112 for some twisty fun. Only I went too early for fun. The fog hadn't burned off yet, and was low enough to hamper visibility even more by coating my visor with water droplets. And it was COLD. It felt like 30 degrees and I was wearing my summer gear (or as close as I have to summer gear). So I turned around at Pillar Point. (I really wanted to turn around earlier, but there was nowhere safe to do that.)
From there, I headed east and rode up to Port Townsend and then Chimacum. Sunny and much warmer over there! I ended up 238 miles traveled for the day.
Yesterday, we rode with a group out to Forks to watch drag races. We stopped for breakfast at the Hungry Bear Cafe.
We rode Hwy 101 around Lake Crescent on the way there, and rode 112 (better twisties, higher speed) on the way back. 101 is patrolled pretty heavily, so the posted speed of 35 mph is advised. This allowed me to keep with the group easily, even through the curves. Coming back via 112, our leader was not a sport bike rider and took it really easy, and once again, I kept up pretty darn good! It was a good, confidence building ride.
I'm closing in on having put 4000 miles on the bike. That means very soon I will be doing my first oil change. Did I already post about that previously? I can't remember. I'm looking forward to it!
From there, I headed east and rode up to Port Townsend and then Chimacum. Sunny and much warmer over there! I ended up 238 miles traveled for the day.
Yesterday, we rode with a group out to Forks to watch drag races. We stopped for breakfast at the Hungry Bear Cafe.
We rode Hwy 101 around Lake Crescent on the way there, and rode 112 (better twisties, higher speed) on the way back. 101 is patrolled pretty heavily, so the posted speed of 35 mph is advised. This allowed me to keep with the group easily, even through the curves. Coming back via 112, our leader was not a sport bike rider and took it really easy, and once again, I kept up pretty darn good! It was a good, confidence building ride.
I'm closing in on having put 4000 miles on the bike. That means very soon I will be doing my first oil change. Did I already post about that previously? I can't remember. I'm looking forward to it!
Friday, August 19, 2011
My First Night Ride
Last night we rode to Kingston for dinner. We found this place last weekend, when we were rushing in the car to catch the ferry. My BF had been there before, when they first opened a couple of years ago, and remembered it being good. We had to eat way too fast in order to not miss the ferry, which was a shame because it was AMAZING.
This is a non-franchised burger joint, basically, though they do have more than burgers. When we stopped last weekend, I had a chicken wrap. I was expecting it to be a typical fast food wrap of lower quality. Just something to stuff in my face and make the hunger go away. To my surprise, it was AMAZING. The veggies were super fresh and crisp and the chicken was nice and fresh too. It also had bacon on it, which never detracts from anything! :)
Ever since, my BF has been saying, "I want another one of those burgers. We need to ride there." So last night we did. And I had a burger. A bacon cheeseburger with a fried egg on top. AMAZING. There is a burger joint in Seattle that has been featured on "Man vs. Food" and Oprah as one of the top ten burgers you must have before you die. Taking our burgers as seriously as we do (just kidding...this is a new found love, I guess), we tried Red Mill Burgers to see what all the fuss was about. And it was good. But not the best I've ever had.
The place in Kingston is called The Grub Hut. And as far as curb appeal goes, you wouldn't expect it to be good. I was a little scared, to be honest. But the food is really good, and yes, the burgers are AMAZING. So much so, I'm thinking of writing Man vs. Food and telling them they screwed up.
It's about an hour and 15 minutes to Kingston and we got to The Grub Hut at 7:00 p.m., ate, and left at 8:00 pm. We rode about halfway back and stopped for coffee. When we got back on the road it was DARK. Luckily, we had expected this and actually planned for it, swapping out our dark tinted visors for clear ones before leaving the house. (Shout out to my BF who had mine all switched up and ready to go when I got home from work, as well as having my bike out and warming up.)
Riding at night is...different. Spooky is too strong a word, but it's in the right neighborhood. The road we were on is in very good condition, at least compared to a lot of the roads I ride. So that made it easier to just watch for wayward items and deer. It was also a straight, boring US highway. A lot of curves would have made it much more difficult, for a first time night rider.
