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.

If you'd rather skip the written report and just see the photos, you can find them here.  A full ride report below:

The two of us (Liam and I) loaded our bikes on the Kistap fast ferry from Seattle to Kingston on Monday morning (June 17th) and headed for the hills.  On day one, we rode from Kingston to Quilcene via Port Gamble where we stopped for lunch and I picked up an anorak, having left my rain gear at home.  It wasn't supposed to rain!  It did, of course - though just a light drizzle it was pretty cold and damp.  That anorak came in handy, and I was glad I could find one in Port Gamble at Olympic Outdoor Center.  We pedaled across the Hood Canal floating bridge and along the shoulder of SR 104, enduring the traffic noise and making our way through a road project at the Beaver Valley Road junction.  We left 104 at Center Road, enjoying the much lighter traffic and foxgloves in full bloom alongside the road.  We spent the night at Mount Walker Inn, which was very nice - clean and quiet.  It was our last shower, restaurant meal (Quilbilly's), and phone call opportunity as we left civilization and cellphone coverage behind for the next couple of days.  (29 miles/1,700 feet)

On Tuesday morning we started up Penny Creek Road, beginning the biggest climb of the trip - 17 miles and up 3,800 feet to Bon Jon Pass.  It started out damp and cool, but cleared up and warmed up during the day as we sweated uphill, mostly on pavement and alongside of forests full of blooming rhododendrons and other wildflowers.  At the first summit we stopped for lunch.  There was more climbing ahead of us, another 1,200 feet and 16 miles of gravel road - and some double digit grades and pothole mazes to contend with.  Upon arriving at Forks of the Dungeness campground, we were pleasantly surprised by how beautiful and quiet it was (quiet until the cub scout troop arrived, at any rate).  No shower and no potable water - but we washed off the sweat of the day and filtered some water from the river (Grey Wolf, near the confluence with the Dungeness River). (33 miles/5,000 ft)

On Wednesday we discussed routing options, and decided to head to Sequim Bay State Park rather than the Dungeness Campground as I had originally planned - both to reduce the mileage for the return to Kingston, and because it tends to be warmer and dryer.  This was the shortest ride of the trip, with some final lovely miles in the national forest before we hit pavement and a long descent into Sequim.  We stopped for brunch at The Oak Table Cafe.  I had their "Signature Apple Pancake" and Liam had an omelette.  The portions were enormous - I couldn't finish the sugary delicious pancake even though I was quite hungry.  We headed to Sequim Bay along the Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT) where we set up camp in one of the hiker/biker sites and took badly needed showers!  Back to Sequim 4.5 miles for dinner, and then camp for the night. (28 miles/1,600 ft)

On Thursday morning we made another route change.  We had no particular reason to return to Quilcene, since we rode our bikes there instead of driving and parking and because we didn't relish the thought of returning to Kingston via 101 and 104.  Liam suggested an alternative that took us on the ODT and mostly on backroads to the Hood Canal Bridge.  This turned out to be a very nice ride - except for the 1.5 mile climb on SR 20 from Discovery Bay.  It truly deserves its reputation - a steep climb with no shoulder and a deep ditch alongside the road.  Don't think I'll be doing that again- but this time we lucked out!   A driver had somehow put her car in the ditch!  We detoured around the tow truck and state patrol waved us on.  We left 20 and turned right on Eaglemount Road with no more traffic behind us.  The rest of the route via Center, Beaver Valley, Larson Lake, Andy Cooper, Oak Bay and Paradise Bay Roads took us back to Hood Canal and Kingston for the Fast Ferry home.  (45.5 miles/2,800 feet) 

This was a more epic trip for either of us than the miles and elevation gain would suggest, but we are both looking forward to doing this again and we are planning another bikepacking adventure soon.  Contact me if you're interested in the route we took, or joining us on our next bikepacking trip.

PS - if you're planning a trip on the ODT, do skip SR 20 but plan a stop at the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribal Library.  It's well worth your while to visit the cultural exhibit that includes an 18,000 year old mammoth thigh bone with a spear point embedded in it.  You are riding across and through their ancestral homeland, after all.

Our Wednesday evening rides don't involve riding in the dark during these summer months. We had a great turnout for tonight's ride and finished well before sunset.

On 19-MAR-2024, Liam, Pam, Mike, Ralph, and Garry participated in COGS first Tuesday Brisk ride of the season.  I am happy to share this update with the club.  As the weather gets better, we will see more of these rides.  

The route took us north (with a quick stop at UW to see the Cherry Blossoms) through Seattle into the hills of Brier before descending down to the Burke-Gilman for a short stretch.  We then climbed Norway Hill and made our way through the quiet neighborhoods in Juanita before dropping back down to Lake Washington and back via the SR-520 bridge.  It was challenging!

Many thanks to Ralph for planning and posting the ride!

     

We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day to ride along the water south of Seattle.  After taking light rail to the southern end of the line at Angle Lake, we plunged down the paved Des Moines Creek Trail through the woods to the waterfront at Des Moines beach, a quick drop of almost 400’ of elevation.  Of course, who coasts down must then ride back up, and that was the theme of the first half of our ride.  After 20 miles of climbing and descending, and a break at Lincoln Park in W. Seattle, we enjoyed another 20 miles of coastal views from the pleasantly flat route around Alki, the Seattle waterfront, and the Ship Canal trail.  Our only disappointments were having one rider abandon the ride early because of bike issues, and finding that Bakery Nouveau in Burien is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.