Seattle

For whatever reason, Seattle has been a magnet for my bay area friends. Within the last year, two good friends have moved there, and my cousin has lived there for 5 years. After spending a little time there, we could see the attraction in spite of the drippy reputation. 

First, a fair portion of the city is on the waterfront simply due to the bays and lakes. Then my cousin and her husband pointed us to the Burke-Gilman trail which is a flat, paved bike trail that crosses the larger part of the city and extends into the northeastern suburbs. With my friends Jordan and Coree, we set out to ride this trail over 30 miles. From the Green Lake neighborhood, our destination was the Red Hook Brewery way out in Woodinville. 

We're not accustomed to long rides on pavement, and we were all on fat, knobby tires. Fortunately the trail is essentially flat, so we enjoyed the cruise and the scenery of Lake Washington. By the time we had covered the first 12 miles on the way out, we were getting pretty hungry. Jordan and Coree didn't complain about the distance, as they had recently completed a cycle tour from Seattle to the SF Bay. Lauren and I however were feeling the burn in the old Gluteus Maximus area. 

By the time we were completely desperate for solid food and a cold beverage, we began to smell the distinct aroma of fermenting grain. It crossed my mind that we hadn't checked to see if the Red Hook Brewery actually had a pub, but alas we prevailed and found brewery-fresh beer and pub fare. Even my rear tire held out until the parking lot to finally release all of its air. 

The trip home seemed a lot longer than getting there, and we climbed the big hill from the trail to my cousin's house. 

That evening we hooked up with Eric and Erika for some sushi, followed by a visit to the great troll who lives under the overpass and eats VW Beetles.