Cassandra: I was overjoyed yesterday when the weather was nice enough for me to ride outside on my bike. There was a bonus, too, and that was that I also had company. Dennis and I played leap-frog on the Burke-Gilman for a little over an hour and a half, and about 24 miles. By this point, most of my gear issues have been solved. To combat my perpetually cold hands I invested in some Bar Mitts, which are neoprene mitts that wrap around the handlebars. You slide your hands inside for access to the handlebars, shifters, and brakes. My hands stayed toasty warm yesterday. I did run into one potential problem, though, and that is that you have to slide your hands in the mitts in order to hit the brakes. I tried squeezing them on the outside and ended up off the trail and in a flower bed. I have also come up with a solution to having a cold core. I am now layering a long-sleeve shirt underneath my Smartwool instead of a jersey. Everything gets topped with my bright riding jacket. Yesterday my temperature was great. It was so nice to be outside, and with company, while I was riding yesterday. I almost didn't notice the soreness in my legs from riding both Friday and Saturday on the trainer.

I really prefer riding outside now when the weather permits. It is a lot more entertaining and as a result time goes by much more quickly. But, I have to say, I am getting more and more weary of the busy Burke-Gilman. Last weekend a little girl on a bike swerved into me and nearly caused me to lose my balance and fall off my bike. When you're clipped in and can't get your feet out in a hurry, losing your balance can lead to a huge injury. Her parents weren't watching her and didn't even apologize to me. And then yesterday some people were just talking on the side of the trail. Their dog lunged for another dog across the trail, nearly hitting Dennis who hit his brakes so hard that I wasn't sure I was going to be able to stop in time and keep from hitting him. Of course, those people didn't apologize for nearly causing an accident, either. Some people are just clueless.