Louis CK talks about rage behind the wheel

I've had many conversations with cyclist's that in one way or another come down to "why do they hate us?" In that sentence the "they" are automobile drivers and the "us" are cyclists. I think the answer often is that while yes, sometimes cyclists are the targets of rage on the road, we're not uniquely targeted. In the clip above Louis CK explains this quite well in language that may not be safe for your workplace. None of his examples involve cyclists, they all involve minor slights and disproportionate response. As the saying goes, it's funny because it's true.

Now I am not saying that you should go out an ride your bike like a jerk because it doesn't matter what you do. You shouldn't run a red and cause a driver to slam on his brakes because a) it's stupid and b) it's adding to the general level of bad behavior in the world. Tarik Saleh came up with two rules for his bike club and they're good ones:

1) RIDE BIKES

2) TRY NOT TO BE AN ASS

That "Try not to be an ass" rule is a good one and it's worth putting into practice however you're getting around in the world.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA

Issaquah's Bike To Work Day

It was a bit damp this morning, but we still had a good turnout for Bike To Work Day here in Issaquah

Scott from Pacific Bicycles was ready with his stand and tools for a bit of on-the-spot commute bike care.

A bunch of happy commuters.

The crew from the city was getting more feedback on ways to make Issaquah a better town for cyclists.

After doing my bit in the morning at the commute station, I rode my bike to work, a change of pace from my daily routine of kick scootering around town. But hey, it is Bike To Work Day!

Hughie and Dillon totally got into the spirit of the day.

Dillon is the Bicycle Center's mascot and greeter. He works Tuesdays thru Saturday.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

Christine talks about Bike Commuting and her Bike.

The City of Issaquah produced this little video where Christine talks about bike commuting and her bike. I have a little bit to say at the beginning and the end, but Christine and her Allant are the stars of the show.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#31stDayofScootering: Scootering Around Lake Sammamish

Yeah, I know, the #30DaysofScootering is over. But it's a beautiful morning that I haven't filled with other commitments so I decide to ride my scooter around Lake Sammamish. I leave home at 6:34 AM.

The paving of the bike trail up to the Sammamish City border is basically done, but the fences are still up so I'm riding on the sidewalk for a bit.

I could ride the bike lane all the way up to Redmond and while it would be smoother and faster, I'm curious to see how my KickPed does on the gravel Lake Sammamish Trail.

The trail surface is small gravel and the KickPed's wide tires do fine in it. I don't get the glide I get on asphalt or concrete but I'm faster on the KickPed than the folks I see walking and running on the trail. The bikers, of course, are faster.

It's a beautiful morning.

The various fences along the trail are a lot prettier when they're overgrown.

Bunnies on the trail.

Fence art.

There's a real nice little park and picnic shelters on the northern part of the trail.

At the Redmond town line, the trail changes from gravel to smooth asphalt.

The Marymoor connector trail cuts across the park.

The view south. Mount Rainier rises in the distance.

The pedestrian bridge over the Sammamish River. If I turned north, I could follow the paved trail up through Woodenville and Bothell, up around the northern end of Lake Washington and ultimately to Seattle on the Burke-Gilman Trail.

I turn back south.

Headed for home now along the western side of Lake Sammamish.

There's a Bike/Ped lane on the west side of the road.

I find an abandoned Razor A5 scooter on the roadside.

I move it to a better spot to take a picture.

I leave the Razor scooter at the Weowna Park Trailhead. I figure that's a better spot for it than dumped right by the busy road. I hope it gets reunited with its owner.

As I near Vasa Park, I'm detoured for road construction.

The detour goes up a huge hill and adds an extra mile to my trip.

At I-90 I connect up with the Mountains to Sound Greenway.

I rode this section a week ago when I scootered home from Seattle.

Today is opening day of the Top Pot Doughnut Shop here in Issaquah!

At 11:12 AM, I'm back home. Google maps tells me I scootered 26 miles today and the clock and calculator tell me that my average speed was 5.82 mph. That seems right, the gravel and the construction detour slowed me down a bit.

If (and this is purely hypothetical mind you) a guy were to think about touring on a kick scooter, he could possibly cover 50 miles in a day. Hypothetically, speaking, of course.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#30DaysofScootering: A Morning Ride, the Commute & the Grand Total

Today is the 30th day of my #30Daysof Scootering. While I'll continue to scooter about and probably even blog about it on occasion, I won't be doing the daily posts just about scootering. Those of you who come here for bike information will be happy to know that the blog will return to it's mostly bike-related focus. But I'm not giving up scootering. It's too much fun, it's good exercise and it's a great way to get around in the world.

Today's scooter trips cover 3.2 miles.

I go to my favorite little pond over on Maple Street.

And I fill my hippy bag with a few items from Trader Joe's.

One thing I've noticed in this month of scooter riding is how nice the sidewalk cutouts are. The American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a really terrific thing. And Issaquah has a great network of multi-use paths.

I rode my scooter for a total of 125 miles over the past 30 days. On a few of the wet days, my daily total only added up to half a mile. My single longest day trip was the 18 miles I rode from Seattle to Issaquah. I have some longer trips in the works.

The NYCeWheels KickPed proved itself to be tough, reliable and fun. In the past month the only maintenance I did on the machine was to dribble a bit of TriFlow into the wheel bearings. I love the big, grippy tires on the KickPed and I never fell or slid out on the scooter although the rain-slicked roads and especially the rain-soaked tree blossoms require vigilance.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#30DaysofScootering: Counting My Commute

I didn't go out scootering this morning because the rain was coming down heavy enough to make staying inside seem much more fun. I did scoot off to work and things were a bit clearer mid-day when I scootered home for lunch. But by the time I got off work we'd had a bit of hail here in Issaquah and the rain had returned in earnest. I decided that for today, my commute trips would be my only scooter trips. Commuting counts, even if it only adds up to half a mile.

So, sorry, no pictures of birds, trees, art or flowers today. Today's picture shows my faithful scooter, folded up, warm and dry in my kitchen, waiting for its next adventure.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA