For the fourth year in a row, Nick and I have had the pleasure of riding around Bainbridge Island with a small group of friends the week before Cascade Bicycle Club takes over the streets for its annual Chilly Hilly bike ride. We lucked out with the weather again this year. It was indeed chilly (36* when we left the cars), but more importantly, it was dry.

The ride didn’t start very auspiciously. Right of the ferry, Michelle’s bike decided it didn’t want to shift. On a ride that involves 2700′ of climbing, this is not a good idea. She got it sorted, and we rode another five minutes before Nick’s bike got a flat. He swears that he doesn’t get flat tires very often, except everyone in the group seemed to have a story about “the time Nick got a flat…”

Things started to look up after that, and we found a good riding pace. At the top of the first huge climb, we all wished one of us would have another mechanical so we could rest. It was not to be.

About half-way through the ride, we stopped at Battle Point Park for some refueling.

It’s a little hard to read, but Michelle’s wrapper says “Nougatocity,” which is defined as

A heightened yet fleeting state of accomplishment that makes you realize how unbelievably unmotivated you normally are.

Leave it to Snickers to define precisely how we were feeling.

We continued to ride at a leisurely pace, stopping at parks along the route. I never actually registered how many parks Bainbridge Island has. It’s a lot. Many of them are quite beautiful. I’d like to pack a bunch of picnic lunches and visit them all some day.

We arrived back in Winslow at 11:40, not one hill too soon, and made a beeline for the pub. Beers, ribbolita, salad, mushroom burgers, and sweet potato fries filled our empty tummies and we coasted downhill to the ferry.

I’d like to say that Nick and I felt invigorated by the ride, but I’ll be honest. We fell asleep in the living room about 10 minutes after we got home. How’s that for nougatocity?

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Unfortunately, we ended up on an unnamed peak with a dramatic drop-off. Oops! Our consolation was a pretty fine view of Tye Peak and the surrounding hills. We also caught a glimpse of a fighter jet below us, buzzing the hillsides, 100m off the valley floor. (I’ll admit that it was a nice day for a joy ride.)

We headed back down to the notch we were supposed to go to and changed our destination to the summit of Tye Peak. The wind was howling up there and we were cold! We kept moving though and only paused for a summit picture before retreating back down to a place that was more sheltered from the wind.

We got back to the cars around 2:30 – mighty early for a regular trip. In the end though, I’m confident that we found just the right place for our adventure with

1. Simon Sinek on how great leaders inspire action

2. How to ace a job interview

Jenny Blake, author of Life After College, created a one-page cheat sheet that I found particularly useful for preparing for my most recent job interview. Her Google Docs template covers seven key questions or topic areas for you to bullet-point your examples, including how you’re suited for the position, what your weaknesses are, what excites you, challenges you’ve overcome, and goals you have in the future. There’s also an area for questions you have for the company and other notes. It was nice to have a checklist of things to think about before the interview and to have it all listed on one page for easy reference.

3. The Man Who Lived on His Bike

Beautiful – especially to those who like to spend so much of our lives on the bike.

4. A Better Son/Daughter by Rilo Kiley

A friend of mine from law school is going through a really difficult time right now with his young daughter. I immediately thought of his family when I heard this song. For anyone going through a tough time, lock yourself in your bedroom and play it on full volume. (Warning: may not be safe for work due to some swearing.)

But you’ll fight and you’ll make it through
You’ll fake it if you have to
And you’ll show up for work with a smile


You’ll be better
And you’ll be smarter
And more grown up and a better daughter or son
And a real good friend

And you’ll be awake
You’ll be alert
You’ll be positive though it hurts
And you’ll laugh and embrace all your friends

And you’ll be a real good listener
You’ll be honest
You’ll be brave
You’ll be handsome and you’ll be beautiful


You’ll be happy

Your ship may be comin in
You’re weak but not givin in
To the cries and the wails of the valley below
And your ship may be comin in
You’re weak but not givin in
And you’ll fight it you’ll go out fightin all of em

5. C.S. Lewis on childishness

“Critics who treat ‘adult’ as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” – C.S. Lewis

1. Paul Coelho on achieving your dreams

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” - Paulo Coelho

I start a new job tomorrow – a dream job actually – and I am a little afraid that I won’t have what it takes to succeed (despite a track record to the contrary). It is with Paulo’s words in mind that I will begin the new adventure.

2. Children’s books that rhyme

I recently bought Madeline for my 3-year-old niece. Set in picturesque Paris, it is a story of a brave little girl’s trip to the hospital. There are lots of things that make this one of my favorite children’s books – a spirited heroine, timelessly appealing art, and cheerful humor – but the rhythmic, rhyming text is what truly sets it apart.

3. Winter fun in the Methow

4. Lucky Chili

California caterer Nancyjo Riekse traditionally makes a pot of spicy beans for friends the first week of the New Year to bring them luck and prosperity. We like to make some anytime during the year we need a bit of luck, and it always seems to work! This is our recipe, adapted from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook:

Lucky Chili

2 cups freshly brewed coffee
2 cups vegetable broth
4 cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes,  crushed in a blender or food processor
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cans no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained, or 6 cups cooked black beans
1/4 cup date paste or brown sugar
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
3 to 4 whole cloves
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

For serving: Salsa and cubed avocado

Combine all of the ingredients in the slow cooker, except the cilantro. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 12 hours. During the last hour, stir in the cilantro and season with salt to taste. Serve the chili in bowls with toppings.

5. Gayle Tzemach Lemmon on female entrepreneurship

Over the last 11 years, I’ve learned that one simple phrase will ensure you a place on just about any winter adventure: “I like step kicking in deep snow.” And that’s how I got on yesterday’s trip up Norse Peak.

We left the TH at 9 a.m. and followed a meandering snow-covered trail up the mountain for an hour or so. Pretty soon, the slopes opened up and we got our step-kicking mojo going, taking turns as needed. A long and fairly exhausting 3 hours later, we arrived at a saddle on the wind-scoured ridge northwest of Norse Peak. After a short food break, Rena and I took over the step-kicking duties and got the team to a broad, open shoulder. Only a short, steep bump and ice-covered rocks stood between us and the summit!

Three of our team members opted to stay behind, while the remaining six of us pushed on. I was really tired and tempted to stay behind, but sometimes you’ve just got want the summit more than you want anything else that day. Remembering my failure on West Granite the previous weekend, I didn’t want to turn back twice in a row. Five hours after we left the cars we were on the summit.

We sipped tea, had some sandwiches, snapped some pictures, then retreated to gather up the rest of our team members. All I can say is thank goodness going down is so much quicker and easier than pushing your way up through deep snow. We arrived back at the cars only 2 1/2 hours after leaving the summit. All-in-all a good day in the mountains!

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John, Nick, Monica, Hiddeko, Vasko, Burke, and I battled thigh-deep snow on our attempted ascent of West Granite today (aka the Tusk o’ Granite). We made it to within about 500′ of the summit, but cold, driving snow, really challenging snow conditions, and exhaustion  sent us back downhill with our tail between our legs. Sigh… Next time!

I met Lisa and Mark at the climbing gym tonight. I thought climbers – of all people – wouldn’t be scared of a little snow. Turns out, we were the only people climbing. Not having to wait to get on a single rope was luxurious to say the least.