It's definitely beautiful up here. I'm actually at PSNS in Bremerton, my ship (USS Abraham Lincoln) is in the drydock for refit. You're definitely right about the scenery. I've lived in WA for most of 23 years, grew up on Whidbey Island, so hills & trees (& horrendous headwind and rain and sub-40F temps) are something I've come to enjoy. Maybe I'm not really that slow averaging only 12.8MPH on my ride home, considering over 5 miles of it is a noticable incline!

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Today was the completion of week 1 of my challenge to commute to work only on my bicycle, with me end of the week mileage coming in at 52.8. Not bad for only 3 days worth of riding. I honestly thought it was going to take a lot longer for me to get to where I could ride all the way to work & back, but it appears I am in a little bit better shape than I thought.

My ride in this morning was a brisk 39F, but that didn't phase me one bit. Rode to work in a set of warmups over a long sleeved T & gym shorts. I, too, have yet to invest in some "real" riding gear for the winter. Maybe the cold was my motivation, but I made it to work (7ish miles) in only 25 minutes, and no flat tire today! Drivers were courteous and I got brave and rode the road on the bridge on 303, keeping up with traffic at nearly 40MPH. Not bad for a MTB with suspension!

My ride home was quick, too, maybe that's because I'm so sore from my run yesterday (combined with my double-length ride home!) that I was really motivated to move. I made it home in under 35 minutes, which beats the other day by 15 minutes. I didn't stop today, and I'm learning the gearing on my bike a bit, and have adjusted my pedaling with some advice from my LBS. The only downside to my commute this afternoon was getting buzzed twice, once by a Kitsap County Sherrif, and once by a black Chevy 4x4 with "Redneck" in red vinyl on the back window. Oh well, I made it home in one piece!