Windy and smoky.

Threw the bike in the car and took it to our mechanic for an oil change. Then rode home. I have to reverse the process in the late afternoon.

It's starting to get very smoky from wildfires. Amber light and smoke getting thicker in the mountains by the hour.

Back to summer for 2 final days...at least according to the 10 day forecast. Tomorrow could be in the 80s. Then it's right back down to the mid-60s and lower most likely.

First day of fall-like weather. 62 degrees and breezy with heavy overcast. Legs felt tired today, so I was just taking things easy.

I'm thinking this is the best time of the year to ride. Another mid-afternoon ride with perfect weather. When I was working, I only was able to experience the early morning and late afternoon extremes of this time of year.

The perfect temp to ride in. I need to find a climate that's like this all the time.

A late PM ride after doing trail work most of the day.

Warm and sunny but not too hot. Perfect late summer riding weather.

Went early to get in some miles and cut out a big branch over the dike trail and pruned back a bunch of Himalayan blackberry vines. It must have been good karma because I scored a load of cut, dried maple firewood on the way home and got a reference for a good roofer.

Getting back into the swing of everyday riding after a five day road trip to Mt. St. Helens and the Oregon coast.

Just a leg stretcher after driving all day.

Ok at the water's edge but tough to get on & off the beach.

Around the loops.

An early one before hitting the road.

Did the paved section on the east end.

Waited until the late afternoon and then went out. Almost no wind and a reasonable 74 or so. Passed my daughter several times out on the dike system as she was walking.

I'm not sure if anyone reads these posts, but just in case I'm wondering if any riders out there have made any interesting roadside finds? I find a lot of usable stuff, such as almost new 5 gal buckets, a brand new set of impact bits, small tools, a pristine multi-tool one time, bungee cords, etc. The scary part is the amount of split pins, clevis pins, and other hardware associated with keeping things that are being towed attached to vehicles.

High smoky clouds with filtered sunlight coming through and a light breeze. Legs were tired at first but I warmed up after 10 miles or so. Did three loops out on the dike system. 5,403 miles at the end of August.

Finished after 7:30 PM. Had to get the legs moving after 7 hours of driving.

Cold today. With the breeze it was probably in the upper 50s, which is quite cool for this time of year.

Tired legs...rode after a day of doing trail maintenance.

A bit shorter than usual. I got stuck between the oiling trucks laying down a fog coat over recent chip seal. Was able to work some side roads and find a cross-country route home but it blocked the roads in both directions and I wasn't willing to ride over fresh oil as it would probably never come off the bike frame.

I'm really enjoying my gravel rides. Most of those are on bikes with 43-45mm tires and even larger than that would help with stability in a few of the corners. No one else out on the dike system on the Dungeness River today so I did a couple of laps. Mountain views to the south and saltwater views to the north on a comfortably warm day. Just a light breeze. A little bit of haze in the distance due to wildfires. The big one well to the south of here will burn into the late fall or early winter, depending on precip.

Hot again but maybe for the last time this summer.

In the mid-80s but felt hotter on the pavement. Not much shade out there today.

One last blast of summer. 79 today and in the mid-to-upper 80s over the weekend, or so the forecasts say. Felt pretty good today but it was just a low tempo ride.

A pretty low key ride. Spent a lot of time out on the dike system and then headed back to roads close to home to prune off some Himalayan blackberry vines. Those are everywhere all of a sudden.

Had to put on some arm warmers this morning as it felt a bit chilly at 58 degrees, only 50 degrees cooler than where my son lives.

63 degrees but it is supposed to warm back up later in the week. Maybe 77 by the weekend. As close as you can get to no wind today for being on the Straits of Juan de Fuca (sometimes called the Salish Sea).

Dark, overcast, and threatening all day but no rain. I've got an intermittent rotor clang on the Norco and can't seem to figure out what is causing that.

