AREA MAN PRETTY DAMN SICK OF FREEZING RIDES THROUGH DEEP SNOW

View yesterday from the top of the Wall on Galbraith Mountain.

When's spring?

ADVENTURES NW STORIES AVAILABLE ONLINE

Vern Latta and Tammy Bennett on the home stretch to Artist Point.

Past stories from Adventures NW are now available online which is coolio because I've written for every single issue in its five-year history. Here's one I wrote about great road bike hill climbs that appeared in the Winter issue. Enjoy!

PAVED TRAILS STORY HITS SEATTLE TIMES

Hey, check out my story about some of the cool paved bike trails around Puget Sound in today's Seattle Times. I highlight Soos Creek, Centennial, East Lake Sammamish, Snoqualmie Valley and Foothills trails. (That's the Foothills trail above.) Find the story here.

OUTDOOR WRITER GUY STARTS FACEBOOK PAGE

Ever on the cutting-edge of technology (he wrote facetiously), I've started a Facebook page devoted mostly to my outdoor writing and photo-ing. Find it here. Enjoy!



SINGLE-SPEED HURTS SO GOOD

Above, note mega-smile playing about the lips of our Titanium Cancellara whose wife, Gail, suprised him a week or so ago with a Valentine's Day single-speed, the Redline Monocog 29er. It's the same model I've been enjoying the past year-and-a-half (as well as spent a fair amount of that time in the pain cave) and well, now that Scott's got one, the single-speed rides are sure to get more fun. (And more painful.)

Last week was Scott's maiden S-S foray and I could tell it was love, lust, and long-term commitment from the first mile. He Ioves the simplicity--no shifting, no potential chain-suck, no choices really--just pedal.
"It's so quiet; it's like running," he said at one point.

I echo his sentiments. Now we just gotta Johnny Boy Clark (below) to take the plunge. 

Today's route was down the Interurban, up Fragrance Lake Road and the Lost Lake Trail--seriously steep, but S-S Cancellara rode it clean the whole way whilst I had to walk at three spots. (That's good for me). Then down into the Lost Lake basin and out north to Arroyo Park, with a detour for Lower Hush Hush.

The stretch north from Lost Lake is in a sort of slot between Chuckanut Ridge and Raptor Ridge and is always a crazy fun ride: arrow straight with a few dips, doodles and obstacles to keep it interesting and overall, slightly uphill. But you can ride it pretty fast if you're motivated and of course, we always pretend we're in the Arenburg Forest in Paris-Roubaix and push it as hard as we can. Today was no different; I hung onto Titanium Cancellara's wheel as long as I could and then had to let him go. So much damn fun!

While up on Chuckanut, we got off the bikes and went exploring to see if we're any closer to being able to use the So Easy trail. I'd say no. They've been logging up there for about six months don't look close to being done. Great views of Lummi Island and the rest of the San Juan Islands though.

Below pic is me after riding the Fragrance Lake Road stretch, trying to keep Scott in view. It climbs 935 feet in less than 2 miles and I think I rode it as fast as I ever have on the single-speed (heart monitor read 183 at one point), which probably explains why I look a bit knackered.