Richard Petters and I met at the Seattle fast ferry dock where we boarded for Kingston - bikes go inside on this run. We saw Orcas!
When we arrived at Kingston, there were no cars on the road so we set off for our ride to our camp for the night, Night Owl Landing. I had a feeling when we turned left onto Epic Dr that this was going to be good, but I had no idea what exactly we were going to find... were the photos of Silver Creek Lounge, complete with flush toilets and kitchen for real? Was there really a bike shop? When we rolled up, Kelly and Heidi met us and took us on a tour. They built their home and the Silver Creek Lounge, with full-service bike shop, a kitchen and space for parties, etc with hopes to create a community. This was one of those times when you realize you have stumbled onto something really good.
We set up our tents in a field of dense clover, cooked dinner and hung out indoors in the cozy warmth until bedtime... at 9pm. After we packed up in the morning, the adventure began. Although this was my 4th time riding in the Pt Gamble Forest, I had never entered on the Dirt Devil trail before. And probably never will again! There was a mixture of riding, hike-a-bike, resting, whooping and, of course, navigating as we made our way north toward Pt Gamble for lunch at Butcher & Baker.
After lunch, we decided the forest was fun, but we couldn't gamble on missing the ferry so we hit the road to head south on 104. Drivers were pretty good and gave us space (it was my lucky day, Friday the 13th and I was in my "lucky" colors of pink and purple) and we made it to the ferry in plenty of time. Here's our route, more or less: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44707410
Who knows Garry Kehr?
We rode! We ate! We made new friends! Three COGS members (Kevin, Pam, and Liam) joined the Spokane Bicycle Club (SBC) for a delightful weekend of riding and eating and walking around Colville, WA. The weather was good. A bit cloudy and cool but not cold. It was good cycling and camping weather. Colville is a nice, quiet town. Pam and Liam opted for a hotel instead of the staying at the campground at the fairgrounds. But I have to say the campground was super nice and right in the middle of the town. It was convenient to everything. With clean bathrooms, hot showers, and a kitchen for the group. I would seriously consider staying at the campground next time I do this ride. The SBC members were very friendly and welcoming.
On Friday afternoon, after driving for 6+ hours, we rode 21 miles with SBC. Pam and I were tired from the drive so we passed on the Friday dinner with the group and picked up a gluten free pizza from Westside Pizza. It was awesome! Kevin had dinner with the group. On Saturday morning, we rode 40 miles. Later in the afternoon, we had a potluck at the fairgrounds which included BBQ from the Longhorn restaurant in Spokane Valley. It was so delicious! On Sunday, we rode 17 miles, showered up, and since there were lots of leftovers from Saturday’s potluck we had that for lunch, and then headed back to Seattle. Even the drive was nice… except for I-90.
Saturday's ride at the start:
Sunday's ride (Liam, Pam, and Garry):
Sunday's ride (Liam, Kevin, Garry, and others):
Test post. This will post is just to make sure I can add photos to a Ride Report. Apparently I need to use an Admin view. I will try to create the post first and then add photos.
I'm now in Admin view and editing this post. Now when I look at the More dropdown list I see this:
To insert this image I first clipped the screen capture and then saved the image on my PC. Then I used Insert image from the menu and selected my file from the PC and then clicked Insert.
Here is an image inserted using Insert Image from that menu:
This image was already on the COGS site but the image selector allows you to upload new images from your computer too.
Hope this helps. This post will be deleted in 3-2-...
This was my first trip to Goldmyer Hotspring. I had planned to camp at Goldmyer with overnight camping reservations for eight, but I am glad it turned into a day trip with only two of us (more about this later) . We (Mike and Michael) carpooled to the Middle Fork Trailhead at the end of pavement on the Middle Fork Road, starting the ride around 9 AM up the Taylor River Road to what is called the Middle Fork Road on the Green Trails Map (174 SX); it is also NF 5600. I believe it was a railroad bed in a previous incarnation, as there used to be a railroad up to Goldmyer to accommodate passengers. The first ten miles and 1,850 feet could be accomplished by a reasonably capable cyclist on a loaded gravel bike, and It was easy enough on our full suspension mountain bikes without camping gear. We turned off NF 5600 at Middle Fork Tie #4 Trail, where there was a small sign indicating Goldmyer trail to the right.
The little bridge across Burntboot Creek was in good shape, and we made our way up the trail to the hot spring; arriving at the caretaker's cabin at approximately 11:30. The hosts were friendly and helpful. After signing in, we left our bikes behind and climbed the trail past the "Grandfather Tree" about 1/4 mile up to the spring, where we stripped off our sweaty togs and immersed ourselves in the hot spring for about an hour. The Spring is in a beautiful, secluded location next to a waterfall on Burntboot Creek. We had the entire place to ourselves, and it was a delightful soak indeed. We alternated between dips in the hot spring and dips in the cold spring immediately adjacent to it. I toweled off feeling as if I'd just had a massage.
Then came the hard part. As planned, we headed back via the Middle Fork Trail on the south side of the river. The first challenge was to cross Burntboot Creek. Michael crossed first, then tossed his sandals back across so I could cross without either going barefoot or getting my shoes wet. That was the first of many creek crossings, some with intact bridges, some without, some dry, some not so dry. At one such, we managed to disturb a hornets nest and I got stung, twice - this after encountering many rock gardens and roots that had forced me to dismount and hike-a-bike several times. We weren't even half way back yet. This was somewhat discouraging, but we pressed on and arrived back at the trailhead sore and tired by about 4:00.
