It's been hellaciously cold all week. I've basically been stuck in the Volvo, while Zoë languished in her tent. Last night I took her into the city to meet some friends for dinner, which wasn't exactly comfortable as the temperature dropped right quick after the sun went down, and the ride back to Lynnwood was in air just above freezing. I'm starting to seriously consider a Gerbing or Widder 'lectric vest...

Today, though, it was a little bit warmer, in the low 40s, and with clear skies and sun, I couldn't resist taking the bike out. Lots of errands to do this morning, but I finally got everything taken care of around 3pm and had some time to just ride. I broke out my long-neglected copy of Destination Highways Washington and looked for interesting, short roads in the Everett/Lynnwood area, and found what they call SEA TE-F (Lowell-Larimer Rd - Marsh Rd). This is a short section of two-lane shoulderless road, winding through the "farmburbs" just south of Everett. The west side of the road rises into low hills which cut the road off from I-5, just a few miles to the west; the east side of the road drops down to the plain cut by the Snohomish river and countless little creeks, and in the distance the Cascades tower over everything, well-snowcapped and lit by the last of the daylight.

By the time I got to the road, the light was just starting to fade into early evening. Temperatures were beginning to fall off, but my heated grips kept the chill at bay for a while. There was still a bit of snow along the edges of the road, and a few patches of gleaming white ice here and there, which I managed to avoid. The Lowell-Larimer section of the ride wasn't all that twisty, but the poor condition of the road and presence of ice kept me slow and on my toes. Not many other cars around, which was a plus. The final section, Marsh Road, heads straight east through the fields to meet up with Rte. 9, and has a couple of quick and exciting 15-mph turns to challenge the unwary.

All in all, though, this route wasn't anywhere near as interesting as the short ride on the Olympic Peninsula that I took from this book back in September. I wandered about until I found my way back home, and then realizing that I hadn't had any particularly challenging or exciting twisties, I decided to hit good ol' Locust Way as the sun finished setting. As usual, Locust was a good place to work on my form and practice my lines, as it's only very slightly twisty - just enough to make you work, not enough to make you work hard.

It looks like this cold-and-dry snap is over. Forecast calls for rain and higher temps for at least the next few days. While I won't welcome the rain, getting out of this thirty-degree weather will be nice.