Getting out of the house and on my bike for my first ride of any kind in about 3 weeks felt mighty good. Connie and I ride over Seattle's Beacon Hill and through the International District to catch a trail that runs along the piers down by the water. We stopped in the Olympic Sculpture Park for a snack under the sun then kept on mostly along the water towards the Ballard Locks for my first visit there. Growing up in Vancouver, WA I became familiar with locks and fish ladders on numerous drives up the Columbia River to the Bonneville Dam. The busy Ballard Locks, however, make watching boats come and go easier since they're much smaller than the often massive barges forging the mighty Columbia.

After admiring the sturdy and beautiful architecture of the Army Corps of Engineers buildings at the locks we pedaled on towards Ballard to get lunch at the famous Caribbean sandwich stand Paseo. The line presented an hour plus wait on this particular Saturday around lunchtime but the sun was warm and their reputation preceded them which made our stomach's longing for food all the more satisfying to quench upon receiving our orders. We walked across the street along a tiny, gravel path to Shilshole Bay Beach to sit, eat our lunches, and watch the boat and stand-up paddle-boarding traffic go by.

We made one worthy stop for a beer at Fremont Brewing on our return trip. Their tap room and beer garden were bustling but we beat the line that eventually formed there and drank our pints outside. 25 miles after we started we were home, satisfied from biking around a beautiful city, eating fantastic food, drinking tasty beer, and spending a great time together after a tough few weeks sick.