Heavy overcast today but nearly so humid as it has been. The tropical air has passed over and dumped a lot of precip. 100 miles to the west in the Hoh Rainforest, they got over 3" of rain and had to close the road. Looks like it will warm back up to the upper 70s for one last blast of summer-like weather.

High humidity again today. Just soaked by the end.

Light rain on and off, but not really enough to get wet. I ended up soaked though due to the high humidity. Supersaturated air is just waiting to drop as another downpour like yesterdays. I took a long overdue day off for that.

Another Willapa Hills Trail ride. Only 105 feet of elevation change in 10.5 miles heading east. Much nicer temps today in the low to mid 70s. Done by noon.

Camped at Rainbow Falls SP. Did an out an & back ride on the old RR line bike trail. Awesome ride except for the mid-90s temps. Lots of water and occasional shade made it bearable. Another ride on this grade tomorrow. I'll be back to bikepack it later this year.

Started the sprinkler and took off. Did a couple of 8 mile loops, circling back to change the sprinkler and got in my ride and the watering in one shot. Also went early to beat the heat.

About 80 today ...hottest day in a while. Maybe mid-90s by Tuesday. Did more trail clearing work on the dike.

It's starting to heat up a bit. I headed out with a small folding saw today to clear out part of a downed tree out on the Dungeness dike system. Just the top part of an old cottonwood had fallen across the trail, so with just a few cuts I was able to at least clear half of the pathway. Looks like I might need to haul out a chainsaw to totally clear things across the entire path. At least it's bikeable now. Yesterday a sharp broken branch drew blood on my arm.

Finally a decent summer-feeling day. 75 degrees with a bit of wind. A few high clouds. There were quite a few other riders out. Legs felt fine despite the steep uphill and downhill hiking yesterday. I hope to hit 5K miles for the year by Tuesday.

Today was a just a scramble to get in some miles between other things going on. Took a hike up Hurricane Hill from Hurricane Ridge in ONP. Some mountain views but clouds and fog kept coming over the ridges. So many tourists up there in the summer. 49 degrees at 5700' with a bit of a breeze.

Switching to new gloves did the trick for my hands today. No numbness at all. I guess I should chuck the old ones, as the padding has become very dispersed. Now I need to work on stretching my hamstrings to relieve a little pressure on the lower back so I can do some longer rides.

Overcast and some much needed rain may be headed this way, but probably not very much as I am in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mts. A good soaking would be a great help with wildfires which seem to be ramping up in the dry part of the year. I'm having some issues with hand numbness, depending on which bike I'm on. My Soma Wolverine is set up with gel pads under the bar tape which works well. I should probably experiment with gloves as well. I tend to use gear/clothing until it is very old and in tatters. I do have some new summer gloves (shop the Pearl Izumi winter sale for those) and the fresh padding may do the trick. If not, I'll be looking for more gel padding to go under my bar tape on the two bikes that don't have it.

I was able to ignore the wind today. It was still blowing strong, but just kept from thinking about it too much. Some days that works.

Windy again and very hazy due to wildfire smoke from the south.

Heavy overcast and breezy. Saw the first few of the 1100+ Tour de Lavender riders out. I went early to get to my rest stop volunteer shift.

It's been windy for so long that I have forgotten what it feels like to ride on a calm day.

Cool and breezy. Coldest summer in quite a few years.

A bit of smoke in the air this AM from the Bear Gulch fire south of here on Hood Canal. Also, lots of traffic as the Native paddlers were making land down in Jamestown.

Quite windy in the late afternoon. Smoke is heavier than it was this morning up in the mountains and it looks like it's at a lower elevation too.

A tolerable wind today. Lots of traffic though.

Lazy today...it was almost 7PM when I finished.

Waited out the morning fog coming down the Straits.

It's chilly today. 61 degrees and breezy so I had a fall jersey on.

Wind is back up again.

Rode in to Pt. Angeles with the wife to get pizza and beer along the waterfront trail. Super windy with large whitecaps. We even took some salt-spray along the trail. Then, while we ate the wind died down so we got some wind at our backs on the way home, but nothing like the gale forces we had to ride into.