There were three of us who rode. Our friend who went with us didn't swap out his tinted visor. He moved himself to third position on the way home, I assumed so he could follow both of our lights. Riding in second position, I really liked it a lot better when my BF could use his bright lights. (I haven't talked to him about it yet, but I thought my brights would have been too much in his mirror on that side, so I didn't use them.) But traffic was heavy enough that he couldn't use his brights much, anyway.
It was a good ride. Out and back over the Hood Canal bridge again, with its grated deck (that I'm no longer 'afraid' of, YAY!), plenty of cars doing stupid things, one deer that looked at us and bobbed its head as if getting ready to leap into us (but thankfully turning the other way first), and my first night ride.
I'm going to go warm up my bike for my Friday ride now. :)
This is a non-franchised burger joint, basically, though they do have more than burgers. When we stopped last weekend, I had a chicken wrap. I was expecting it to be a typical fast food wrap of lower quality. Just something to stuff in my face and make the hunger go away. To my surprise, it was AMAZING. The veggies were super fresh and crisp and the chicken was nice and fresh too. It also had bacon on it, which never detracts from anything! :)
Ever since, my BF has been saying, "I want another one of those burgers. We need to ride there." So last night we did. And I had a burger. A bacon cheeseburger with a fried egg on top. AMAZING. There is a burger joint in Seattle that has been featured on "Man vs. Food" and Oprah as one of the top ten burgers you must have before you die. Taking our burgers as seriously as we do (just kidding...this is a new found love, I guess), we tried Red Mill Burgers to see what all the fuss was about. And it was good. But not the best I've ever had.
The place in Kingston is called The Grub Hut. And as far as curb appeal goes, you wouldn't expect it to be good. I was a little scared, to be honest. But the food is really good, and yes, the burgers are AMAZING. So much so, I'm thinking of writing Man vs. Food and telling them they screwed up.
It's about an hour and 15 minutes to Kingston and we got to The Grub Hut at 7:00 p.m., ate, and left at 8:00 pm. We rode about halfway back and stopped for coffee. When we got back on the road it was DARK. Luckily, we had expected this and actually planned for it, swapping out our dark tinted visors for clear ones before leaving the house. (Shout out to my BF who had mine all switched up and ready to go when I got home from work, as well as having my bike out and warming up.)
Riding at night is...different. Spooky is too strong a word, but it's in the right neighborhood. The road we were on is in very good condition, at least compared to a lot of the roads I ride. So that made it easier to just watch for wayward items and deer. It was also a straight, boring US highway. A lot of curves would have made it much more difficult, for a first time night rider.
There were three of us who rode. Our friend who went with us didn't swap out his tinted visor. He moved himself to third position on the way home, I assumed so he could follow both of our lights. Riding in second position, I really liked it a lot better when my BF could use his bright lights. (I haven't talked to him about it yet, but I thought my brights would have been too much in his mirror on that side, so I didn't use them.) But traffic was heavy enough that he couldn't use his brights much, anyway.
It was a good ride. Out and back over the Hood Canal bridge again, with its grated deck (that I'm no longer 'afraid' of, YAY!), plenty of cars doing stupid things, one deer that looked at us and bobbed its head as if getting ready to leap into us (but thankfully turning the other way first), and my first night ride.
I'm going to go warm up my bike for my Friday ride now. :)
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Friday Ride: Fort Flagler
Yesterday, I rode over to Fort Flagler, in Marrowstone, WA. I picked it solely by looking at the map and looking for somewhere interesting to go. Which is to say I had no idea of what the roads are like (traffic as well as condition) or if it would have fun curves or just be straight slab. I picked up a tank bag from the local dealership before leaving, so I could have a map pocket to make finding my way easier.
(Thursday night, my BF had drawn out a short route for me to a pretty park he found on a guy's ride a few weeks ago. I kept having to stop to pull his directions out of my pocket, because it was too many turns for me to remember. It was a beautiful little ride, but really made me want a tank bag for Friday.)
