Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater
Yesterday, I had a dentist appointment. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of the dentist. It's uncomfortable and expensive (since they always seem to find cavities no matter how careful I am about brushing), but that's a story for a different time.
My dentist is what I have in the past considered to be a kind of frightening distance from my workplace -- all the way to First Hill, which is, as it turns out, about 5 miles. It's not so much the distance, though, as the hill.
Since I've been going there, I've ridden my motorcycle to get to the dentist, which most commonly involves taking I-5 downtown, and then going up what must be an 8% or more grade, James Street. At the top, after having worried that my bike might stall in first gear on this hill, I've made it to the dentist's office. It feels like a long slog on the motorcycle, although it's probably only a lateral distance of 3 blocks.
So, that's a pretty daunting idea on a bicycle.
I was prepared for the worst. I left myself an hour to get there (I normally cover the 5 miles between house and work in around 30). I went at a very even pace instead of pushing myself, so I'd have energy for the inevitable hellish hill-climb. I made sure the water bottle was full.
Then, I was on top of Capitol Hill before I knew it (First Hill and Capitol Hill are divided by a hazy sense of where the hipsters stop and the hospitals begin, more than any actual geographical feature). First Hill was just over there, only there wasn't actually any more uphill to do. Huh.
So, I ended up getting there 20 minutes early, even after slowly locking up my bike and heading to the wrong floor on the elevator.
I guess it wasn't so frightening after all.
Another strike against riding the gas-guzzlers (although the Ninja 250, at 48-55 MPG, is hardly a gas-guzzler).
Posted at 15:53 permanent link category: /bicycle
Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater