Kent's Bike Blog

Louis CK talks about rage behind the wheel

2013-05-19T06:03:00.001-07:00

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

2013-05-17T19:39:00.001-07:00

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.

2013-05-10T14:27:00.001-07:00

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

2013-05-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

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

2013-04-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

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

2013-04-29T19:45:00.001-07:00

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

#30DaysofScootering: Tolstoy Speaks of Scootering

2013-04-28T17:37:00.001-07:00

This morning I wait for a break in the weather and get out for a fairly quick scooter trip of three miles. One reaction to the scooter that I've found interesting is the view expressed by some that my chosen mode of travel is somehow unsuited for a man of my years. Today I reread some words spoken by Tolstoy when he, at age 67, was criticized for learning to ride a bicycle. His words sum up the feelings I have awheel, be those wheels attached to a bicycle or a kick scooter.

"I feel that I am entitled to my share of lightheartedness and there is nothing wrong with enjoying one's self simply, like a boy."

Smart fellow, that Tolstoy.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#30DaysofScootering: When Blossoms Drift Like Snowflakes

2013-04-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

This morning, before work, I scooter over to the Farmers Market, have a lovely cup of Mexican hot chocolate and explore a bit beside the creek before the day's wind and rain move into town. My scoot home for lunch is damp and quite breezy.

By the time I roll home for the day the rain has stopped. The wind has knocked many of the blossoms from the trees.

The blossoms pile into drifts like snowflakes.

Like snowflakes, these suckers are both sticky and slippery.

It's a beautiful evening in Issaquah.

4.4 miles of scootering today.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#30DaysofScootering: Blue Skies and a Bit of Breakfast

2013-04-26T19:58:00.001-07:00

It's another beautiful morning in Issaquah and I do one of my now standard three mile scooter circuits before I go to work. The spring sun is warm and the sky is clear.

The heron is keeping watch at the Maple Street pond.

I stop at Trader Joe's for a bit of breakfast.

I enjoy the banana on a picnic table in the sun near the creek.

It's a good day to roll,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#30DaysofScootering: Another Beautiful Day

2013-04-25T19:51:00.000-07:00

It's another beautiful spring day and I get out for both morning and evening scooter trips.

On my morning trip I head south and stop to take yet another yard art picture.

There's a park whose name I don't know being built south of town. Gravel paths lead down to the creek.

The paths aren't scooterable, but I walk around exploring.

The Issaquah-Hobart Road is clogged with traffic in the early morning and by travelling south, I've gained some elevation. When I turn back north, I kick and coast faster than the car commuters coming into town.

In the evening, I roll north to the State Park at Lake Sammamish.

A few families are having picnics and some folks are fishing, but the trails are still mostly empty.

I go home via the big pedestrian bridge over I-90 and stop to check out the Maple Street Pond.

The heron is there.

And so is the big goose.

And my friend the solo mallard.

I scooter on toward home.

Six miles of scooter riding this morning and 5.4 miles this evening.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#30DaysofScootering: Seattle to Issaquah

2013-04-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

In my job at the bike shop, I work every weekend and Wednesdays and Thursdays are my virtual weekend. I don't have to go to work today, but I do have an early morning dentist appointment in Seattle. I take the bus from Issaquah to Seattle and I bring my scooter along. On the way from the bus stop to the dentist, I actually meet another scooter commuter at a traffic light. He's on an old K2 scooter and thinks my NYCeWheels KickPed is really nice. At the dentist's office, Dr. Loshin is also very taken with my scooter. His wife, who is filling in for the receptionist today, is more skeptical. "Why would you want one of those?" she wonders. "It's good exercise." "It's super fun." Dr. Loshin both say pretty much the same things at the same time. We make vague plans for him to borrow the scooter at a future date so he can decide if he's going to order one. I should be getting a commission on these things!

It's a beautiful day and my plan is to try my longest scooter trip to date, the 18 miles east to Issaquah. If I get too tired, I can bail out and take the bus from Mercer Island or Bellevue College.

I roll down 5th Avenue and do my usual routine of stopping to take pictures of things too damn often.

The International District is one of my favorite Seattle neighborhoods. Every intersection is a four-way stop, so the cars don't build up any kind of crazy, dangerous speed. It's a good flow for walking, biking and scootering.

This dragon is in a neat little children's pocket park.

I swing by the Bikery's new location. They are closed, but they still love me.

Bikers are always welcome.

