Happy Mother's Day

To all the mothers out there, I hope you've had a relaxing and enjoyable day.

Lots has happened regarding my ride since my first posting. Normally, there won't be such long gaps in postings, but this has been a busy week. On Wednesday, the 6th of May, I drove to Sea-Tac to pick up my new recumbent bike and the pet trailer. By the time we got everything added onto the bike, it took about two hours. Then, the bike got its first "bath" on the way home to Mount Vernon--it poured down rain.

The bike is very nice--a Bacchetta Giro 26. It has 27 gears, two mirrors, a front light that strobes, a back light that flashes and strobes to catch attention, and best of all, a comfy seat. It is a bright yellow. The trailer is a Burley Tail Wagon, and should work great to haul my gear and give Max, our wirehaired dachshund puppy, a safe place to ride. It too has a rear light and a flag on a tall stick. I'm confident it will work.

We had really ugly, rainy weather Thursday so I did not ride. Friday, I was in Leadership Skagit class all day. Saturday, I was putting on a class for Skagit Habitat for Humanity (SHFH), so I did not train that day. Finally, today, I got the bike out and wanted to begin to get used to it and do a shakedown ride.

Riding a recumbent is certainly more comfortable for this old body, but it does take some getting used to. I've ridden an upright bike since I was 10, and that feels natural. Not yet so with the recumbent. I set out to do a 12-mile route, but only got about half of that done. I had a minor mechanical problem that I'll fix Monday. My goal starting tomorrow is to try to ride everyday from now until I leave, so that I can get comfortable with the way the bike handles. Right now I'm kind of wobbly and uncertain, but that will be resolved.

I did work on some of the logistics for the ride. My business cards for the ride will be ready next Wednesday, and I created a press release about the ride I can send out to Idaho affiliates and other media contacts. REI is having a big sale, so I bought the meals and some other goodies I'll need for the ride. Also, Friday night was a tough night for Max to get to sleep, so I wound up working around midnight doing my typed routing. That was good to do, and pointed out some adjustments I need to make. All in all, I'm comfortable that the plan is coming together.