Lately, I don't go less than 150 miles when I go out for a day ride and I'm really starting to prefer 200 miles. Yesterday's trip should have been just over 100 miles. I had to buy a day pass, as WA has just enacted the "Discover Pass" to tax people who use State managed lands. For the day, it's only $11.50. I got my $11.50's worth when I found a real flush toilet there and it was clean!
Fort Flagler dates back to 1897, when several points on the waterfront were armed with guns to protect the inlet to Puget Sound and the Bremerton shipyard. The original guns have been removed, then later replaced when historical relevance began to be appreciated (in some cases. Some of the forts just have the old bunkers remaining). Yesterday I read where the original 3 inch guns of Fort Flagler were removed in 1933, then replaced in the 60's when matching guns were found in the Philippines.
See the SV waaaaaaay in the background of the photo below? It is well protected.
Once I had my picnic lunch and explored all things touristy in Fort Flagler, I went in search of gas. To my relief, I had passed a station on the way in, but not even seen it. I was afraid there was nothing close by. Once fueled, I didn't want to "just" ride the 50+ miles home. I made a quick run up to Port Townsend, a ride we have done several times. This time, I found a country road out of town that went on for miles. So much so, I had to pull out my phone and check where I was on navigation, to see if it was better to backtrack or keep going. In effect, I had made a big loop back nearly to my starting point. It was a fun excursion.
The ride finished up with about 132 miles. Probably a good thing it wasn't longer. I had really been concentrating on using my core and not putting weight on my hands, and loosening my grip on the bars. That worked for my hands and wrists. They weren't tired at all when I got home. (I've been having issues with gripping too tightly and my hands really hurting later.) Unfortunately, in learning how to do this balancing act, I seem to have really used my traps/neck. They were tired and cranky, and I'm sitting out a dirt ride this morning to give my head a break from the weight of a helmet on my neck. Just muscles that need to be built up.
(Thursday night, my BF had drawn out a short route for me to a pretty park he found on a guy's ride a few weeks ago. I kept having to stop to pull his directions out of my pocket, because it was too many turns for me to remember. It was a beautiful little ride, but really made me want a tank bag for Friday.)
Lately, I don't go less than 150 miles when I go out for a day ride and I'm really starting to prefer 200 miles. Yesterday's trip should have been just over 100 miles. I had to buy a day pass, as WA has just enacted the "Discover Pass" to tax people who use State managed lands. For the day, it's only $11.50. I got my $11.50's worth when I found a real flush toilet there and it was clean!
Fort Flagler dates back to 1897, when several points on the waterfront were armed with guns to protect the inlet to Puget Sound and the Bremerton shipyard. The original guns have been removed, then later replaced when historical relevance began to be appreciated (in some cases. Some of the forts just have the old bunkers remaining). Yesterday I read where the original 3 inch guns of Fort Flagler were removed in 1933, then replaced in the 60's when matching guns were found in the Philippines.
See the SV waaaaaaay in the background of the photo below? It is well protected.
Once I had my picnic lunch and explored all things touristy in Fort Flagler, I went in search of gas. To my relief, I had passed a station on the way in, but not even seen it. I was afraid there was nothing close by. Once fueled, I didn't want to "just" ride the 50+ miles home. I made a quick run up to Port Townsend, a ride we have done several times. This time, I found a country road out of town that went on for miles. So much so, I had to pull out my phone and check where I was on navigation, to see if it was better to backtrack or keep going. In effect, I had made a big loop back nearly to my starting point. It was a fun excursion.
