Yeah, it was cold

I’m sitting at the new Peet’s Coffee at Queen Anne & Boston. I don’t know why I thought it would be different than Tully’s or Starbucks; it’s full of people with their noses in books, or staring at laptops. But I wasn’t looking for social interaction, anyway… it was toasty warm inside, and I needed the coffee.

Saturday was the second consecutive day of bright sunshine, a perfect opportunity to pre-run the route for the Westenders Holiday Lights Ride.

I put the word out I’d be doing this on Friday; Chewy met me at the beginning point, Krispy Kreme in SoDo, while Mr. Robert the hair stylist joined us at the Magnolia Bridge.

Downtown Seattle was pretty sparsely populated. Yes, the stores are a bit further north, but still, there was not much activity, or traffic. A good thing, I’m thinking, as we climbed Yesler.

Yes, it’s late fall in Seattle, I think as we cross the Dr. Jose Rizal bridge and head onto Beacon Hill. It’s a bit past noon, but the sun is low in the sky and the ambient light has that orange tint you’d expect at 8:00 pm in the summer.

We’re waiting for the light to turn at MLK, and even though revenue service doesn’t begin for another couple of years, it appears the Link Light Rail project is already having the desired effect: we’re surrounded by BMWs. Gentrification is proceeding apace in Rainier Valley.

After a brief stop to check the time, we’re off again, up through the twisties of Cheasley Boulevard, over the hill and back to SoDo.

After making the loop around Magnolia, Mr. Robert suggested we stop for a burger at Red Mill on Dravus. We’d been riding for quite a long time; I could’ve kept going, but it’s not nice to make your riding buddies starve.

Our stomachs full, Mr. Robert departed for other engagements, and Chewy begged off on the rest of the route, saying she was cold. The temperature was about 45°F, but it’s humid in Seattle, and that makes a relatively mild temperature seem a lot colder, especially if you’re on a scooter.

I concluded my original draft of the route was a bit too ambitious, so I decided to cut it short and head home to make revisions to my Google map.

Saturday was almost identical, weather-wise. I needed to check my revisions for the second leg, and get a handle on the time from Children’s Hospital (we’re going to drop off a bunch of toys) to Green Lake.

Thirty miles per hour, in 45-degree weather, equals a pretty serious wind chill. I wore long microfibre underwear and a thick sweater under my M65 parka, which had the button-in liner in place. Most critically, I wore my Buff in balaclava mode.

I do not hesitate to tell everyone who will listen that it’s the Buff that is the greatest invention since sliced bread. It’s a simple, seamless, elastic microfibre tube that can be worn in many different ways (it comes with a CD containing a Quicktime movie that shows you how, or search for on “original buff” on YouTube). And it works. I can’t ride a scooter very well if my brain is freezing, so when it’s chilly, the Buff is on my head.

I went straight to Grocery Outlet on MLK, the first way point. It was surprising that downtown Seattle was once again pretty sparsely peopled. I could make the run down 5th Avenue in the usual 10-12 minutes.

Temperature-wise, I was doing okay. There’s a lot of shade on Beacon Hill and other places due to the sun’s low position in the sky, so parts of the route are colder. And darker. The strobe flashes of sunlight through trees that still have leaves are distracting and disorienting.

However, I got to the second way point and discovered my revisions hardly made a difference in the time. It still took an hour and a half. Okay, more cutting. But it was still necessary to try the final leg, in Seattle’s northern latitudes.

But not after a stop at Peet’s. I was starting to feel the effects of the cold, which mainly came through my uninsulated gloves, and the air vents in the helmet. Obviously, the thing to do is keep track of the group and build in coffee stops if it gets too cold.

Later, I was heading south on Ravenna Avenue (a different street than Ravenna Boulevard), and it was not only getting dark, I was getting chilled. The parka is an excellent barrier to the wind, but it’s the face and hands that most feel the effects. I will need to deal with those before the ride…

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