These are the hours when you can find the Bikery folks in the shop.

I'm working my way east on the Mountain to Sound Greenway Trail.

There's art embedded in the concrete.

A nice tunnel saves me from having to climb over the ridge.

Various bits of art in the tunnel.

And a history lesson.

The east end of the tunnel.

The observation deck looking out over the floating bridge.

Lots of little green signs.

There's a lane for us non-motorized folks on the north side of the bridge.

It's a clear day, so Mount Rainier is clearly visible to the south,

There are various bits of art along the trail on Mercer Island.

This is the bridge connecting Mercer Island to Bellevue.

The little bridge over the Bellevue Slough.

The route through South Bellevue is going to get better.

I'm quite pleased to find that I'm able to (slowly) scooter up every hill between Seattle and Issaquah. I wasn't sure if I'd wind up walking on some of these.

At 150th, I cross the pedestrian bridge over to the north side of I-90.

I follow the signs and the sidewalks until I rejoin the trail.

The steepest climb of the day is the spiral ramp up to the bridge that takes me across I-90 yet again.

The last miles into Issaquah are a downhill run on Newport Avenue.

Good, wide bike lane.

This little waterfall is totally fake, but pretty.

Closer into Issaquah, I ride in the separated counterflow lane.

The trip didn't feel like any kind of burden or even that much of workout. It was, however, a wonderful day to be out an about. It took me three hours and 20 minutes to ride the 18 miles from Seattle to Issaquah, but I was taking it pretty easy and stopping a lot to take pictures.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#30DaysofScootering: Scootering in Sunshine

2013-04-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful morning in Issaquah. The air is crisp and the sky is clear. I roll up and down the residential alleys and small streets of my neighborhood, pausing to take pictures of things I find interesting.

You can't say they didn't warn you.

Brand new asphalt is being rolled onto the trail.

This is the big bike-ped bridge over I-90 at Route 900.

The trees are flowering along the boardwalk.

Six miles of very lovely scootering this morning.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA

#30DaysofScootering: Earth Day and Ecotopia

2013-04-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

Three miles of scootering this morning, to the bakery to pick up a loaf of bread and then out and about to check on the state of the trees, flowers, squirrels, ducks and the other bits of life in my town. Today is Earth Day and I'm thinking about an old book, Ernest Callenbach's Ecotopia. Written in the 1970s and set in the early 21st century, Ecotopia is told by the character of Will Weston through a series of reports to the New York Times-Post and journal entries. Weston is the first officially sanctioned visitor from America to Ecotopia since it split off from the US several decades earlier to form a stable-state ecosystem in what used to be northern California, Oregon and Washington state.

As a novel, the book is terrible. It's one of those "Wow, there's certainly an agenda here!" books and too many characters do little speeches or are too dumb or too clever or just plain too "real people don't do that." I can suspend disbelief with the best of them when needed, but you have to give me people that seem real.

I did find a lot of interesting situations and ideas when I read this book more than three decades after it was first written. There's a scene early in the book where Weston is amazed by sorted trash and recycling bins. This was a mind blowing concept in the 70s and it's part of our civic fabric now. Awareness of watershed issues is pretty much mainstream thought now as well and something mostly ignored up until the 60s.

Despite having women in a lot of power roles in the book, it totally reads like a 70's guy fantasy. Weston comes to Ecotopia as a "reporter" and finds various pot smoking, beautiful free loving women (many of whom have sex with him) and (spoiler alert!) at the end of the book (surprise, surprise!) he decides he wants to stay. Go figure.

If I have a point here (and I'm not sure that I do) it's that Ecotopia as a book may not have aged well, but some of those ideals of the 70s have lived on. Despite various flaws as a novel, the book was and is quite influential and I found it worth reading.

By the way, if you want to read some really good novels with environmental themes, check out The Monkey Wrench Gang by Ed Abbey, A Friend of the Earth by T. C. Boyle or All Over Creation by Ruth Ozeki.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#30DaysofScootering: A Friendly Duck and Noisy Geese

2013-04-21T10:54:00.002-07:00

Four miles of scootering this morning.

I scooter over to the Maple Street pond to see what birds are out and about. Most days I see ducks in pairs, but this guy is solo this morning.

He seems kind of curious about me so I get close enough to get some decent pictures.

Over on 12th Avenue, these two geese are making a lot of noise. At first I think that they are somehow upset about the flapping checkered flags.

But then they fly over to the old 12th Avenue Cafe building and I form a new theory.