The ride finished up with about 132 miles. Probably a good thing it wasn't longer. I had really been concentrating on using my core and not putting weight on my hands, and loosening my grip on the bars. That worked for my hands and wrists. They weren't tired at all when I got home. (I've been having issues with gripping too tightly and my hands really hurting later.) Unfortunately, in learning how to do this balancing act, I seem to have really used my traps/neck. They were tired and cranky, and I'm sitting out a dirt ride this morning to give my head a break from the weight of a helmet on my neck. Just muscles that need to be built up.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
More on the GoPro
As luck would have it, I'm not as dumb as I'm sometimes made out to be. When I tested the GoPro last weekend, and then *somehow* wiped out the card (not just the footage, but the formatting!) during file transfer to my computer, I was accused of not following instructions and somehow making a mistake. Mistakes happen, and yes, I make my fair share. But I do transfer data between devices quite a bit in my daily life, and I really couldn't fathom what *I* could have done wrong.
This was a bigger deal than would normally be, because it required looking up all the stuff that was done to make that particular card work with the camera (firmware update) to get it to work again. But I also wanted to know how it got screwed up in the first place. So $37.64 and three new SD cards later, now I know.
I had never used the SD card reader on my laptop I bought year before last. Rephrase. I had never used the SD card reader on my WINDOWS 7 LAPTOP I bought year before last. I bought that laptop before many drivers had yet been released for Windows 7. (I discovered that at work, trying to connect a scanner to it.) Immediately, I suspected Windows 7 foul play. And you know what? I. WAS. RIGHT.
If you Google Windows 7 and SD card issues, you'll see that it's a known issue in everything from cell phones to cameras and whateverelse uses an SD card. The fix was a simple (and FREE) download of a driver from Windows, and several reboots of the computer during installation. Voila! Back in business.
Here is how the camera is set up on the SV650S. My resident expert simply unscrewed one of the side reflectors and put a bolt in its place with a piece of scrap metal attached to the bolt, to hold the camera mount.
Initial reviews - The camera doesn't allow you to zoom. You get what you get. I aimed it at a herd of deer that were grazing up at Hurricane Ridge last night, and you can't see them at all. I had to stop behind a car in front of me to let a deer wander across the road. You can't see that deer either. And I was really close to it.
We've been using this camera with great success over the past year and almost a half while we dirt bike. And even on the street bike, as far as seeing what the road was like, traffic, scenery (but not deer!), it's perfectly adequate.
Tomorrow I'll put it the test as I'm planning a ride to an area I've never been before. It should be quite scenic!
This was a bigger deal than would normally be, because it required looking up all the stuff that was done to make that particular card work with the camera (firmware update) to get it to work again. But I also wanted to know how it got screwed up in the first place. So $37.64 and three new SD cards later, now I know.
I had never used the SD card reader on my laptop I bought year before last. Rephrase. I had never used the SD card reader on my WINDOWS 7 LAPTOP I bought year before last. I bought that laptop before many drivers had yet been released for Windows 7. (I discovered that at work, trying to connect a scanner to it.) Immediately, I suspected Windows 7 foul play. And you know what? I. WAS. RIGHT.
If you Google Windows 7 and SD card issues, you'll see that it's a known issue in everything from cell phones to cameras and whateverelse uses an SD card. The fix was a simple (and FREE) download of a driver from Windows, and several reboots of the computer during installation. Voila! Back in business.
Here is how the camera is set up on the SV650S. My resident expert simply unscrewed one of the side reflectors and put a bolt in its place with a piece of scrap metal attached to the bolt, to hold the camera mount.
Initial reviews - The camera doesn't allow you to zoom. You get what you get. I aimed it at a herd of deer that were grazing up at Hurricane Ridge last night, and you can't see them at all. I had to stop behind a car in front of me to let a deer wander across the road. You can't see that deer either. And I was really close to it.
We've been using this camera with great success over the past year and almost a half while we dirt bike. And even on the street bike, as far as seeing what the road was like, traffic, scenery (but not deer!), it's perfectly adequate.
Tomorrow I'll put it the test as I'm planning a ride to an area I've never been before. It should be quite scenic!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Those Blasted Stickers!
Even though my bike is a 2005, it only had 861 miles on it when I bought it and the original owner never took off the factory warning stickers. In addition to the biggest, ugliest one on the tank, there were smaller ones on the front fairing and next to the speedometer. It's taken me 9 months to get sick of looking at them, and last night they had to go!
