stringbreaker

Took the camera with me this morning and took a couple shots on the way into work and then of course I had to take one of Mt. Rainier in all its glory on the way home.

unixpro

Yep, it sure is nice. I ride beside Lake Washington for a good part of the way. Very pleasant.

Kojak

Damn I miss Seattle. Not that I live in an ugly place now. If I take the "long-way" to work the 1st 3 miles are pretty stunning. If I decide to stop by my favorite bakery on the way in, it's just a ride through some neighborhoods. I'll grab the camera and post some pics next week.

Andy_K 

Yeah, the Pacific Northwest is awesome.







Of course, those could be anywhere. Here's my obligatory mountain photo (Mt. Hood, as seen across Beaverton Creek Wetlands):

stringbreaker

I have to remind myself how beautiful it really is in this part of the country because about the middle of Jamuary I'll be ready to stab myself in the face with a dull fork for lack of light. If my wife would let me I would have one of those chainsaw art bears on the front porch but alas she doesn't share my taste in home decor, which on second thought is probably a good thing.

Skoal

Yeah summers are amazing in the pacific northwest the other 3 seasons not so much...

stringbreaker

Agreed for sure.

pityr

at least they aren't so bad that we have to stop riding for very long.

divtag

The other three seasons? I saw there was summer and dreary. I was in Eugene for the 1st time last year. I loved it and was talking to some people. They said it was good until the 5th month of gray and then you realize you still have 5 more to go. lol

stringbreaker

Gray season starts late September and ends most of the time around May. No lie in the winter its dark at 4:00 pm and full daylight if you want to call it that hits around 8:30 am but then when we get weather like we have had for a few days now it makes you foget the gray until the next time.

divtag

I was in Oregon in June last year for the first time camping. It was weird because it didn't get dark until like 9:30.

cc700

there was still light in the sky at 10:30 last night. i was pretty thrown aback.

so beautiful today.

CB HI

Kojak

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Yeah, but you can ride in that. At least it's not this.

stringbreaker

eeewwwwhhhh gross

Skoal

I grew up out side of Seattle and I love the Pacific Northwest. Amazing. Spent some great times in the outdoors. As a result when it rains I don't really pay toooo much attention now where ever I am living. Rarely grab an umbrella and I am fine with just a rain jacket.

Met many a friend who was all jazzed up from other parts of the country who want to move to Portland or Seattle and most times they come back after a year or two complaining about the weather and the endless months of gray. I just smile.

On the plus side with some fenders and lights you can commute for a long time and will rarely have stop because of severe weather (snow)

yoder

To me, the Seattle area has some of the best weather in the world. Much better than any other place I've lived. I don't like extreme heat, and I don't like it too sunny. I have no problem with overcast--no need for sunglasses, etc. Those clouds are like a blanket in the winter; they keep it from getting too cold, and it almost never freezes. You will notice the coldest days there are the clear ones. It rains a lot of days, but actually the amount of rain in inches is not more than DC, Chicago, or Boston. In fact, cities like Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Houston get way more rain than Seattle, which ranks like 45th in annual rainfall in the US among major cities. It is generally a very mild rain, and given the mild temperatures, not a big deal.

Andy_K 

I will not listen to complaints from anyone living in Victoria. It's one of my favorite cities, and even in that picture it's gorgeous.

Andy_K 

To really make it here you need to learn to love the rain. I moved to Portland in the summer of '95 and most days that summer we didn't even have clouds. Then the fall came. I kid you not it rained every single day without exception in November that year. But I made it through. Now by August my wife and I complain to each other about how much we miss the rain.

delman

I am jealous of those shots. Around here there are umm, Powerlines, urban sprawl and crazy drivers. Oh lots of flat land so much that it gets kinda boring. Plus it gets hot here. I would love to move but I have to got to go to school in state due to how my parents set it the tuition savings plan thing. Plus I love the rain.

Kojak

No complaints, that picture is of Chicago in the wintertime.... I was gloating. I lived my entire life in Seattle until 2 years ago and now live in Victoria where the weather is pretty much the same as Seattle; a little drier, and a little windier. Wife accepted a job at the local University, so here we are. I'm adjusting to a rather startling career change (the most startling being the pay cut I took to work in the cycling industry).

I could only think that as a cyclist, San Diego might be the only place that one could argue is a better year round place to ride than the PNW.... and I'm not saying it would be a slam dunk argument by any stretch. We live in one of the few areas where you can literally ride 365 days a year... Ok, the ice storms in Portland might put me off a day or two, but other than that, it's nearly perfect here.

bizzz111

Anyone want me to post pics of my ride through industrial south seattle? Might make you feel a bit better about your scenery.

Kojak

Do you start in West Seattle? Alki???? Not bad scenery there.

Andy_K 

That explains why I couldn't place those buildings. Still looks nice. If I lived there I might be able to justify the cost of studded tires. Of course, nothing sucks my will to live more than riding into a headwind, so I guess Chicago would be pretty bad.

And of course you're right. It is pretty easy to bike year round here.

yoderman

Please!

I grew up in AZ, the rain up here is all mental. I am starting to prefer them, makes the drivers slow down.