Oh, the horror! A sunny, windy day and I am not sailing my boat. The horror! Two weeks in a row that I have not taken my boat away from the dock. Well, I was in Hawaii last week that is a good excuse. And today was a good day to go to the Seattle Bicycle Expo. It is suppose to be the largest in the country. After moving to various venues around the Seattle area, this year it was at the Pier 91 Cruise ship terminal at the north end of Elliott Bay near Magnolia.
Of course, if you are going to a bicycle show, you really should arrive by bicycle. So, I caught the 0720 ferry and rode the bicycle along the Seattle waterfront and the bike path through Myrtle Edwards park to the expo. The last surprise was that I had to ride past the terminal area a couple of miles and return on another path that went to the pier where the terminal is located. It was not explained very well in the directions.
I arrived early for the 0900 opening. The expo did have lots to see. There were lots of new bikes and components to look at. There were also good sales on clothing and shoes. I found a great pair of cycling shoes at 50% off. They were exactly what I was looking for and what I had hoped to find. A lot of the booths were occupied by groups selling tours or promoting organized rides. I picked up some brochures for some rides and also collected maps from various routes and trails in the northwest. I did not stay very long or watch any demos or presentations. I returned into the wind to the ferry and home. It was farther than I thought it would be: 17.9 miles total.
Now what am I going to do about not sailing this weekend? Nothing, I don't sail every week, too many other fun things to do!
Bicycles, components, clothing, tours and people, people, people!
People looking at the wooden bicycles. Yes, bicycle frames made of wood. Very attractive, light and as stiff as modern materials.
A few others rode their bicycles to the Expo.
It was unfortunate that they didn't allow access from the Elliot Bay trail, it is just a gate (or two) that need to be opened. It shouldn't be a hard item to arrange. Wooden frames, have not seen anything like that since the old bikes of the late 1800's and early 1900's.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't a big deal, just had to ride past the railyard and take the trail that heads toward Elliott Bay Marina. And then enter the same route as the cars that had to come across the Magnolia Bridge. They did not mark it well and by the time I left, the organizers had posted marshalls at the turns to alert riders. The up side is that I parked thirty feet from the entrance. And the extra miles were no big deal.
ReplyDeleteThe wooden frames are far differant than the old wooden frames.