Smile at the Rain

Beth Hogan's "Smile at the Rain"

When we first moved to Seattle, a friend gave us a copy of Beth's Hogan's wonderful "Smile at the Rain" framed print. The suggestion behind the gift was, "get used to it."

Six years later, that friend up and left us for the North Carolina climate, but we're still here. And we've gotten pretty well used to the rain.

When it comes to getting on the Tiger and going for a ride though, I admit to being choosy about the weather; I'd rather ride in sunshine than rain, in daylight rather than night. Weekends are primetime. But with the Puget-to-Potomac Ride coming closer, it suddenly dawned on me that I'll be riding through whatever Mother Nature throws my way. Choosing riding conditions will be a luxury I won't be able to afford.

With this in mind, I suited up and headed out for a quick 100-mile ride through the Cascade Foothills. What follows is a mile-marker recap of my observations and an equipment evaluation.

Mile 0-10

• Classic Seattle drizzle. Temperatures in the mid-40s.
• Wearing the new Alpinestars boots and noticed a lack of sensitivity on shifters. I also had to be more exaggerated with my foot positioning for shifting. I'll probably invest in footpeg extenders to help out and reduce fatigue.
• Forgot to wear a balaclava, so my chin got a little chilly, but warm and dry everywhere else.
• Also forgot to put in the NoNoise earplugs.

Mile 10-20

• The rain stops and the road suddenly dries out.
• Elevation increase becomes noticeable.

Mile 26

• Stop after the highway exit ramp--as far over as I can park--and insert earplugs and put on the tiger balaclava.
• Turned on the action cam and started shooting footage. The remote battery was worn down so I had to fumble with the camera start/stop button.

Mile 34

• Time to turn on the heated handlebars.

Mile 44

• Map check at Black Diamond.

I was pretty satisfied with the equipment across the board. Here's an evaluation of each:

• Shoei RF-1100 helmet: Still comfortable on long rides, The tip of my nose sometimes catches the front.
• Firstgear Kilimanjaro jacket: Very comfortable. Though I did started getting a chill in the last 5 miles of the ride. Probably had more to do with the poor layers underneath and lack of food.
• Alpinestars Scout boots: Very secure, though stiff (it will take time to break them in). my toes felt a little chilled at times. No water penetration.
• Airhawk 2 Inflatable Seat Pad: Makes the ride more comfortable. Needed to be re-inflated at mile 44. Quick accelerations forced my body backwards, and the air displacement in the pad felt like I was sitting on a Jell-o pillow. Very squishy. 
• Olympia gloves: Nicely broken in, though they are showing a little wear and tear. I may need to invest in new gloves before the big ride.
• Drift HD Ghost: I still feel like I'm getting to know this camera. I definitely need a couple more mounts for better angles. 

At this point, I think I could pack up and ride east without any more major investments. It's a good place to be. I'll definitely have to put more miles on the road to rebuild my riding endurance.

By the way, you can buy Beth Hogan's print on Etsy. Just click the image at the top to link to her online store.