6/19/07 bike

So we didn't bike much this past weekend due to the kidney stone. gee, tell you something new, eh? we did go out on sunday for a short ride. i actually slept about 15-16 hours of each day friday and saturday. we started going around the south and east side of lake sam. overall we didn't get very far. it started to rain around 4. we made it to bothell and then back to the herb farm where were picking up the truck from dinner the night before. we stoped at rei on the way home. matt decided he wanted some rain gear. we picked up some buffs. never thought i'd say that phrase before! a few gearhead stuff for the bike, 200$ and 30 minutes later we're on the way home.

it was a good day overall. saw 1/2 dozen heron flying, wading, standing, 5 or 6 eagles - 1 teenager swooped around and came in for a landing on a treetop. another couple teenagers flew real low overhead, and we saw a huge adult flying low near the lake shore. outside of the pigeons, ducks, geese, bunnies and numerous leashed puppies, there was a deer along the road eating veg. it was a young buck in the same place we've seen the other deer. i actually remembered i had the camera with us and snapped a picture of it, but it's still in the camera since i haven't figured out how to download it to the pc. but once i do i'll post it up, along with any other pics i've taken to that date of our rides.

yesterday matt sent me a link to www.santanatandems.com. while we were at the pit stop in woodinville another tandem pulled up. it was a santana. they're one of the top tandem makers in teh country. we talked to them for a few minutes. anyway, they run some organized tandem bike tours, one is to hawaii for valentine's day. it's like 8 days on 3 islands - kona, and 2 other smaller ones. not the big island or maui. there's a trip to the top of this volcano (i think) before sunrise, you watch the sun come up, then get on your bike and coast down the longest paved downhill in the country or something like that. it's 10,000 feet or some gosh awful altitude. they also have landtours, some hiking, snorkling, swim with dolphins etc. you can participate in along the way. he's seriously thinking of booking us on. he called them to talk to them today in fact. he gave me a wonderful, huge surprise. while he was talking to them about hawaii their tuscany tour came up and she said she had had a couple cancel, so if we wanted the spots we could have them. so this september for 10 days or so we're going to tandem around tuscany, italy! i'm so psyched! hopefully i'll be done with all my 'procedures' but i guess there's a chance i'll still have a bit to go. either way, i'm not going to worry about it. anyway, after the STP i'll keep this cycling thread going, and will take lots of pictures while in italy adn post them.