Biking from Ballard to West Seattle
We decided to go for a bike ride this morning and ended up riding from North Ballard to West Seattle. It took us 3.5 hours and we ended up biking a little over 26 miles round trip. We left our house at 11:30am after a slow start to the morning and headed out for downtown. Normally, we usually head down to the Burke-Gilman trail, but this time we crossed the Seattle Locks and went through interbay to downtown. It is quite a fun bike ride as you get a good view of the locks, the boat channel, and the rail yards (something I always enjoy). We biked to downtown without a problem and started heading for West Seattle along the waterfront.
Neither of us had been down by the Port of Seattle or the Cruise Ship Terminals. From there we headed to Harbor Island and on into West Seattle. It was at that point that Mars suggested we head over to see her Father’s store on California. What we both seem to have forgotten of course was the huge hill between where we were and his store is located. We worked our way up and over to the store and certainly surprised her dad!
We even met an older women who remembers growing up in Ballard not far from where we live now and she was telling us about the horse barn that she used to sneak through on her way to Market Street and how the streets were not yet paved and the sidewalk was made out of wooden planks. It is hard to imagine, but amazing to see how the things have changed. She also mentioned that she had recently learned that her former house was about to be torn down to make way for even more condos.
I don’t think I imagined it when I saw the wistfulness in her eyes. To be honest, it even made me a bit sad. Where do you draw the line between forward progress and respect for the past?
Mars and I really enjoy going on the rides together. We like exploring and finding our way in new areas. Biking is also a great way to see the town as you get to see it at a much more manageable pace than you would by driving. Also, there is the added excitement of getting buzzed by cars going 3-6 times your speed, sometimes within feet of your bike…
Previously, we have ridden to Sand Point Marina, around Lake Sammamish, to downtown, and around Ballard. This was our most adventurous so far. However, it in no way compares with the rides my Sister and Brother-in-law routinely do!