Again on the Wolverine. Really enjoying the stability the new Ritchey Beacon XL bars provide. They are so wide I have to angle the bike out the gate.

Got back on the Wolverine today because the wider tires (47mm) just float through all that excess gravel on the roads. I hope the county hits it with the brush trucks soon because in places there it's 2-3" deep on the shoulders. First ride with Strava on the new phone. No more pushing a button to see my progress.

Fog in the Straits but decent on the roads.

Another day on the thick gravel shoulders. Hard to keep up the speed.

Lots of gravel miles today.

Tired today. Mostly searched out places to ride that were not recently chip-sealed.

This wasn't gravel on trails, but rather freshly chip-sealed county roads.

Early again to beat the heat.

Went early to beat the heat. I could feel the warmth kick in at 11:45.

Winds were a bit calmer today and the temp was a comfortable 69.

81 degrees at the start and a bit of breeze felt cooling, but by the end I was back in a wind tunnel.

Warm and breezy.

Super crowded down on a perfect July beach camp day.

The usual strong wind from the SW.

Overcast but warming up.

The same wind, coming from the SE, day after day.

Slowly worked my way west so that I could enjoy a strong wind at my back for the final 5 miles. An effortless 20 mph on some of that last part.

The wind was not too bad for a change. Lots of riders out this morning.

Windy again but fairly warm. Briefly crossed paths with the wife and rode a bit with her.

First gravel ride in a while as I just fixed a flat on the Explorer yesterday.

Yesterday the temp combined with the breeze gave a forecast that said "feels like 49". This morning I saw people using their woodstoves to heat their houses. Pretty darn cool for almost July 4th.

24 hours of the wind tunnel outside now and no signs of letting up in the next week. That will be bad on Friday night when folks are lighting fireworks.

In and out of the fog.

3925 miles at the end of June.

A 2nd ride after a 90th birthday party for B. It was a wind tunnel tonight. Averaging 656/monthly for the first half of the year.

Almost felt warm at 68 degrees.

Finally a bit warmer.

Felt like an early to mid October day.

Still cool in the mornings.

Both arm and knee warmers today. Unseasonably cold.

Had to go early to make some appointments.

It was so cool this afternoon when I started that I was wearing knee warmers (it's almost July!). The clouds thinned out towards the end and I had to shed layers. Felt warm at the end. I'm now over halfway to my personal goal of 7500 miles for the year and closing in on halfway to my bikerides.com goal for the year.

Overcast and 62 degrees. Can't complain though, as I'd hate to be riding in that midwest heatwave.

Waited out the morning rain.

Rode early due to an appointment. Nice and calm at 6:45 AM. Got back on in the late PM and it was another wind tunnel.

For some reason I seem to keep riding at the time of peak winds every day. That needs to change. Now that I am retired I have the flexibility to avoid that to some extent. A steady 12 mph breeze today, which is not terrible, but not as much fun as a 3 mph breeze.

Tried to stay in the developments and hedgerows to avoid the wind which was really blowing out of the SW.

Rode during some work on the van.

Clouding over. First ride on the Wolverine with the new cockpit. Like the new Ritchey Beacon XL bars.

Decent weather but a breeze.

Back with the knee warmers.

Today was my last work day after 32 years of teaching. Goodbye work days and hello more time to ride.

Rode the home leg with D.

Hot again.

Warm again.

Went about an hour before sunset to avoid the heat.

Hottest day of the year so far.

Maybe the warmest day yet.

Drank some beer with D on the way home.

Light, misty rain in the AM, sunny in the PM but lots of cottonwood fluff in the air.

Another nice day...looks like a few in a row are stacking up.

Decent weather with mid-60s temp and a slight breeze.

Rode a couple of laps around Agnew/Refuge area with J.

Feeling tired this evening.

Raining in the AM so I sat it out. Windy again in the PM.

Calm in the morning but very windy in the PM.