I think that maybe they are impatient for the new Top Pot Doughnuts location to open. Maybe I'm just projecting my own feelings on to them.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#30DaysofScootering: Issaquah Farmers Market

2013-04-20T19:21:00.000-07:00

I have to be at work at 10:00 AM, but the first Issaquah Farmers Market of the year opens at 9:00 AM at the Pickering Barn, so I scooter on over to check things out.

On the way, I spot a Steller's Jay (if you look at an embiggened version of the picture, you can see him in near the center of the above photo).

A bunch of saplings in pots that will be planted later today.

The Farmers Market covers much of the Pickering Barn parking lot.

These llamas seem content to watch all the people watch them.

The Issaquah planning folks are there with their maps for people to mark up with comments about what areas need improvements to make for better walking and biking.

Lots of flower and veggie stalls at the market.

It's still too early for the big pig to be serving BBQ.

The lady from the Forest Fairy Bakery is here and I buy a bag of cookies to take to work.

There are lots of craft booths as well.

And even more fruits and veggies.

I buy a cup of tea from these folks and it is really good. The blend is called Rainier and it's composed of Black Tea with Blackberries, Marionberries, Boysenberries, Cedar Berries and Cedar Leaf. The warm tea is very welcome on this cool morning and I wind up buying a small envelope of the tea to take home.

This booth will be a bit busier later when folks gather to go plant those trees.

As I've noted elsewhere, I'm a sucker for art. I love these funky sculptures made from old metal bits.

I scooter off to work.

4 miles of scootering today.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#30DaysofScootering: Soggy Commute and Scooter Talk

2013-04-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

It was a late night for me last night, so I slept late and didn't get out for any early morning scooting today. The rain didn't exactly motivate me either. I did ride my scooter to work and back and forth at lunch and then back home this evening for a grand total of 0.8 miles of scootering today. And I took this picture of the nice tree and the book lady statue.

Since this is a super short daily entry, I'll try to add a bit of value by quoting from an email exchange I recently had. Will said it was OK to quote from his email. Will writes:

-------------

Hi Kent,

Thank you very much for your great blog. I've been reading your reviews on the kickped, and thought I should send a few questions your way.

I've been wracking my brain regarding what to purchase (Xootr vs KickPed vs KnowPed). I am worried about the thin tires on the Xootr, but I love the idea of going farther on a single kick compared to the kickped. Also, the lower deck may be easier on my squat frame. The kickped costs more (190 total for the Xootr, vs 260ish for the Kickped).

I guess I should get to the point. Have you ever felt like you were about to fall/fly off the Kickped?
Do you feel super confident, or wary that you could hit a snag? Have you tried a Xootr? Assuming you have, what do you think of it? What's the difference efficiency wise?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and respond. Best wishes!

-- Will

-------------

I reply:

-------------

Hi Will,

Thanks for writing. First off, you ask good questions and I bet other folks are wondering the same thing (I was!) and I am wondering if it would be OK with you if I quote your email in an entry on my blog. I wouldn't need to include your email address in the post, of course.

Anyhow, to answer your question, I've been fascinated by scooters for quite a while and a couple of years ago, after lots of reading reviews and such on the internet, I was very close to getting a Xootr. Folding Bikes West in Seattle had a Xootr and I tried it out in the parking lot.

The Xootr didn't win me over. The thinner, harder tires are faster on smooth surfaces but the ride is more jarring and loud than the ride of the KickPed. One reviewer noted (and I wish I could re-find this review on the net) that he felt like he could read braille by rolling over it on a Xootr. You really do notice every crack in the pavement. The KickPed's ride is much more forgiving. The Xootr is more efficient on very smooth stuff (I'm not sure how much. 30% maybe?) but I'm not sure how much faster it really is in the real world.

I don't want to jinx things, but so far I haven't fallen off my KickPed. The closest I came was when I got it up to about 12 mph on a descent here and started to loose my nerve. I hadn't gotten the hang of trusting the rear brake and tried to drag my kicking foot.

The fat rubber tires grip very well and even in the wet weather I haven't had problems. I have heard that the urethane wheels of the Xootr or Razor scooters are very slick in the rain, so that again pointed me to the KickPed.

