Since the end of July, my road bike has been strapped to the ladder on the RV. Last week, it finally got taken down and used again. The chain certainly needed some oiling and a short ride around the park to unkink everything. That was followed by a leisurely ride into town a few days later. This morning, on a day when plentiful sun was in the forecast, I decided to take it for a longer ride.

It was about 40 degrees when I started the ride. I hoped that I’d dressed appropriately. From the bottom up, I had running shoes with hiking socks. bike shorts over sweat pants and a windbreaker over a long sleeved base layer. Everything seemed to work well except for 2 things. My feet were cold by the end of the ride (2 pair of socks next time) and the right leg of the sweat pants picked up quite a bit of chain oil. Not sure what to do about that yet.

So, other than cold temps, the winds were very light to calm. The roads were dry and the drivers were courteous. Washington is very bicycle friendly state. Lots of bike lanes, they’re even allowed on some portions of the interstate.

I saw lots of white-tailed deer along the roadside and in front yards, Lots of seagulls as I neared the Strait of Juan de Fuca and even a great blue heron. I saw a few places that I’ll probably revisit in the truck for hiking or picture taking. By the time I got back into Sequim, I really needed a break. I’d seen a place previously on the main drag that had several benches and stopped there to rest for a few minutes before finishing the ride. They had something there I’d never seen before. A lending library bookcase right there on the main street for visitors passing through. Right now, I still have a few books to finish but I’ll be sure to take them to the lending library when I’m done.

One of the strange things that happened on the ride involved my phone. I think I mentioned previously that I’m using T-Mobile. Apparently, while near the strait, it started getting its signal from Canada. I noticed a text message while stopped for my break. Fortunately, no additional charges were incurred for my fitness app on the phone.

The ride turned out to be about the same time I was used to in Florida but about 4 miles shorter (20 miles total). There were several hills along the route that didn’t look bad from the truck but had me downshifting all the way to first gear on the bicycle. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate enough for me to get a couple rides per week.