And I am mobile again. At least within the confines of Capitol Hill. As of yesterday, I do have a bike again. It’s called Henry.

Simply because, well, it needed a name and Henry was the first that came to mind when I rode it.

My friend Daniel gave it to me for the time here. I just need to get a lock and I am set. This is going to be fun.

I love exploring a city by bike, it totally changes the way you perceive the places around you.

I just have to find ways to avoid the steepest hills here. I need to find a Seattle bike path map!

I went downhill to buy the lock, to an enormous sports gear store called REI, and then Henry brought me uphill gain with his 21 gears, relatively smooth, I must say. Still, I was huffing and puffing and sweating once I was up.

I drove the bike through town and down to Lake Washington, knowing I would have to make all the way up agin. I sweat through my shirts and shorts, but I made it. If I’m not losing weight on this stop, I will never lose any.

It makes all the difference to have a bike though, and I’d recommend anyone on a similar trip to go out and get one, for you. I did not use Montréal’s Bixi bike rental system as often as I could have, it was not always available, I couldn’t find a station to return the bike… My bike, however, is.

And only the time I saved today going back and forth for little errands and stuff is invaluable. And I do get a much better sense of the city and how it is mapped out.