I was tempted by and have heard good things about the Razor A5. It's the least expensive scooter I've found that gets good reviews, has good performance and is suitable for adults. Check out this Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001K3JUEI?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393185&creativeASIN=B001K3JUEI&linkCode=shr&tag=kentsbikeblog-20&qid=1366198388&sr=8-1&keywords=Razor+A5

Another budget option would be to get a GoPed KnowPed. The blue ones (I don't know why blue is cheaper, but it is!) can be had for under $150 on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VLZF30?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative=393185&creativeASIN=B000VLZF30&linkCode=shr&tag=kentsbikeblog-20&=sporting-goods&qid=1366199805&sr=1-2&keywords=Go+Ped

The deck is wider (and not marine plywood like the KickPed) and it has a front brake and lacks the cool clear-coat finish of the KickPed, but it's a good, stable scooter. I've learned to value the narrow deck on the KickPed (for kicking efficiency) and am not a front brake fan, so I've found the KickPed to be a great value but you could get a KnowPed and run it stock to start with and make modifications if you desire. For example, I found this page of a guy who modified a KnowPed with a very cool aluminum deck:

http://scootersport.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/the-birth-of-the-sportped/

By the way, here are a couple of articles by Jeffrey the Barak that I found useful in my scooter quest:

http://www.the-vu.com/2011/08/kickped-versus-xootr-a-scooter-review/

http://kickscooterpro.com/blog/my-road-to-the-kickped/

The bottom line for me is that the KickPed is a practical, stable, tough, fun scooter. I've found that the NYCeWheels folks have added real value to the KnowPed design to make a good scooter into a great scooter.

By the way, I got to try a Razor A5 that a customer brought into our shop. For under $100, it's quite nice. But I wouldn't ride it in the rain. And officially, I don't think anybody recommends riding any scooter in the rain. But I live in the Pacific Northwest and we get lots of rain and I've been OK with my KickPed in the rain. But I slow way down and the braking becomes almost nothing. So, consider yourself warned.

I hope this helps.

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA

#30DaysofScootering: Synchronicity in Seattle

2013-04-18T23:31:00.003-07:00

Seattle bike blogger Madi Carlson (also known as @familyride) is visiting Issaquah with her sons for a dental appointment this morning. We take a few minutes before she and the boys have to get on over to the dentist to check out each other's rides.

Madi is quite graceful on the KickPed.

I am not quite so graceful on Madi's MamaBike. Madi actually has a couple of MamaBikes, this is the smaller one, the one she take on trips that involve some bus travel because it is small enough to fit on the bus racks.

In the afternoon I take the bus into Seattle. I'm going to visit my friend Mark on Capitol Hill and then scooter over to Ballard for an evening meeting. Before Madi takes her kids off to the dentist she says "Maybe I'll see you in Seattle." We both know that Seattle is a big town and the odds of that are slim.

So I take an afternoon bus into Seattle, get off downtown and scooter up Pine. Pine is a gentle enough slope that I can actually kick my way up. When I get to my friend Mark's place, he points out that Olive is an even gentler climb up the hill.

I have a good, wide ranging chat with Mark and then scooter off to Fremont and Ballard. It's raining as I come down on 10th and the fender brake is not really very effective in the rain. I walk some of the steeper descents.

Once I cross over the University Bridge, I'm on the Burke-Gilman Trail, which is rather flat and ideal for scootering.

In the distance, you can see the Space Needle a few miles away.

And, remarkably, I see Madi and her kids in Fremont!

Madi gets a rare-for-this-blog shot of me on the KickPed. Since I mostly take my own pictures and rarely mess with timers, most of my pictures have me behind the camera and the KickPed sitting there with something I've found interesting in the background.

I'm a sucker for art.

And houseboats.

And dinosaur topiary.

Did I mention that it's raining? Well, it is Seattle.

Somehow, I manage to survive another trip to Seattle without getting stoned on pot or gay married. The meeting runs a bit late, so I hop a bus from Ballard to downtown, scooter for a tiny bit downtown to get from one bus stop to the next and then hop another bus home.

Eight miles of scootering today.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson

Issaquah WA USA

#30DaysofScootering: Earning the Ice Cream

2013-04-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

I live in the historic downtown core of Issaquah, flat land in a valley that sits between Tiger, Squak and Cougar Mountains. To the north of town is Lake Sammamish but in every other direction the mountains rise up. Northeast of downtown are the Issaquah Highlands, an area that has seen a lot of new housing and businesses added in the past couple of decades. One of the businesses in the Highlands is the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Shop. I've done quite a bit of flat land scooting in the past few weeks, so I decide to tackle the climb up to the Highlands. The ice cream will be my reward.

