Date: Sept. 4Mileage: 23.5
September mileage: 64.2
Temperature upon departure: 47
Rainfall: .62"
The weather took a dramatic swing toward crappy today. So dramatic, in fact, that it took a while to really sink in. I climbed to road to Eaglecrest. The climbing was the easy part. The rest of the ride was spent either squinting in the driving rain, being tossed around by crosswinds on a perilously soggy descent, or plowing into headwinds gusting to 40 mph. Listening to all of my coworkers comment about the "crazy" weather later affirmed by fears that the season of crappy riding is about to take hold.
Tomorrow begins my three-day "Labor Day weekend." I wish I had the real weekend. The weather forecast calls for more horrors; Geoff is out of town; my friends are all busy with their traditional jobs. I had no idea what to do with myself. I was feeling lost, drifting. So what did I do? I randomly bought a ticket to ride on the Alaska Marine Highway ... just now ... like 20 minutes ago ... completely compulsive. My ferry heads south tomorrow morning, bound for Sitka. I have never been to Sitka before (well, OK, a plane I was riding on stopped there once.) But I thought, for about $100, I could go see this piece of Alaska that I have never seen before. Why not?
I secured a berth on the boat for myself and my mountain bike. I am packing all of the cold weather rain gear and camping supplies I can stuff into my backpack, and I am going to just go. The weather will not be any better there. If anything, it will be worse. But it will be OK. I'll be in Sitka! No one there knows me, so it won't matter if I stumble into coffee shops dripping stale rain water and reeking of Southeast mud and moss. I will check out all the waterlogged trails I can find, and when the chill finally sets in, I will hole up in my tent and finally get around to reading that new Harry Potter book. It's gonna be sweeeeet.
Have a great weekend ... er ... Wednesday.
cool have fun! enjoy the mini adventure!
ReplyDeleteBetter avoid the Muggles.
ReplyDeleteI am truly jealous -- dry and warm, but still jealous.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCheck out the back door cafe, their vegetarian sandwiches are yummy. As far as bike riding, there are some fire roads on the opposite side of town from where the ferry drops you off. Just ride all the way (about 9-10 miles I think) until the road ends and then keep going. And make lots of noise while you hike, I saw a few bears out there.
ReplyDeleteHey .02 cents, why don't you drop by and micromanage my life too while you're at it?
ReplyDeletebien Viaje!
ReplyDeleteaaahhhh i wish i knew your email! i know trails! i know people! if home is where the heart is, sitka is my home, even though i'm in denver at the moment.
ReplyDeletewell, i hope you find good places to explore. maybe you'll meet my friend gregory, he is always biking along the roads of sitka...
Sitka is a great (dare I say super, stupendous, even sublime?) town, I think you will like it! Bon voyage!
ReplyDeleteI sold a guy an Independent Fabrication cross bike who lives in Sitka. Green and yellow. If you see it, say hi! Living the dream Jill, living the dream.
ReplyDeleteThey actually have coffee shops in Sitka?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, when you finish the Potter book, please don't post and say who dies.
Sounds like another great adventure; enjoy, stay dry (as possible) and be safe.
Sorry for my previous comment, Jill. It really isn't my business. If you enjoy listening to your iPod while hiking, have fun. It sounds like music really amplifies the experience for you and I didn't mean to ruin that.
ReplyDeleteHope you're having fun in Sitka!
Can't wait to hear the report on your adventures. I'm cathing up on a lot of blogs right now, but I always stop by here first!
ReplyDeleteOh how cool. I love doing things just like that. Just go.
ReplyDeletelooking forward to your report.
Have a great weekend Jill and enjoy Potter. So tempted to talk about the end...so tempted....but I won't :-)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the smelly mossy thing.
ReplyDeleteExtraordinary photography. Good luck!
www.triplecrankset.blogspot.com
First time I happened upon your blog. Just wanted to remark on the beautiful landscape photos. You get to see some pretty amazing views on your rides!
ReplyDeleteOh man. I just wrote a big complainy post about Sitka. Now these comments make me feel a bit guilty. But it is a cool place, highly recommended for those with better sleeping arrangements than the ones I had.
ReplyDeleteAnd L., I think you're right about hiking and biking. I have become a bit complacent about it and music helps me avoid boredom when I set out on longer treks. But there is something to be said about true solitude, and I've been lacking that.