May 21, 2012

Playing Catch Up

I've been abroad for two weeks, so I'll be playing catch up this week at work. Along with my mother, I visited Hungary, Switzerland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Many people is all of those countries were biking. But in the Netherlands, as we all know, cycling is taking to a whole new level.

It's been a while since I've visited Holland. Bikes rule there, and it's amazing. I'll post some pics soon, but for now enjoy this video.

May 1, 2012

#30daysofbiking: Wrap-up and Tulips!

My final ride for the 30 Days of Biking challenge turned out to be a lovely group ride through the Skagit Valley. We decided to (mostly) follow the Skagit Flats and Tulip Fields route. This was the longest ride I've been on to date (35 miles).

Some things we learned:

Do this route backwards so that you can see the tulips first.

This route is super lovely and flat. We had somewhat of a late start (12:30) and because of dogs-riding-in-trailer issues we were SLOW at first. This meant that we didn't get into La Conner --24 miles in -- until almost 5pm. We barely made it to Roozengaarde before they closed at 7pm and did not get to see Tulip Town at all.

Bikes + brews are always a good combo!

We started the ride with lunch at Skagit River Brewery, and apparentley I knew how hungry I was going to get becuase I devoured an entire chicken sandwish and a plate of fries in about 10 minutues. 24 miles in we stopped at La Conner Brewing Company and enjoyed some brews and food on their patio (dogs included!). I suppose you don't always have to stop at brewerys, but there's something about biking make miles that makes me crave a good, cold beer.

In general, stopping and exploring your surroundings is what makes cycling so fun for me. Try not to get too wrapped up in time and speed. Enjoy the world around you in a way that is just impossible from a vechicle.

Sometimes when you think your dog should like something, he just won't.

The first picture is about 17 miles in, when we finally figured out how to keep them from jumping out. It's called a VERY SHORT leash. They look happy now, but Collins (in black) never stopped barking while in motion. We test rode them around Seattle, about 4 miles total with lots of breaks, and they seemed to be fine. However, they were not ready to go 35 miles. I'm glad they look happy in the above photos though.

Tulips are pretty :)