The trail had some rideable and fun segments, but even with full suspension mountain bikes this was a difficult trail. I was glad not to have tried it with a gravel bike and camping gear, not to mention several pissed off COGSters -- I would have been lynched! I would do this trip again, but older and wiser. For one thing, I would stick to the old FS road both ways. It was a heck of an adventure, and in spite of the difficult trail back we enjoyed the beautiful scenery, the car-free miles, the hotspring, each other's company, and perfect riding weather. Photos from the trip are on my FlickR site.
NOTE - if you decide to try this yourself, pay careful attention to the warnings and information on Goldmyer's website. Don't depend on GPS, bring a map - especially if taking the trail. GPS reception may be very spotty, and there is no cellphone coverage. Bring what you would bring on a hiking trip; the ten essentials and a water filter if camping at Goldmyer. Be prepared to deal with creek crossings, which may be impassable at certain times of the year - especially during the spring melt. The hot spring is worth the trip, however you get there.
Eight of us had a mostly pleasant ride around Vashon. The qualification of "mostly" explained below.
While at Colvos, Arnie, opted for a liquid lunch. Thirty-two ounces of a nap inducing local brew. Makes waiting for the ferry go faster. Too fast for some.
This is a test post for creating Ride Reports as well as a post that shows how to create ride reports. Any COGS member can create a basic Ride Report but to add photos you need to have administrative privileges.
To create a basic ride report, click Add Post and type away.
To create a ride report with photos:
On June 03-June-2023, four riders (Barbara, Noriko, Sabine, and Liam) gathered at Magnuson Park for a social (ie, not to fast) ride around the lake. At 9am, we were on the bikes and headed to Woodinville for coffee at Sidekick Coffee located at NE 173rd & 135th Ave. We enjoyed our break and took our time. Afterwards, we were off to Kirkland for lunch at PCC. Liam learned a new trick - Forget your wallet and someone will buy you coffee & lunch. A big thank you to Barbara for feeding the ride leader! After lunch, we continue the ride back to the start. Noriko headed home from the UW Triangle. The remaining riders returned to Magnuson.
At Sidekick Coffee:
At the UW Triangle:
The ride:
On May 28th at 8am, 7 riders (Susan, Scott, Pam, Matt, Stephen, Benjamin, and Liam) departed Woodinville for a 77mi and 3585ft ride to Snohomish and beyond. In Snohomish, we made an obligatory stop (I mean, mandatory!) at the Pie Company for coffee and pastries. Afterwards we were off to Sultan for lunch. After some debate we decided on the Sultan Bakery and I am glad we did. It is a great little place. Very busy. Good food. Excellent employees and service. Then we were off to Maltby for ice cream! After desert we were back on the bikes and returned to the start.
It was a great day for riding. Low traffic. Perfect weather. Great company.
Caught by the train in Sultan before Ben Howard road:
At the end:
Liam has to get his face in here too:
June 8, 2023, eight adventurous COGS riders undertook the ride from Ashford, WA up to the Paradise Visitor Center on Mt Rainier. It is a 50-mile round trip ride with 3600 feet of climbing. The weather was near perfect for riding, permitting mostly shirt sleeve and/or light jacket attire. The sky was a bit cloudy, but the emerging sun warmed the riders both going up and coming.
Mt. Rainier was “out” in all its majestic glory. The glaciers and the snow-covered summit beckoned the riders all the way to Paradise at an elevation of 5420 feet. The road was dry, and traffic was mercifully light on the weekday journey.
Spring/summer had definitely “sprung” on Mt Rainier. The creeks all along the route were running full of fresh snow melt. The trees and leafy ground cover in the forest were a vibrant green, sparkling a warm, magical reflection of light throughout the forest. As the riders approached Paradise Visitor Center snow covered the forest floor. The snow was lovely to see interspersed with the ever-green trees/bushes and ground cover and bubbling brooks and streams. Absolutely beautiful!
The riders climbed the mountain at their own pace and comfort level and met at the Paradise Visitors Center for lunch/snacks before heading back down the mountain. The downhill descent was amazingly fun with so little traffic and great road conditions. We reassembled at Copper Creek Restaurant for the “world famous” black berry pie before finishing the last couple miles to Ashford and our return back to Seattle.
The Riders consisted of Tom T (ride leader), Noriko (first time riding up to Paradise), Mike F, Brant R (relatively new COGS member. WELCOME!), Richard P, Teri B (former COGS member relocated to Arizona), Becky C, Gus J, and Jeff G.
The ride definitely lived up to our Club motto of we “Ride for Fun, Friends, and Adventure.”
The COGS motto is "Riding for fun, friends, and adventure". It was looking like this ride was going to be an adventure because the leader (ie, Liam) got in over his head with this route. Luckily for Liam, Susan and Scott and Richard signed up on the last day before the ride. They kept Liam on track and no one got lost.
On May 7th at 9am, 6 riders (Susan, Scott, Richard, Pam, Mike, Liam) departed Woodinville for Snohomish to have lunch at the Pie Company. The weather was great. The company was better. After lunch, we made our way to Monroe and then back to Woodinville. It was a fun ride.
Lunch at Snohomish Pie Company:
Here is the ride on RWGPS: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/120364084
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