Last week I took my annual bike ride through the Skokomish Valley. It was a perfect ride on a perfect day and not just because it was my birthday.
Continue readingCategory Archives: Biking
A Birthday Bike Ride
A Safety-Related Request
While riding my bike on January 16th I collided with the mailbox cluster shown in the photo. The result was a serious hip injury. A week later I’m still using a walker to get around. Yesterday, I reported this safety hazard to the City of Bremerton. It will be interesting to see if anything comes from my request.
Continue readingPosted in Biking, Government
A Cycling Calendar for 2026
My sister used to send me a cycling calendar every Christmas. I don’t think she had any trouble finding one each year as they always arrived on time in mid-December. But it’s been up to me for a few years now to make the annual purchase. I’m still having difficulty finding calendars I like and haven’t used the same vendor twice.
Continue reading2555 Miles Before December
The first year I biked at least 2555 miles was 2011. This year (see photo) I reached that goal yesterday with a couple of days remaining in November. A few things have changed—I’m older and own a different bike—but my basic approach hasn’t. Ride every day no matter what. That’s worked every year since 2011.
Continue readingPosted in Biking
ACL Separation
There’s no photo accompanying this post. No one was around to snap one when I fell off my bike yesterday in my own driveway at Treasure Island and landed hard on my right shoulder. The result: several ugly abrasions and a separated ACL. The latter means the ligaments that connect the top of the shoulder blade (acromion) and the clavicle (collarbone) are injured. Fortunately, no surgery is needed. But it still hurts like Hell.
Continue readingThe Mystery Man
Including a photo would make him less of a mystery.
I haven’t seen the mystery man recently. So I’m going to rely on memory in an attempt to describe him. My last sighting was at least a couple of weeks ago—before a series of February snowstorms buried Bremerton and put bike rides on hold. I’m sure he’s fine though and will become part of my morning routine again soon.
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Posted in Biking, Business Beat
Found on Road—Useful
Betty Crocker kitchen shears
A number of choices could replace the fourth word in this post’s title and still make sense. For example, missing, lost, broken, trashed, injured, and dead (if the item was a Ford). Useful seems to fit best in the case of an item (see photo) I found while on a bike ride last month, although that raises the question of why someone would leave it on the road. I mean, who doesn’t need a pair of scissors?
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Posted in Biking, Mud Bay & Rocky Point
Signs of Fall
These pheasants are safe for a few more days.
The first photo shows the pheasant pen that’s been featured in the Mud Bay Blog a couple of times. The pheasants live there for a few weeks in September and October before being released for the fall upland game bird season. Interestingly the pen is on Wilkinson Road. Last Friday, when I took the photo, two pheasants had escaped but were nervously hanging out near the security of the pen almost as if they wanted back in. Did they instinctively fear the coming danger of nightfall when raccoons and coyotes would be out hunting in the rural Belfair valley where the pen is located? Death by critter or death by hunter. That’s the fate that awaits most of them.
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Skipping a Day
First I need a word for rain blowing sideways. Since there isn’t one, I’ll use RBS. Modify it with the word heavy. The combination would explain why I’m skipping my bike ride today. The forecast is for heavy RBS all day.
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An Effective Sign?
Honest, I just stopped for a photo op.
The sign (see photo), hand lettered, reads: “This Is Not Your Wood! If I Catch You Cutting or Removing Any I Will Prosecute You!” I spotted it along the Old Belfair Highway during today’s bike ride. Left unexplained is how anyone could cut up the wood and load it without making a lot of noise. The rounds must weigh a couple of hundred pounds each. Perhaps I was late to the party and all of the wood that could easily be rustled is already gone.
After my bike ride I drove back to the sign’s location. While I was taking pictures, I noticed a small SUV pulling into the nearest driveway to the wood. It stayed at the edge of the road, engine running and brake lights on. I wondered if it belonged to the wood’s owner, ready to catch me in the act and hand me over to the Kitsap County prosecutor. If so, he didn’t need to be so vigilant. My fireplace burns gas, not wood. I just like taking pictures of signs.
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