Wednesday night rides are always fun. Last night was another beautiful evening ride with low traffic, high comradery, invigorating hills and stunning views. 

Six of us met up on a day with threatening weather.  It actually turned out quite good.  November is a good time to rest the legs a bit and enjoy a short ride.  

This route is designed to be mostly on trails and quiet roads, making it safe for dark wet days.   

UW, Leschi, I-90 bike tunnel and trail to the south end of downtown.  Proceed onto the new waterfront trail and have coffee near Fisherman's Terminal.  

A change in the weather dampened our turnout this morning but Frank and I were inspired by A.I. to believe we wouldn't get all that wet.  Day Glo full fenders and some Gore Tex made it a pretty nice day.  Took the Duamish and Lake to Sound trail to Renton.  After a brief, unsuccessful hunt for Mama Row's Carmels we settled on a quick stop for mediocre coffee served with a poor attitude at Boom Boona's.  Undeterred, we set a good pace up a deserted Lake Washington Blvd with an inspiring philosophical conversation all the way back to Fremont.   50 miles.

Ten registrants set out from Fremont to what now HAS to be known as the official taco shop of COGS, El Kiosko in Renton.    We reversed the route due to protests on the waterfront.  Southbound through Leschi is a bit more stressful than Northbound, but everyone rode safely and there were no issues. 

It was an eclectic group and everyone kept the pace as advertised.    After a well orchestrated lead out, Sabine pipped Thatcher for line honors at the "official Renton Airport sprint finish".  (if you know, you know) Thatcher "claimed" lack of knowledge of the sprint finish.  He knows now.  :)   

Newcomers to the Taco Ride agreed...Best traditional Fish Tacos in town.

COGS has a ZWIFT CLUB.   Search "COGS Seattle" on ZWIFT.   

Paul H and myself were the only participants in this 60 minute inaugural ride on a route called "Sugar Cookie".   Presumably the name originates from Navy Seals training on the beach.   The ride covers a lot of beach front in Watopia.    

If you have ZWIFT, Watch for more frequent rides starting mid November.  

Six COGS members adorned with lights rode from UW to Redmond along 520 to see the 50th anniversary races at Marymoor Park's, Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome.   This was the first time most of the group had seen live track racing and a good time was had by all.  

Riding home along the Samm River and Burke Gilman trails in the dark was a fun experience.  Everyone had Outbound lights except me and spoke highly of this US made system.   I upgraded to the Outbound Club a couple weeks later.

Four of us boarded the Kitsap fast ferry for the 8:05 departure from Pier 50 to Southworth on a beautiful Monday morning, arriving in Southworth about 30 minutes later.  At Port Orchard we stopped for coffee and pastries at Mercantile Coffee Co (Mile 13).  The ride was pleasant with light traffic until we got to the intersection of Flora Road with State Highway 3 (mile 25).  Traffic on 3 was very heavy.  The shoulder was wide enough, but strewn with debris.  We arrived in Belfair to do some grocery shopping (mile 27) and then rode on to Belfair State Park along the narrow shoulder of State Highway 300.  We camped at the hiker/biker sites near the shower on Tree Loop.  I'd rate the campground here at a 6 on a scale of 10 - due to road noise and the poor condition of the shower.  Otherwise, an OK place to camp.  Total for the day 30 miles and 1,500 feet.

On Tuesday morning we headed south on a relatively quiet Highway 300 around the point to Tahuya, stopping for coffee at Summertide Resort (mile 43.3).  The paved road ends just a bit beyond Rendsland Creek.  The next 4.5 miles of NE Northshore Road are rough and hilly.  I'd recommend at least 40 mm tires unless you want to do a lot of hike-a-bike.  We stopped for lunch at Dewatto campground (mile 54.7).  The campground has no potable water supply, but I did find an outlet to recharge my phone while we ate.  We continued for another 21 miles and 1600 feet of climbing to Scenic Beach State Park.  We rented a full campsite which was close to the showers and a water supply, but was dusty and very noisy due to the presence of wild animals (raccoons, herons, and partying college kids).  Next time, I'd stay at one of the quieter and less dusty hiker/biker sites even though they are farther from the showers.  Total for the day 45.5 miles and 3,500 feet.

On the last day of the trip we returned to Seattle via the ferry from Bremerton.  Some sections of the ride were pleasant, but unfortunately Seabeck Highway is very busy with narrow shoulders - and there really isn't an alternative route that doesn't include this road.  We did enjoy a pleasant diversion around Lake Kitsap where I met an elderly gentleman who informed me that he used to ride with COGS - his name is Rich Davis and maybe some of you will remember him.  We took the auto ferry home to Seattle.  Total for the day 18.5 miles and 1,500 feet.  Photo below by Tony D from Day 2. Smoke from the Bear Gulch fire visible over the Olympics..

On a beautify Sunday in July, 7 members rode a very challenging ride from Southworth to Gig Harbor to Vashon and back to the start at the Fauntleroy ferry.  It was a great ride.  And, it was exhausting... at least for the ride leader. 

The highlight of the day was the frozen popsicle stand at a location not to be disclosed so it does not get overwhelmed with tourists and ruins it for the rest of us.  But, we will return next year... and maybe in August.

This was the last chance of the season to really get those base miles in.  Centralia to Seattle on Friday 106 miles.   STP in one day on Saturday 215 miles.   Portland to Centralia on Sunday 101 miles.     Barbara S. joined the challenge on day one and helped get us off to a good start.  In total the three days covered 422 miles.  COGS represented!

Eleven of us left Leschi on a beautiful Friday morning. We rode counterclockwise around the south end of Lake Washington. Beautiful views, little traffic, and an Osprey nest on the way to Gene Coulon Park, our first water and restroom stop. We had additional stops later at Medina City Hall/Police Station/Beach (see picture) and Kirkland Marina Park. Each stop was about 13-15 miles from the previous and the next. When we reached the 520 trail, two of our group went west back to Seattle. The remaining 9 riders went east to the Kirkland Eastrail, which is a former railroad line from Renton to Woodinville. We traveled 5 miles north along the compacted dirt and light gravel trail before turning west to a long, flowing downhill and then to downtown Kirkland where we saw the late stages of the Independence Day Parade. From Kirkland, we rode the 520 trail west to UW, where 5 of us headed home and 4 of us continued through the Arboretum back to Leschi and a post-ride Joe’s Special (scrambled eggs with chopped meat and spinach) and a beer at the Bluwater Bistro. The weather cooperated and we all had a great time.