Sunday, October 9, 2016

Coffeeneuring #1: Hotwire


Before starting out today I had to attach my Association of Caffeinated Wheelmen button to my front bag, I had a cool enamel pin once upon a time but couldn't find it so I went with the button.


 I had intended for this first Coffeeneuring ride to happen on Saturday but between waking up to rain and needing to get my Daughter organized and off to a Soccer game I decided it was better to go with Sunday.  The streets were still wet this morning but it was not raining, the leaves in the trees are changing and it was cool but not cold, all in all a pleasant ride.



 My coffee shop of choice this morning was Hotwire, they started life as an internet cafe- remember those, its a tiny space in an historic building, they have 4 internet stations and a couple bar stool like chairs so the inside is not really a place to linger but they do have some nice outdoor seating and it was dry enough to do that this morning.

They make an excellent cuppa here and one of their specialties is the Mexican mocha with a bit of cayenne pepper- I only get a gringo amount but it adds a nice bit of spice to the drink.  It also doesn't hurt that the barista was cute and had a wonderful smile.
Mexican Mocha
And like most of the coffee shops in my area they had a rack out front where I could park my steed which is always appreciated.
Handsome Devil at rest
So ride number 1 is in the books, here is the summary:
  1. Where: Hotwire Online Coffeehouse, 4410 California Ave SW, Seattle
  2. When: Sunday October 9th 8:30 am
  3. Drink: Mexican Mocha - and a ham and cheese scone 
  4. Ride: Since the coffee shop is only .9 miles from me I did a loop and it was very bike friendly with a rack right out front.  Very light traffic.
  5. Distance: 3.8 Kilometers/2.3 miles
My theme/guidelines for my first ever Coffeeneuring attempt are:
  • Coffee shops are all within 1 mile of my house - since I have to ride at least two miles I will be taking some long-cuts
  • Coffee shop can't have a mermaid logo
  • Coffee shops are all located on the main thoroughfare of West Seattle -California Ave.
So until next time; Ride. Smile. Caffeinate. Repeat.



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5 comments:

  1. anniebikesOctober 9, 2016 at 5:28 PM

    You know you live in coffee-land when you can visit 7 different coffee shops on the same street!

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    Replies
    1. RoadieRyanOctober 9, 2016 at 7:38 PM

      Annie if I was willing to extend my range on the same street and also include the mermaid place I could double that amount LOL

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  2. tim joe comstockOctober 10, 2016 at 11:37 AM

    Well Lad I was planning on answering your riposte to my challenge by riding a twenty-four mile loop in the eye of a hurricane. But the eye stayed offshore and let me tell ya, even though our little village only got gob-smacked by a couple hundred seventy-mile-per-hour gusts (i don't know what that is in metrics) it was enough to keep me inside, hiding under the blankets with the dogs.

    I did go outside in the middle of the worst of it just in case I had a chance to be cool. But listen: seventy-miles an hour wind is do-able, but there was STUFF flying around out there...big stuff, like roofs and garage doors and small trees...

    Maybe next time.

    And yet, while pedaling my way to the beach the day after the storm, viewing wreckage aplenty, I felt a little old and tired and regretful that I didn't at least try.

    My other regret is that I bought a Nikon Coolpix five years ago so I could take photos of my rides. But it only came out of the box long enough for me to lose the lens cap and has been sleeping in my trunk with my hundred year old volume of the works of William Blake and the Sears and Roebuck bible my mom got me when I was ten years old ever since.

    I saw a thirty foot sailboat up in the yard of some rich guy.

    I saw approximately four hundred downed oak trees of various size.

    I was looking at a downed oak tree of considerable size when I rode into a downed power line and got my sunglasses and nose and upper lip and helmet all ripped off at the same time. Well, the nose and upper lip are still on but for a moment there I wasn't so sure plus I could have had a very electrifying moment.

    Let's see...

    When the power is out for 36 hours all your ice melts so you either have to learn to like warm beer or just stick to rum shots. I did both.

    During a natural disaster everybody teams up and helps each other. That's why I think the next presidential debate should be held in some bomb crater in Syria.

    Oh, and this...while we all love to bash Walmart they were open a coupe hours after the storm blew through. They had their giant generators going and they had ice and beer and candles and all manner of groceries and I will never, ever, bad-mouth Wally World again. In fact...well, never mind. They still sell criminally bad bicycles. But after a storm that could have killed us all, ol' Walmart was the first to come through.

    So there ya go.

    After two days of getting my coffee from little tubes of instant Folger's heated with water in an empty Spam can over a candle, your post makes me yearn for the Emerald City and its plethora of choice...I would jump on a plane but instead, I am typing this in a La Quinta in Sarasota.

    The storm is gone and the work goes on.

    If I was coffeeneuring I would have a silver flask of some ridiculously high-priced brandy in my messenger bag.

    Just sayin...

    tj

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    Replies
    1. RoadieRyanOctober 10, 2016 at 2:12 PM

      Tim Joe first of all happy to hear you survived Matt, 175 mile an hour winds sounds like houses, Toto and menacing old ladies on 3 speeds flyin' through the air kind of weather. I bought a small digital camera a few years ago..and never used it -thank goodness I have my phone with me 99.6% of the time or I would never get a picture. A flask huh, hmm I have one of those rattling around somewhere just need some high priced brandy... although in the Emerald city the Coffee stands on its own pretty well.

      Delete
  3. RoadieRyanOctober 10, 2016 at 2:05 PM

    Cycling and coffee, they are a pretty natural pair.

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