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.

Four rides were hosted this weekend!!  A record??    We hosted two more novice friendly, sub 10 mile rides on quiet roads or trails.  Turnout was small but fun and enthusiastic.   COGS members are encouraged to chat these rides up to friends and family.  

Saturday was North End Hills from UW.   Juanita, Simmons, Norway and Perkins had our climbing legs working.   A large group of strong women and men challenged the group to push their personal limits.  Of course, in perfect COGS style we regrouped after the climbs and congratulated each other on solid work done. 

Sunday was UW Marymoor Issaquah Bellevue.  Pretty casual ride with four of us.   We pushed the pace on the climb out of Issaquah and regrouped for an easy spin back through Bellevue and 520

This past weekend COGS and MBBC combined for a bike camping weekend to commemorate Bike Travel Weekend the first weekend of June.  5 COGS members and 2 MBBC members met up at the Fairhaven Amtrak terminal in Bellingham. We were blessed with one of the warmest weekends as summer is approaching. This year we had to navigate around the closing of Chuckanut Drive, but we had the opportunity to be on quieter country roads along the way to Anacortes. Probably the most important stop of the day was at Mad Hatter's Ice Cream before we headed to Washington Park for the night. Those who wandered to the shore saw a spectacular sunset.

On Day 2 we ended up having a brisk ride with tailwinds along the Cascade Trail. Burlington was the halfway point for a very nice lunch stop at The Fairhaven. The most adventure we had for the day was staying out of a short mud section of the trail and having a few brief and shallow stream crossings. We reached camp in time to enjoy the Skagit River by Rasar State Park and had a great walk-in campsite. The tuckered out cyclists hit the sack by 9:00 PM.

On Day 3 the early risers woke up with the birds singing. We headed back to Bellingham via Cascade Trail to Sedro-Woolley while Richard Petters took some very nice side roads instead to enjoy a beautiful Sunday morning. Sedro-Woolley had their ‘Blast From the Past’ street fest with an antique car show going on. After a nice break we took a very nice route back to Bellingham on quiet country roads until traffic started picking up again as we approached Bellingham. We ended up covering about 135 miles over 3 days and everyone's legs felt it towards the end, especially with the last climbs into Bellingham. But the descent down Old Samish Road felt good to finish off the weekend.

Even if you couldn’t make it this time this is a recommended 3 day trip you should consider doing that is close enough to Seattle, yet may seem far away at the same time. The routes are always available on RWGPS.

One adventurous soul and new to Washington, New to COGS rider joined me for a casual conversational ride from Fremont to the Alki Lighthouse for sunset.   I think every West Seattle resident was out enjoying Alki on this beautiful evening.

As the sun set we bundled up to head home.  Fitting before Easter, we watched dozens of bunnies hop around in our headlight beams.  

Three strong riders joined me for the second North End Hills Ride.  We casually crossed 520 and pedaled up and out of Kirkland before the real work started.   
Juanita Drive, Simonds and Norway hill were challenged before we got a little break on the way to Logboom Park.  
Only the deceptively difficult Perkins was left and it burned up what was left of our legs.   
A nice tailwind down the Interurban and  coffee at Coyle’s was our reward for a job well done.

The 2024 Winthrop Gravel Ride was a resounding success!   It was an adventure.  The terrain was challenging...  We all got a lesson in the value of wide, low pressure tires.  The scenery was beautiful.  It was so much fun, and we will do it again in 2025!

Miles and elevation gain:

A big thanks to Rob, Wayne, and Scott W. for their contributions to the success of this event.  Rob scouted the routes weeks before the event and kept us on route during the event.  Rob and Scott both shared local knowledge during the weekend that improved our routes.  Wayne reviewed the routes and made sure the cues were correct.  He also suggested changes to the day 2 route and made those changes.  Thank you to the 12 riders that signed up!  Only with your participation was this event successful!

Accommodations varied.  5 of us stayed at the North Cascades Mountain Hostel.  3 riders live in Winthrop.  4 riders made other accommodations.  The hostel was great.  It was completely renovated a few months before the ride.  The large social lounge allowed 9 of us to get together at the hostel after dinner on Friday.  Pam and I had breakfast at the hostel each morning in the super big and clean kitchen.  I highly recommend the hostel for next year’s event.

Friday pictures:

Saturday pictures:

Sunday pictures:

Hope to see you next year!

Four intrepid COGS members took a trip up Middle Fork Road/USFS 5620 about 10 miles or so beyond the pavement to Goldmyer Hotspring, where we had the whole place to ourselves.  It was a bumpy trip, mostly on double track until we got to the river crossing over the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie.

After eating our packed lunches we took a blissful soak;  alternating between the hot pool of the mineral spring and the adjacent cold spring with a waterfall providing the background music.  It is remarkably quiet and restful there with only the sounds of Burntboot Creek Falls (my guess is that it was named for the odor of the hot spring) and the birds.  The weather was ideal for the trip, the road was bare and dry under a partly cloudy sky.  I hope to do this trip again next year -- so if you missed out this time you'll likely have another opportunity.  Otherwise, go on your own sometime it is well worth the bumpy 10 miles to get there.  40-plus mm tires strongly recommended, and suspension of some kind would make the ride easier as well.

Ten of us started Thursday from the Leschi Starbucks with beautiful, sunny weather. We promptly lost one to a mechanical issue. The remainder rode counterclockwise around Lake Washington to the 520 bridge, where 3 more left to go do July 4 activities. The rest of us went to the Kirkland Parade, then Juanita, and returned via the Cross-Kirkland Eastrail to the 520 bridge. We returned to Leschi via the arboretum and celebrated with beer and bites at the Bluwater Bistro.