First Coffeeneuring Ride-Zoka's Coffee & Tea House

A gorgeous Sunday morning set the tone for my first coffeeneuring ride. After rounding up the animals my best friend and I set out to Zoka's, the first destination. Conditions were perfect, only a faint breeze whisked the air and scattered leaves darted. The Interurban Trail was full of folks jogging and walking their dogs. I gave a cheery twang to my bell as we made our way to the Linden Ave Greenway. There, a family teaching their son to ride a bike for the first time, being passed by a trio of Lycra clad warriors. We wave hello, and making our way, spot a grandma giving her grandchild a lift in her wheelchair.

In little time we turned onto Dayton, but instead of riding it down to Greenwood, then Phinny, as is my habit on my commute. As any rider can tell you Dayton Ave. has some lovely axle snapping pavement ridges and dips. We invented a hand signal between us to let us know if something hinky is ahead. One of us raises our right hand, makes a fist, then spread open hand, then a fist. The other is able to swerve around. Its a nice down hill, in spite of the pavement, and we glide, roughly down to Woodlawn, and from there it was only a minor jaunt around Green Lake. While Dayton Ave is a traffic calmed roadway, its not exactly in the best condition. From Green Lake it was only a short stretch up to Zoka's Coffee & Tea House http://www.zokacoffee.com/about-zoka/zoka-locations-3/ but coming down Green Lake a car that was parked next to the bike lane started, the swerved into the lane, nearly hitting me and my companion. The driver wasn't going fast, and seemed lost, and seeing him so close anyway, giving space. it was merely a brief exciting moment than a tragedy.

Locking up we laughed, realizing that coffeeneuring and a lovely day, had ensured the bike rack was once again full:

bike rack outside Zoka's

Having already had two cups of coffee before I left I opted to get an iced chai and a ham and cheese croissant, which I chose to enjoy on the deck outside: 

  

My partner got the same snack, but an iced Americano. Both of us agreed the drinks and snack were lovely. The croissant a bit unevenly spiced, but the chai had t  full flavor without have that sickening over biting flavor that can accompany the lesser chai teas. A water dish for dogs sat on the pavement outside, and a few passing mutts found refreshment. A fellow coffeeneuring cyclist came by and said 'hello' and we wished each other well on the road ahead.

Like a gentleman, my companion offered dessert at Mighty-O's Doughnuts and we enjoyed french toast doughnuts (very good) in the sun.

Coming back the map app decided to crap out, but I noticed the street sign said the 44 and the 16 ran through, I told my undaunted companion that, logically, Aurora would run this way. He agreed, I reached out and put my hand over his on the bars, we smiled. An intimate moment you can only really have on a bike, with the change of the light we set down Green Lake again. You could see where they'd moved bike lanes and when the bike lane brought us between cars I felt a bit nervous. My companion admitted much the same.  However, we reached Aurora Ave N. with nothing more exciting than passing numerous cars stopped as we floated on, the bus lane clear.

We walked our bikes up the pedestrian accessway, carrying our bikes, then rolling them along the edges as we could. Taking the E line back was a relief. As much as we wanted to circle Green Lake all the way back, my companion works the night shift and had to be back to head to work. Riding down the driveway we agreed our first coffeeneuring ride was totally a success!

Want to read more about bikes?

Hey, that's like MY bike! http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/brent-toderian/upright-bike-vancouver_b_5831752.html

Want to read more about coffee?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/08/20/340154271/no-1-most-expensive-coffee-comes-from-elephants-no-2

Next Coffeeneuring destination, The Bridge Coffee House! See you there