Biking 29Mar'09 - Mathews Beach/Magnuson Park

Yes, this is slightly dated, I know. Apologies, maybe you don't believe it, but I have been real busy. Ok ok, I confess, I did play some games lar... But wait ! I am also busy with other stuffs, like reading up on newbies' guide to biking. There's really alot to learn, like what gears to use when going uphill/downhill (boy, we have 21 of them!), basic gear and apparels to get, etc. Boy I never know all these back home when we don't have to worry about getting cold after perspiring, with flat terrains and no gears at all, just grab a bike and go !

Its cold riding out here in Spring which can be as harsh as < 10 deg Celcius!. We got ourselves basic layer of clothing, which can wick moisture away to keep our body dry and warm. Failing to do this may cause hypothermia (No kidding!) with clothes that absorb all the sweat and gets wet. We also got a pair of gloves to protect our hands from cold and fall (touch wood!), and buffs for our heads as well. So we are ready to roll !

Being first-timers, we are not familiar with the roads and safety rules, so we decided to try out the Burke-Gilman trail near our place, which is mostly flat roads (Phew!) We could also experiment with the gears, to see which suit us most. Abit technical here: front wheel has 3 gears, back wheel has 7, so permutate to 21 different combinations. Going uphill requires lowest gear at the front so there's lot of peddling without exerting too much strength on the pedals. Depending on how steep the terrain is, I usually vary the gear (from 1-7) at the back wheel. We do dismount from the bike when its too challenging for us.

Ok, off we go, the weather was very good, sunshine throughout. Good, we won't feel cold. We went all the way to Mathews Beach Park where many kayakees gathered, after which we turned back and dropped by Magnuson Park's off-leash dog park. (Could you count how many dogs are there in the picture?)





Saw some cherry blossom trees on our way back: