Wanting to accumulate some mileage while the weather is still pleasant, I rode about 40 miles, north off the island to Sawdust Hill and some good climbing. Strava said I climbed about 3200 feet. Mostly it was a pleasant ride through the country.
In Travels with Charlie, Steinbeck says he did a lot of thinking while driving – planned houses, planted gardens, created turtle traps, written long detailed letters, all in his mind. That doesn’t work for me; I find driving a motor vehicle mind numbing. For mental stimulation, I listen to NPR or podcasts saved especially for the trip.
Riding a bicycle is different. On days such as yesterday, I think about all kinds of things: dream of living in farm houses that I pass, or in cabins along the coast. I dream of sailing, raising livestock or harvesting a garden. Often I solve problems from work, or come up with new creative approaches, some good, others terrible. Other times I just ride and forget about everything.
Bainbridge Island has little libraries like the at the right all over the island. Each one has a unique design. People are invited to take or leave a book as the choose. Somewhere there is a registry of these libraries. I’ll put my copy of Travels with Charlie in one of these libraries when I finish reading it.
The farm below sits at the top of Sawdust Hill, overlooking the Olympic Mountains. Two dogs sauntered out of the pasture to greet me shortly after I took this picture.
