Usually I lurk in a Wi-Fi enabled public library and do some freelancing or blogging while my daughter attends summer camp.
Facing a limited number of bicycling days, I took advantage of some rare sunny, dry, mild weather in Seattle and gave myself a bike tour between Green Lake and downtown.
I spotted the nattily dressed gentleman who had parked his bike at a park bench, above, along the Elliott Bay waterfront. His cap kept the sun out of his eyes while he gazed south along the busy harbor to Safeco and Qwest fields and Mount Rainier in the distance. What a perfect place to relax.
Discovery Park
To get to Elliott Bay from Green Lake, I headed down Stone Way, picked up the Burke-Gilman bike trail in Fremont and crossed the Ship Canal downstream at the Chittenden locks. At 10:30, there already were plenty of tourists watching the boats coming and going.
Crossing over to Magnolia, I made my way into the Discovery Park, the old Fort Lawton military base. On clear days, the bluffs sport amazing views of the Olympic Peninsula across the Puget Sound.
Only later did I learn that bikes are prohibited on most of the crushed limestone trails here. Bicyclists are restricted to the paved trails, whose views somehow don't seem as good.
Magnolia
Leaving the park, I rode along the Magnolia waterfront, with more views of Mount Rainier, a dormant volcano south of the city. One day, I'm sure, all hell's going to bust loose with the mountain.
A bike lane through a railroad yard and along a shipping pier takes cyclists onto Elliott Bay, home of the Seattle Aquarium, Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe, and hundreds of other attractions.
After grabbing a hot dog on the waterfront, I beat it up Broad to Dexter, then across the Fremont Bridge to the Burke-Gilman and back to Green Lake.
No blogging (until now) and no freelancing. No regrets.
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