Category: Routes & Rides

The Stinky Spoke was not too stinky afterall

I did not take my camera on today’s mountain bike ride. I should have though. There would have been some fantastic footage of mud, lakes, mountain bikes in the fog, smiles and goofiness.

Matt, Eileen, Mark D. and I rode Stinky Spoke, an urban mountain bike poker run to benefit Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center. It was probably the most fun you could have in the mud in January. For the record, Eileen’s poker hand (two pair) beat Matt’s, Mark’s and mine. It wasn’t quite good enough to win a prize at the end. No matter; free beer at Red Hook is a pretty good prize for everyone.

Stats: 15.8 miles / 978 ft elevation gain

You say “car-bon-AY-do,” I say “car-bon-AH-do”

Two weekends ago, we feted Bruce as he made the monumental transition into the decade that shall remain unnamed. By the end of the party, there were tentative plans in place for the Usual Suspects to ride the following Saturday. On Friday afternoon I sent quick reminder email about the next day’s ride. By the time I checked email later that day, Bruce had everyone on board for a loop in the South Sound area, starting in Puyallup.

We began the adventure at the E. Puyallup TH and rode a mostly empty trail to the town of South Prairie. I say mostly empty, because there was a 53-mile running relay happening on the trail. And while we didn’t see many runners, we did have the privilege of riding through a few relay hand off areas and ringing the bells.

The trail parallels the highway for a while, which was filled with parade of trashy hot rods on the day we were riding. (This would not be the last we would see of them.) We soon left the highway behind and rode quietly alongside the Carbon River before entering the town of South Prairie. The bike trail ended abruptly here, so we hopped on the highway and headed toward the town of Wilkeson. On the way, we ran into our hot rod friends again.

If you’ve never been to Wilkeson, it is another one of those towns time forgot. It’s about two blocks long and has a gas station, two coffee shops, a bar, a cemetery, and an Eagles Club. It also has a ginormous “Welcome to Wilkeson” sign that spans the road, making a great gentleman’s race finish line. Nick and Dave duked it out on the way into town, but it wasn’t much of a contest. (The ride wasn’t nick-named “the unofficial put the hurt on Dave ride” for nothing.)

We ran into another collection of old cars in Wilkeson. This time it was the Carbonado Canyon Model T Ford Club. I’m not quite sure how a town with a population of 621 supports an active club of Model T aficionados, but it does it in spades. (Click the thumbnail images below to expand them.)

Wilkeson seemed like as good a spot as any to stop for coffee, but we made a quick trip up to Carbonado first. We rode up the highway to “town” and looped back to the highway on a gorgeous side road before blasting downhill again. Coffee and pastries were calling afterall!

Wilkeson is not too small to support a local coffee roaster, and just about every place in town sells coffee made with their beans. If you’re in town, make sure to support Buono Coffee Co. They can’t have an easy time of it in such an out-of-the-way place.

Of the two coffee shops in town, we stopped at Skeeks. They serve a variety of pastry pockets (stuffed with savory egg fillings, jam, or PB&J), pizza, and other goodies.

While we were refueling our bodies for the second half of the ride, the Model T club turned the cranks (literally) and headed for home.

Taking that as a sign, we put the kick-stands up and headed for Buckley. Sylvia led us on a return route through the Enumclaw plateau, past Lake Tapps, and down a screaming descent back into Sumner. The descent alone made all the other miles that day worth it. A short jaunt on the bike trail and we were back at the cars, clocking EXACTLY 50 miles. (How did we do that?!)

Here’s the route for those that are interested in a repeat. Click on the title to expand the map and access the turn-by-turn directions.

Skagit Valley Un-Tulip Pedal

The longest ride I’ve done all year was 5o miles - completely unimpressive considering it’s May and Nick and I are planning on riding STP in a day in July. In order to build some base miles, I thought a relatively flat ride in the Skagit would be a good idea. Eileen’s climbing plans changed, so she decided to join us for what turned out to be a most excellent ride.

We were about a month late for the tulips, but we considered that a mixed blessing. The flowers tend to attract boat-loads of tourists that clog the roads and make riding dangerous. Instead, we had the roads all to ourselves. It was delightful!

We left La Conner around 9:45 a.m. and rode north to Samish Island where water views were plentiful.

From Samish Island, we headed over to Edison, which has become quite the bakery town. I counted at least three (with cyclists at each one). Chuckanut Drive gave us the opportunity to practice cruising in smooth three-person pace line. We “toodled” at 19 mph south towards Mt. Vernon and Conway. About 45 miles in I started to drag a bit, but Nick and Eileen’s good company kept my spirits up. (Or maybe it was the promise of beer and pizza at the La Conner Brewing Company?)

It took me a few tries to get the next shot. Sometimes I can get my helmet and the riders behind me in the same shot. It was all helmet or no helmet today, though.

If you’d like to repeat the ride, here’s the map. Use the + and - to zoom in and out, or click on the name at the top and go to the site where you can download the cue sheet.

Lake Samammish Loop Variation

I’m not sure how some students do it. They get up early every day and study until late into the evening. Each minute of every day is scheduled - down to the exact minute they’re going to shower (if at all). My limit is about 6 to 8 hours a day, depending on what type of studying I’m doing. I also need to take short breaks every hour and a half or so. Usually, I do a few push-ups and sit-ups to get the blood flowing. Sometimes I stretch and meditate to rest my brain and let the material settle.

This afternoon was lovely (in December that means it was above 40 degrees and not raining), so Nick and I took off on the bikes for a few hours before dinner. When we want a short loop we usually go over Juanita Drive and back home via the Sammamish Slough. This time, I took Nick on a ramble through Issaquah and Bellevue. Our trip even included a stop at the local Buddhist Temple in Redmond.

We started from home and went down West Lake Sammamish Road before heading west on Newport Way. The route pictured here, would be better for folks meeting at the Velodrome at Marymoor Park. It takes you clockwise around Lake Sammamish, something of a novelty.

When you’re done, you’ll have 25 miles and 1400+ feet of climbing under your belt. Not bad for a not-rainy afternoon in December.

Fall City - Duvall Loop

Now that on-campus interviews are done (and I have a job for next summer), I have a little extra time on my hands. This weekend I plan to recreate BOTH days, instead of spending one of the days catching up on school work.

Here’s a run-down of Saturday’s fun - a 56-mile bike ride in the Snoqualmie Valley. Is it just me or does the map look like a Scottish Terrier balancing on his hind legs?

The elevation profile shows three major climbs, for a total of 3400’ of gain. Not bad!

Click here for the cue sheet, including a shorter 42-mile variation that cuts out the first major climb, and stay tuned for pictures after the ride!

If you found this information helpful and you’d like to show your appreciation, please consider buying me a beer! Thanks for your support and encouragement.