Timberland Regional Library: Olympia

This week saw the start of the Thurston County Bicycle Commuter Contest and the National Bike Challenge. I've had a great week! I kicked it off riding to work, even with the questionable weather conditions and was greeted with some fantastic mornings.

Morning Field

Spots of rain on the first couple days but it wasn't bad at all. I felt really strong the first day riding to work. It's about 17 miles to work, 16 on the way back (I take a bit longer on the way to work to avoid a difficult left turn and a busy intersection).

Deschutes River

The second morning was a lot like the first. Both mornings I took the route I usually drive, which runs along Rich Rd. No shoulder, tight corners, but the drivers were considerate. It's still a bit nerve-wracking. In a few weeks construction begins to widen the road, adding bike lanes and making the corners more gradual. That'll be nice when it's done, but it's going to mean taking a different route until then.

By the third day I was tired, it was raining hard, so took an easy day, running errands in town and then back home.

Yesterday I undertook my most ambitious commute yet! I headed down the Yelm-Tenino trail to Tenino and then took 99 over Chein Hill. Although it's longer than the Rich Rd route, there's a shoulder the whole way so I felt much safer.

Then, after a few hours working in Tumwater I got back on the bike and rode down to Olympia to help with their Overdrive event.

Olympia Timberland Library

This marks the first time I've ridden to the Olympia Timberland Library on my Trek Marlin, so I can check the last Thurston county library off my list! Nice ride from Tumwater down to Olympia with bike lanes almost the whole way and even on 8th there wasn't much traffic. Plus the speed limit in Olympia is only 25 MPH, so it's a nicer city to ride in than some others.

Overdrive's Digital Bookmobile

Overdrive had provided their digital bookmobile to showcase our ebook collection and demonstrate various devices. I was on hand to talk to patrons about what we offer, and answer questions. I had a good conversation with local children's author Alan Shue about the challenges with digital publishing in this new world, and the difficulties independent authors face getting their work in libraries.

After working at the event I headed back out on the bike for the long ride home, taking the Woodland trail out to Lacey to join up with the Chehalis-Western trail. Along the way I saw lots of fallen trees from the snow and ice damage this winter, but the trail was clear and well-maintained. It's been a long time since I rode this trail and I noticed more walking/horse trails off the main trail.

It's nice seeing how improved the trail has become too. Last time I rode this way there was talk about painting one of the industrial buildings along the way — and now it's actually done!

Mural

That's only a part of the mural, but it looks good. The landscaping is coming along too. So much different than the stark scrub and dingy look it had before!

Shortly past the mural I turned up the Chehalis-Western trail and rode home, taking the Yelm-Tenino trail again at the end.

Long commute! 49.37 miles by bike today. I'm actually a bit surprised I managed to ride that far, it sets a new personal best for me. I need to work on building my mileage. It amazes me that riders on the Tour Divide do 120+ miles per day, for weeks, under much harder conditions! I dream about doing it, but sometimes it's hard to imagine being in that kind of shape. I'm working on it.