Frequent rider miles are not
available this month because the coordinator is
currently on assignment. 

He is on the RAW (Ride Around Washington)

Ride miles will be posted in the newsletter on the website when they are available.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

 Let John know if these numbers are inaccurate.

 John Carlin is the new Miles Coordinator.

Please send him your ride miles effective Dec. 11, 2005 through Holiday Party 2006.

Contact info: johnecarlin@comcast.net,
425-778-4529  
 

The signed ride sheets still go to Kristin for club record-keeping.

 
Ride Reports

Blue Angels Ride – a beautiful day with a couple oops.  The first oops was two days before the ride when I found out that they had shifted the show time to 1:30 and had to post a change on the club web site delaying the start time one hour.  I got to Tracy Owen Station for the earlier start but fortunately, no one showed.  The ride this year was around the entire lake to avoid the time restrictions caused by the closing of I-90.  This change adds surprisingly little mileage to ride.  Five other riders showed for the ride and with plenty of time, we tried to keep a social pace and take it easy. 
 

The first part of the ride was the typical Lake Washington loop through Kirkland and Bellevue tying into the south lake Washington bike loop.  It was not until we dropped down to Seward Park that we got the second oops for the day, Lake Washington Blvd was closed.  In hindsight, I should have realized they would do this to limit traffic around the hydro pits.  So we climbed back up the hill from Seward Park, while I did not hear anyone cursing my name I have a feeling one or two thought about it.  After a couple stops to read maps and talking to traffic enforcement, they were all over the place, we found Lake Park Dr that drop us back down on Lake Washington Blvd just past the hydro pits.  While our little detour add less than two miles to the route all the map reading did use up some time but we still had a half hour to get lunch before the show started. 

If you have not seen the Blue Angels show, in person, you really should, it's a fun show.(watching the TV doesn't count.)  There was one maneuver where a plane came in from the west hidden by Capital Hill so that it suddenly appeared right over our heads as the pilot hit the afterburner with an enormous boom.  I think there were more than a couple pairs of dirty shorts afterwards.  There was, as typical, a lot of traffic leaving the area right after the show but most people were patient and in a good mood.  Most of the car traffic disappears after the first up Capital Hill and off the blvd.  With regret, the only people doing foolish things were typically bicycles weaving through traffic.  Other than the climb to get through the arboretum the rest of the ride was fairly flat with lots of shade, a good way to finish.

Mike Snodgrass