I asked my resident expert how to get them off (the answer: a hair dryer to heat the glue) and got to work. I also Googled others' experiences with their removal, so I knew what I was in for. Over an hour later (perfectly in line with Googled results), they were gone. The smaller ones (boasting such warnings as, "do not store things inside the front fairing because it might fall out and jam your wheel or break your fairing) came off easily. The tank one was a bitch! Once they were removed, my resident expert got home from fishing and guided me on how to remove the sticky residue left behind (WD-40, alcohol, and a polish). Voila! I no longer have to see the ugly stickers.
On an entirely different topic, I looked out my office window a while ago and a saw a new female rider on a large-ish cruiser type bike. Being new myself, I can spot the signs. At the stop sign, she had to check twice to make sure she was all the way down in first. She paddled the bike with her feet as she took off to go straight. She looked nervous about the intersection. And unfortunately, she was riding in capris and tennis shoes, a long sleeved shirt, and no gloves. Being a gear nazi about myself, I hate to see that. :(
I asked my resident expert how to get them off (the answer: a hair dryer to heat the glue) and got to work. I also Googled others' experiences with their removal, so I knew what I was in for. Over an hour later (perfectly in line with Googled results), they were gone. The smaller ones (boasting such warnings as, "do not store things inside the front fairing because it might fall out and jam your wheel or break your fairing) came off easily. The tank one was a bitch! Once they were removed, my resident expert got home from fishing and guided me on how to remove the sticky residue left behind (WD-40, alcohol, and a polish). Voila! I no longer have to see the ugly stickers.
On an entirely different topic, I looked out my office window a while ago and a saw a new female rider on a large-ish cruiser type bike. Being new myself, I can spot the signs. At the stop sign, she had to check twice to make sure she was all the way down in first. She paddled the bike with her feet as she took off to go straight. She looked nervous about the intersection. And unfortunately, she was riding in capris and tennis shoes, a long sleeved shirt, and no gloves. Being a gear nazi about myself, I hate to see that. :(
Sunday, August 7, 2011
518 Mile Weekend
I had the day off on Friday, so I went for a ride. I frequently ride alone. In fact, I probably ride alone 75% of the time. My skills are good enough that I'm in no greater danger by being alone than I am with riding with others. I don't go more than a few hours from home, and have my cell, so I could call for help if I needed. Someone asked me on Thursday wasn't I scared to ride alone. Not at all. I'm equally as comfortable alone as I am with others. Perhaps that would be different if I was on the freeway more. Two or more bikes are easier to see than one. But I go out looking for scenic and hopefully twisty roads. Interstates are boring.
Friday I rode a 210 mile loop along US HWY 101 following the Hood Canal. From 101 I hit State Route 106 to carry me to Twanoh State Park.
While stopping for the picture, a couple of boys on bicycles stopped to admire my bike. I'd guess their ages at 8 and 10. They were pretty impressed with her. :)
From there, I rode State Route 3 back to 104, crossing the Hool Canal Bridge for the first time. I had been nervous about the steel grate decking, but thankfully it wasn't an issue at all. Once on the other side, I explored a park I drive past frequently. I thought it would give me a good view of the bridge, and it did not disappoint.
104 reconnects to 101 to take me home. 6 hours (including a lunch stop at Red Robin (Yuuuum!)) and 210 miles later, I was home.
Saturday I took the MSF Intermediate Riders Course. For this one, you take your own bike and go through all of the riding exercises from the basic course, plus a couple more. I did really well with most of it. I did NOT complete the "stay in the box" one, along with the corresponding S curve on exit successfully. I didn't trust that I wouldn't drop my bike, and since I haven't dropped it yet, I didn't want to start. I explained to the instructor, and he understood. There was nothing "on the line" with the class. I already have my endorsement, so there was nothing to "pass" or "fail". What I got out of the class is that I'm not looking far enough ahead of the bike/road. I discovered this while doing the offset cones weave, where the cones are really staggered, but not so far apart. I made a mental note of it, and that was that, I thought.