At Sunset Avenue, the bike/ped trail crosses over I-90.

This tunnel goes under Highlands Drive as it begins to climb up the Issaquah Plateau.

The tunnel is a favored spot for graffiti art.

The retaining walls have more "official" art.

I walk up the little shortcut rather than taking the long switchback.

The trail switches back and forth as it climbs up the Plateau. It's the gentlest way up to the Highlands but in places it is steep enough that I'm more efficient walking than kicking my way up.

This is a pedestrian bridge over Highlands Drive.

I make my way through a lot of construction (a bunch of new housing and businesses are going into this part of town) and work my way to my goal.

My reward. Two different people stop to talk to me about my scooter and express amazement that I've come up here from downtown.

As I roll toward home, I stop and check out the zHome, a super energy efficient housing development.

It's much quicker going down than it was coming up. I ride the rear fender brake on the descent and pause now and then to let the brake cool down!

4 miles of scootering today.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA

#30DaysofScootering: Breakfast and Bird Watching

2013-04-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

It's a non-raining spring morning in Issaquah, so I grab my scooter and roll out to enjoy the morning, get some exercise and get some breakfast.

Parking lots aren't the most scenic places, but trees in bloom and the mist hanging on the mountains improve the view quite a bit.

My scooter doesn't take up too much space in a booth.

After breakfast, I roll over to the little pond next to the Maple Street Building. A heron is at the water's edge.

I guess she decided I was too close. She takes flight.

She doesn't go far. She seems content to settle down on the opposite side of the small pond.

I scooter off to work.

Three miles of scootering today.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#30DaysofScooting: On A Steel Horse I Ride

2013-04-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

I get out this morning for a short scoot before work, about a mile and half by the time I get back home. As usual, I take some pictures and think about some things.

In the bicycle world people including Jan Heine and Grant Petersen argue persuasively in favor of steel frames and fat tires. In the scooter world, my NYCeWheels KickPed embodies those virtues.

Real steel made by real Americans.

The fat rubber tires are about two inches wide and six inches in diameter. The combination of the strong steel frame and the fat tires do a good job of soaking up most cracks and bumps I find on the streets and sidewalks around here.

The wheels are supported only on one side. On bikes, you can see the same design in a Cannondale Lefty Fork.

Issaquah has quite a bit of public art. This is a small portion of a mural depicting the logging past of the region.

The flowering trees are in full bloom.

There's a skate park a few blocks from my house.

I'm not brave enough to build up speed to do jumps on the scooter, so with it's low frame, I grind to a halt on the edges of all these things. I think I'll leave skateboarding to the kids.

Speaking of skateboards, I am currently rereading a novel I first read a couple of decades ago, Slam by Lewis Shiner. It's a fun, thoughtful tale about a guy on parole taking care of a houseful of cats but it's got schemers and treasure hunters and a UFO cult and some philosophical anarchist skate punks. A couple of quotes from one of the skate kids will give a bit of the flavor of the book:

"You ever been to Pasadena? You can’t even breathe the air there, with all those refineries, I mean it’s brown, you know? But you got to go on living. You can’t sit around and cry because they cut down some trees and pave everything. Concrete is radical. Concrete is the future. You don’t cry about it, man, you skate on it."

"You got to understand. Once you get up on that skateboard, like all of western civilization is out to get you. They got cars and bicycles and pedestrians and barricades and bulldozers, and they all got to use the same roads and sidewalks as you do. Only you don’t have to sit in traffic jams or wait in line at the gas station or follow where the roads go. They hate that, man...."

I'm pretty sure I'm too old and too cautious to be a skate punk, but I'm doing OK as a scooter dude.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA

#30DaysofScooting: Sunday Morning Scoot

2013-04-14T18:01:00.001-07:00

Five miles of scooting this morning on what is becoming one of my favorite scoots, rolling north from home and around some of the trails in Lake Sammamish State Park. I see many birds, some squirrels and rabbits and catch a glimpse of a deer who is quicker than my camera.

Scooting has a rhythm that suits me. My joints don't feel pounded like they would if I ran. There is a physical element to scooting that rewards smoothness and encourages the development of technique. In the past few weeks I have learned things about how far forward to reach my kicking leg. where to engage the ball of my foot on the kick off, how long to kick, how deep to bend the leg that is on the scooter deck. I have learned to sight the smoothest line on a path, to shift my weight best in turns, to trade off kicking legs to my best advantage. Mostly these are things I don't think about now, they are merely things I do. I am Scooterman.

