Riders In Motion
A new bike buddy, Janet, met me at my house to join me for the RIM (Riders In Motion) Ride in Liberty Lake. It’s always nice to get away and explore a new area and I like having someone join me and share expenses.
At the hotel, I picked up a stuffed lizard that could fit in my bike bag and give some interest to some of my photos. My friend, Marie, always does this and reminded me about it when she joined me in volunteering for a Cascade Bicycle Club event.
Janet rides slower than I do, so I took off from the start the same time as the century riders (though I was only planning on the 50-mile route).
The first part of the route was on the Liberty Lake State Line Trail, which was really lovely. I saw a lot of interconnecting trails, but didn’t register their names. I think later I was on the Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail, just as lovely!
As I was heading to Newman Lake, I started thinking about names for my new lizard companion. The name Gimlet popped into my head immediately and it sounded perfect! He ended up posing in several of my photos.
The climbs around the western side of the lake were pretty intense. There was also a lot of gravel on the road, making me a lot more cautious especially on the downhills! By the time I reached the eastern side of the lake with a lot less shade, it was getting hot and I shed my thermal sleeves.
At one point, I missed a turn and repeated a 10 mile loop. Oh well….something to do to not finish as quickly and having to wait for Janet to finish.
The last 10 miles of the route were really tough! There was a lot of climbing and I almost didn’t make it to the top of the steepest section at the top of the climb. Once I did, the view was fantastic!
When I finished my ride, I clocked 60 miles instead of 50. I collected my finisher medal and grabbed some provided lunch. The sandwiches from Jimmy John’s were horrid! I ate a piece of chocolate cake instead.
Still hungry, I loaded my bike and went to Carl’s Jr. for a burger and diet coke. I still had to wait for Janet, so I went back to the event location, parked my car, then stretched out on the ground for a rest in the shade. It was quite peaceful and relaxing.
Once Jane finished, we loaded her stuff up and drove back to Seattle. Surprisingly, there was no traffic backup at Cle Elum and over the pass!
The next day, the rotary posted a video from the event. My feet/shoes show up near the beginning, but I’m also in a longer clip showing my face about half-way through.
