A couple weekends ago, I planned to cross a small network of ped bridges over a few islands in Lake Wash, which would take me to a real bridge on my way home. Before long, it was part submerged; a jogger wisely turned back, but I used my bike to help balance while I walked on the edges of my feet. Pretty soon, the trail was seriously flooded. A gorgeous runner came up, stopped in front of me, bent down to pull her leggings up, and ran through the muck. I was a bit distracted by her tenacity, and well developed leg muscles , so I thought "if she can do it ..."

I got soaked to my knees. After I got home, I hand-washed the shoes in the tub, dried them carefully, which took two days, and they seem good as new. But I'm sure it was a bad idea, and I shouldn't repeat it.

So, yesterday, the weather was gorgeous, especially in the morning. I put about 40 miles on the bike, some of them on a peninsula loop in Seward Park. A tree trunk went from a beach out into the water, and I managed to dunk my head in without getting the shoes wet.

Already, the water is getting warm, and it will be time to go swimming before long. Traffic and parking are nightmares at the swimming beaches in Seattle, so biking is the way to go. ( But then cycling is usually the way to go... ) So I'm wondering if I really do need to keep my shoes dry? I'm trying to weigh the pain of drying them, against the other things I could do with the $100 a pair of clipless flip flops will cost... Do you get yours wet?

These are mine: http://www.rei.com/product/796189?pr...:referralID=NA