My scooting proceeds at a contemplative pace. I am rolling slow enough to see things, fast enough to get the places that I need to go. I can work up speed by working up a sweat or by recouping the effort invested in a climb in a sweeping descent. I notice smaller slopes now and the tinier bits of green that are the valley I call home.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#30DaysofScooting: Taxes and Trails and Bears

2013-04-13T09:28:00.001-07:00

I scooted over to the post office this morning to mail off my tax return.

I headed north to check the progress on the paving of the Lake Sammamish Trail. The paving is complete from the boat launch area of the state park down to SE 62nd Street.

The section between SE 62nd Street and Gilman Boulevard is graded smooth, but not yet paved.

I scoot along the sidewalk, heading east.

The Brown Bear Car Wash has a life-size grizzly sculpture.

There are also some brown bear sculptures.

I scoot partway up the Plateau on the Issaquah-Preston Trail.

The skateboard kids have made their own art in the trail tunnel that passes under the road.

I roll back toward my neighborhood in Historic Downtown Issaquah.

The entrance to the hiking trails on the Tradition Plateau.

The map board at the parking area on Sunset Way.

There are real bears around here, but it's much easier to get pictures of the statues.

There is an extensive network of hiking trails on Tiger Mountain.

Four miles of scooting this morning and I'll be scooting back and forth to work as well.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#30DaysofScooting: Scooting While the Sun Shines

2013-04-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

The forecast calls for a 100% chance of rain later today, but this morning is dry. I scoot out into the sunshine.

The Issaquah Creek meanders through the valley that holds my town, so going almost anywhere involves as least one creek crossing.

Today I'm picking up a few things at Trader Joe's. I've got my backpack and what my son Eric calls my "hippie bag", a nylon shoulder bag that stuffs down to a ball the size of an apricot.

I scoot home along Newport and then cross the creek yet again. In the fall, the salmon run thick in the creek and Issaquah has a festival. Then almost all the fish die and the birds (and sometimes a few bears) come to pick at the carcasses. The town stinks for a few days. Then the rain comes and it washes the fish smell away and the mist hangs heavy on the mountains for months at a time.

April is still a mostly misty month, but we get a few mornings like this, clear and shining bright. I give a happy kick and roll on home.

3 miles of scooting today.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#30DaysofScooting: Scooting in Seattle

2013-04-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

Today I have a lunch appointment in Seattle and I also need to pick up some handlebars to replace the bent ones on an old Raleigh I'm restoring. I fold my trusty scooter and hop on the 554 bus to Seattle. I could've grabbed a connecting bus in downtown Seattle, but it's more fun to scoot. And I get to stop and take pictures.

My meeting is on the east side of Lake Union and I'm a bit early, so I look at some boats...

And birds...

And some floating condos.

It's a nice spring day and the flowers are blooming.

The trees are in bloom as well.

I'm not sure what's up with the fish-with-feet art.

The old garden bike is also art.

This is just one of the many community gardens in Seattle.

This big old tree is right alongside busy Eastlake Avenue.

After my lunch meeting, I cross over the bridge and head to Recycled Cycles. As I'm rolling towards Recycled, a fellow on a bike stops and asks "Are you Kent?" I confess that I am. "I recognize the scooter. I read your blog!" "Thanks," I say.

Recycled Cycles has a pretty good stash of parts, not quite as good as Bike Works, but Bike Works is on the other end of town. They have the bars I need at a very good price. They also have some very nice used bikes.

If anybody is looking for a tiny road bike (like for a kid or a REALLY small adult) they have this super sweet Trek with a tiny frame and 24" wheels right now for $400. Good tiny bikes are rare and this is a nice deal.

My missions accomplished, I scoot back downtown and catch the bus for home. Eight miles of scooting today.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah, WA USA

#30DaysofScooting: Late Afternoon Scoot

2013-04-10T17:40:00.001-07:00

The weather cleared a bit this afternoon, so I get out for a mile or so of scooting in my neighborhood.

I return some books to my local skateboard-hostile library.

I check out a few more books.

I stop off at the downtown tea studio and talk tea with Roberta.

A bit further north on Front Street I stop to see McNugget the Rooster. He's made friends with a couple of ducks.

I scoot around some of the quiet residential streets and then roll on home.

Keep 'em rolling,

Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson

Issaquah, WA USA