Brisk Labor Day Ride

Mind over mattress
Yesterday morning we had planned on going for a ride before any of the kids got up. We talked about getting up and going around 7:00 AM but when the time came I was really enjoying the feel and warmth of our bed. I really had to have a good pep talk with myself on the benefits of a ride as opposed to laying in bed for another hour. To make matters worse I looked over at my clock which has an outside thermometer and it was 50 degrees outside (yikes!). That little bit if data didn’t assist my self pep talk. Lucky for me, Jenny was awake and was giving me the look of “well, are we getting up”? This pushed my decision over the edge and it was mind over mattress at this point. Both of us rolled out of bed.

Prep Work
So up we got and the prep work started. Tires were pumped, water bottles were filled, warm riding gear was put on, and the bikes were put on the bike rack. Jenny also surprised me by making some PB&Js for the road. Sounds like a little much for that early in the morning but believe me a good PB&J before a ride sure hits the spot and it also provides you with the energy that you need. Plenty of carbs, protein and it gives you a good case of PB&J breath. Can’t go wrong there.

On Your Left
We rode the Centennial trail again from 84th to Snohomish and back. We decided on this route because Jenny needed to get back to help Barry with his room. When we took off at the 84th Street entrance the wind was really cold and it took a good 15 minutes to warm up. In fact, Jenny ended up wearing her knit gloves the whole time. I guess summer is really gone for good now. It was nice while it lasted. The ride over to Snohomish went well. There were a lot of walkers on the trail and a couple of families out on their bikes. When we got to Snohomish we rested on a park bench at the end of the trail. While we were sitting there an older gentleman gave us a lecture while he walked by about the proper etiquette of saying “on your left” as you pass walkers. He was obviously pretty hacked off at us. This is an on going debate I have with myself a lot when riding the centennial trail. Most of the time when I say “on your left” when I pass walkers they practically jump out of the skins because they had no idea anyone was behind them. On the other hand if I don’t say anything and just give them a lot of room as I pass them they don’t hardly notice. I’m not quite sure what the right thing to do is. Please feel free to leave me a comment on this subject if you have an opinion.

The ride back to our car was nice. We decided to say the “on your left” thing and we got mixed results. We scared some people and other people thanked us. I’m still in a quandary.


Labor Day Celebration
The rest of the day we spent with the kids. After rooms were cleaned and I did some blackberry picking we did what we’ve done on Labor Day for the last couple of years. Went to the store to get some ice cream and everyone got to choose a topping. Then, we brought them home and had an ice cream feast while we watched a couple of movies. We watched Adventures in Babysitting and Sidney White. They are a couple of classic movies.

Ride Stats for the Day
Distance: 24.5 Miles
Avg Speed: 14.1
Avg Cadence: 78