Warmest afternoon of the year so far. First ride home in short sleeves.

Overcast, cool, and breezy. Maybe in the upper 40s with the wind chill.

Rode with J out to the CG Base.

Felt warm at 60 degrees, compared to recent weather.

Sick but felt mostly ok on the bike.

Finally some decent weather. Got my 3K mark for the year.

Rain on and off most of the day. I tried to wait it out till the late afternoon but still got caught in several squalls.

Overcast with a bit of breeze. Temps in the 50s.

Finally got the new tires on the Explorer, some Continentals that are a bit more grippy than my usual Panaracer SKs. For some reason Panaracer is no longer making a 43mm tire. The Continentals say 45mm but look identical to the old 43s.

Gale warning and whitecaps in the Straits.

Light rain on the way home. Commuted to work and back all five days of National Ride Your Bike to Work Week. Now it's Miller time!

Dry in the morning and rainy in the late afternoon.

Did the last 2 home with P.

Top speed for the year down Seven Dips.

Finished the PM commute with neighbor P on his commute.

Felt strangely good this morning.

Windy and no warmth in the sun.

Had the day off so I went for a pre-lunch ride.

Decent day but not that warm.

Weather really cooled down on the home leg.

One of those days you have to pinch yourself and think, "This is my commute." Sunshine and almost no wind as I rode along the Straits of Juan de Fuca with the New Dungeness Lighthouse in the foreground and Mt. Baker and the Cascade range in the background.

Sunny with a strong breeze out of the SW.

Flatted with 2 miles to go.

Super windy with lots of cherry blossom flying through the air.

Light rain both AM and PM but it was good to have it take some of the airborne pollen out.

Working on some tight hamstrings.

Sunny and breezy.

Warmest day of the year so far.

Felt pretty good today.

Into the 60s.

Another nice day.

Finally, a decently warm afternoon without the wind.

Windy and then rainy and windy at the end. New rear tire on the Secteur.

Very windy and it's loaded with pollen.

Sore right knee on the PM ride.

First day of the year without knee warmers.

Nice weather all day.

Warmest day of the year so far...63 degrees.

Beautiful early spring day. Post-hike cool-down ride.

It's like riding in a wind tunnel.

Windy in the PM.

Calm in the AM but winds picking up in the PM.

Light!

Light rain at times but mostly sunny.

On and off light rain.

Nice spring day.

Sunny and warmer.

Early before a camping trip.

A little bit of sun that gave no warmth.

No rain.

Dry but a strong wind from the east.

Beat the thunderstorm.

Warmest day of the year so far.

Found a little gap between rainstorms. Looks like rain is back on Thursday, but possible thunderstorms tomorrow.

Waited till the frost melted out.

Beat the heavy rain by about 45 min.

Rain held off and the wind changed direction 180 degrees mid-ride, so I started and finished a loop with the wind at my back.

Hella wind today. So strong in the few places I had to head into it that it felt like riding through 3 ft deep water...you could feel the drag on all parts of the bike.

The wind out of the NE gradually died down.

Really windy. Stuck to the hedgerows down by the beach and that helped a bit.

Flatted on the front tire right at the end.

A bit of light rain.

Cool and breezy.

Overcast and a bit breezy. It's still winter here.

Almost found some hazy sun for 2-3 min.

Went early to beat the rain.

Bike races were happening in my neighborhood today. The Tour de Dung. I only had to overlap with their course for 1/2 a mile. But it did get the county brush trucks out to clean up the shoulders.

First M-F commute both ways since December, I think.

Clear and cool both AM and PM.

Warmed up in the afternoon again. Light till after 6:00 PM.

The sun finally broke out about 3:30 so it was nice ride home.

Dry in the morning but a light drizzle for about half the return home.

Sun came out just after I finished. High overcast and cool but good riding conditions.

Early and had some sun.

Rode with Q in PT.

Felt surprisingly good today.

Warmest day of the year so far. Rode with a thermal jersey but no windshell for the first time in a long while.

