The bus did most of the work (15 miles to my 6) as we multi-modaled it to Issaquah this afternoon. We headed over with time to spare before our dentist appointment so we could meet up with Kent Peterson for coffee and a small bike tour of Issaquah. I really need to start using my Endomondo GPS tracking app because I’m not sure of the route we took, but it was a good one–starting on the raised wooden path along Renton Road we’ve often admired, but never biked on, and on a gravel path through a forested area in search of three resident deer.
My first question for Kent was if he’s secretly British, based on two recent “tyre” tweets, but it turns out those were just quotes for highlights and notes of a book, The Bicycle and the Bush: Man and Machine in Rural Australia, he was reviewing. He’s from Minnesota, near Duluth, which is completely in line with his extraordinarily kind demeanor.
In addition to deer habitats and the turn-off to Pickering Barn (farmers market on Saturdays), Kent pointed out the East Lake Sammamish Trail, which is closed for paving. I’d like to think that one day I’ll ride all the way here from Seattle (alone on a road bike, mind you) and experience that new smooth trail.
I’ve yet to visit Kent’s shop, Bicycle Center of Issaquah, but after he tweeted a picture of Eddy the shop pug, we’re going to prioritize going in to see puppies and the Penny Farthing replica. Eddy works Friday through Monday and Dillon, a Chihuahua/Jack Russell mix, works Tuesday through Saturday.
Kent dropped us off at the Cut Loose Caboose and sped off into the snowstorm of tree fluff.
Photo courtesy Kent Peterson
Last time I opted for a long, slow bus that arrived close to home and realized that is not the way to do it (especially if said long, slow bus has something wrong with the battery, making it smell like rotten eggs, necessitating a vehicle change and associated wait). Today we took the Sound Transit 554 both directions and rode home from downtown.
We didn’t ride all the way home, though, since the UW Burke-Gilman Trail Party promised chocolate samples of Theo Chocolate World Bicycle Relief sea salt dark. We didn’t win anything in the free drawing, but the boys played with a puppy at the SDOT booth and found an open spot of bike rack upon which to hang–near a yellow recumbent bike they were quite taken with. I don’t know what it is with weird bikes, but the kids love ’em–tall bikes, penny farthings, recumbents. I guess it goes inline with preferring cement mixers, tow trucks, and buses to run-of-the-mill cars.
Today’s miles: 21.2
May cumulative: 319.5 miles
Family Ride 
It was great riding with you and the boys. While Dillon does work most days, Eddy is manages to take more time off, so some days the shop is dog free. But we always have bikes and somebody who is happy to chat about bikes.
Here’s your warning: planning to schedule our next appointment for one of your working days :)
Stacy talked me into creating a Flickr pool called kids on bike racks–I think of this for half your posts. Also, super envious of the Theo chocolate samples. My thighs are probably better off, however.
Great Flickr idea! I’ve been too disorganized to do any good Flickring. It helps that I only eat the dark chocolate–it’s too hard to eat a lot. If I were eating the milk chocolate they’d probably keep my photo behind the booth with a red slash through it.