After class, I rode up to Hurricane Ridge to chase a phototag.
The road leading there is very, very smooth and very, VERY twisty. It was SO MUCH FUN and I rode SO MUCH BETTER by increasing my line of sight. What a difference. I was so much smoother on the throttle and a little bit faster in the corners. With class, Hurricane Ridge, and a little more phototag chasing, I ended Saturday with another 96 miles.
This morning, I finally found that pesky phototag.
After that, I went on a group ride with my BF and some people from out of town. State HWY 112 is right in our backyard. People trek from all over WA to ride that road. (OK, so most of them come from the greater Seattle area, unless they happen to be visiting the area from points East.) We rode the ~150 miles to Neah Bay and back, then I went out for another solo voyage up Hurricane Ridge and down...twice. I had a GoPro camera mounted to my bike, but my computer decided to eat the footage. Bummer.
I saw 4 deer, all polite enough to stay on the side of the road they were on. I also saw SEVERAL cars cross the center line on the turns. Some of them were coming into my lane, and some of them were cars I was following and noting how they just decided to straighten out the corners by ignoring the yellow line. Good things to remember when riding the 1/3 of the lane next to the center line.
That put Sunday's mileage at 212, finally meeting my short-term goal of getting my first 3000 miles under my belt.
Friday I rode a 210 mile loop along US HWY 101 following the Hood Canal. From 101 I hit State Route 106 to carry me to Twanoh State Park.
While stopping for the picture, a couple of boys on bicycles stopped to admire my bike. I'd guess their ages at 8 and 10. They were pretty impressed with her. :)
From there, I rode State Route 3 back to 104, crossing the Hool Canal Bridge for the first time. I had been nervous about the steel grate decking, but thankfully it wasn't an issue at all. Once on the other side, I explored a park I drive past frequently. I thought it would give me a good view of the bridge, and it did not disappoint.
104 reconnects to 101 to take me home. 6 hours (including a lunch stop at Red Robin (Yuuuum!)) and 210 miles later, I was home.
Saturday I took the MSF Intermediate Riders Course. For this one, you take your own bike and go through all of the riding exercises from the basic course, plus a couple more. I did really well with most of it. I did NOT complete the "stay in the box" one, along with the corresponding S curve on exit successfully. I didn't trust that I wouldn't drop my bike, and since I haven't dropped it yet, I didn't want to start. I explained to the instructor, and he understood. There was nothing "on the line" with the class. I already have my endorsement, so there was nothing to "pass" or "fail". What I got out of the class is that I'm not looking far enough ahead of the bike/road. I discovered this while doing the offset cones weave, where the cones are really staggered, but not so far apart. I made a mental note of it, and that was that, I thought.
After class, I rode up to Hurricane Ridge to chase a phototag.
The road leading there is very, very smooth and very, VERY twisty. It was SO MUCH FUN and I rode SO MUCH BETTER by increasing my line of sight. What a difference. I was so much smoother on the throttle and a little bit faster in the corners. With class, Hurricane Ridge, and a little more phototag chasing, I ended Saturday with another 96 miles.
This morning, I finally found that pesky phototag.
After that, I went on a group ride with my BF and some people from out of town. State HWY 112 is right in our backyard. People trek from all over WA to ride that road. (OK, so most of them come from the greater Seattle area, unless they happen to be visiting the area from points East.) We rode the ~150 miles to Neah Bay and back, then I went out for another solo voyage up Hurricane Ridge and down...twice. I had a GoPro camera mounted to my bike, but my computer decided to eat the footage. Bummer.
I saw 4 deer, all polite enough to stay on the side of the road they were on. I also saw SEVERAL cars cross the center line on the turns. Some of them were coming into my lane, and some of them were cars I was following and noting how they just decided to straighten out the corners by ignoring the yellow line. Good things to remember when riding the 1/3 of the lane next to the center line.
That put Sunday's mileage at 212, finally meeting my short-term goal of getting my first 3000 miles under my belt.
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