Into the 50s temp-wise.

Dry in the AM but got pounded by rain and wind on the way home in the PM.

Did a few with the wife on this one.

Lots of riders out trying to beat the coming deluge. Just a few drops and done by 10:00.

Beat the rain one more time. Rolling the dice on Sat AM.

The rain held off. Tomorrow is probably a different story.

Sat out the morning gale force winds and had actual sunshine and a shadow for a brief time on the way home.

Back on the Wolverine.

Misty at the start. Lots of sandy grit on the shoulders from county trucks during the recent snow.

Light rain part of the way.

A few other cyclists out early to beat the coming rain.

Warmer today. Rode with D for part of the way.

Weather app said "37 degrees feels like 30". It was a bitingly cold wind.

Had two after work meetings. Rode till the light ran out. Great moonrise.

Finished just before full dark. Some cold toes at 32 degrees.

Fixed 2 flats this morning and then did two test rides in the afternoon. Cold...32 with the wind chill.

Very light rain most of the way. Flatted near the end but it was a slow leaker and I made it home.

Missed 3 days due to snow and ice. Still cold, but tolerable as the roads are clear.

Scattered small snowflakes and ice pellets falling during this one. Probably around 30 with the wind chill.

Snowed right before I left but the roads were bare and the sun was out when I started. Clouding up a bit but I was overdressed, expecting some more snow.

Waited out the morning's rain and wet snow squalls. It cleared up and mostly dried out and I had a good riding window between 2:00 and 4:00. Rain and snow may return in about an hour, so I'm feeling lucky.

A bit wet at the start of the ride home but I was determined to get to 700 miles for Jan. It cleared out and ended up being pretty decent. I finished in the light at 5:30. 706 miles for January.

The weather is turning. Saw the snow level drop from 6000 ft to 4000 ft during the ride. Also had a bald eagle swoop straight toward me out of a tree and get within 20 ft.

Light till 5:30.

Outstanding twilight with Mt. Baker in a pink and blue sky and the waters of the inner bay smooth as glass.

Another beautiful day. This weather is too nice to last. I heard that across the water on Vancouver Island it was a record dry January.

Back on the Norco Search after replacing the stock 28 spoke rear wheel with a DT Swiss 32 spoke set up. Feels good.

A beautiful day in the PNW. Both the Olympic and Cascade ranges were in full view. Visibility was excellent as I could make out buildings 17 miles across the Straits in Victoria, BC.

Rode till dark again. First time back on 32 mm tires in a while.

Total darkness at the 6:45 PM start home.

Another beautiful sunset over the Olympic Mts.

Some light until almost 5:30. Should be light till then by the end of the week.

Sunny but still frosty in the shade.

Riding on 27 spokes on the rear wheel today.

Nice day but flatted about 4 miles from home with a slow leaker.

I sat out the hail and downpour in the morning. After work the skies cleared and it was a crisp but beautiful day. Rode up and down old glacier eskers, crossed the Dungeness River two times, and went through ground fog. Light until 5:15ish.

Dry and decently warm.

Another beautiful sunset. Ground fog started rising up from farmland over the road.

Nearly the same ride home as yesterday but with as nice weather.

What a fantastic sunset today. The sun went down behind the Olympic range and the clouds above the mountains were all shades of orange and violet. At the same time, a full or nearly full moon was rising over the Straits of Juan de Fuca making the low clouds on the water all kinds of shades of pink.

Light drizzle at the start that stopped almost right away.

Sunny at the start and lots of riders out today.

Till dark at 5:18.

A little bit of light at my 5:05 finish time.

Dark both ways.

Some daylight until almost 5:10 PM. Probably till 5:15 by this coming Friday if the clouds would ever clear out.

Finished in the dark.

Dry and calm and might be for the next few days.

Just beat the rain.

It tried to rain briefly but soon gave up. Heavy overcast but not bad. Felt better than yesterday.

Lots of riders out for that first ride of the year. Saw N and also rode a few miles with J.