Biking makes me VERY hungry

My goals for this bike trip are to have fun and lose weight. Well, at least I’m having fun. You’d think that riding 300 miles a week would automatically drop your weight. Think again, because that’s not the way it’s worked it, at least so far.

What’s wrong? My pre-trip weight (left) vs. biking 300 miles in 1 week (right).

I can’t quite figure out what’s gone wrong with my otherwise excellent bike-to-lose weight plan. Perhaps it had something to do with the aromatic Breadfarm Bakery in Edison, WA (population 133), which tempted me in the door with the scent of chocolate babka. Research shows that biking long distances heightens one’s sense of smell. I’m quite confident of that “fact.” And I also believe that the clerk must have stuck a cupcake in my bike bag when I wasn’t looking, too.

Breadfarm Bakery, Edison WA

Or it might have been the sight of the ”Monster Donut” at Rocket Donuts in Bellingham, WA. I wasn’t even hungry, but the huge rocket and mural on the side of this shop drew me in. Had to take a picture of the kids, I figured. Although I only ordered a regular-sized chocolate donut, the clerk kindly pulled out their giant donut for a photo opp, once again, for my kids. Just looking at this brute probably added a few pounds.

Monster Donut at Rocket Donuts, Bellingham WA

It could have had something to do with the root beer. At a restaurant in Victoria, one of my friends encouraged me to try Captain Electro’s Intergalactic Root Beer, a fascinating local blend from the Phillips Soda Company. The most attractive label that I’ve ever seen on bottle. My friend explained that the unique flavor was due to special ingredients that I don’t typically encounter in US stock, so upon my return I had to do some comparison tasting. For scientific purposes.

Intergalactic Root Beer, Victoria BC

Or maybe I could blame it on the blackberries, as there were hundreds of thousands of unharvested beauties for several miles along the Mud Bay, Vancouver bike trail. They also tended to pop up on the side of the road up really steep hills, and beckon me to get off my bike for a spell…Yes, now that I’ve considered all of the possibilities, it’s definitely the blackberries. Will try to steer clear of those while biking around the Oregon coast for the next week or two.

Blackberries on the trail in Vancouver BC