Author Archives: Bill Gobie

by | March 9, 2026 · 11:17 pm

Rerouting near the east end of the Cedar River Trail

3/7/2026

High river flow during the storms in December 2025 scoured and destabilized the embankment that carries the Cedar River Trail about three miles from the trail’s eastern end at Landsburg. The embankment and trail surface have eroded significantly in the last month. The trail will likely collapse soon. Crossing the closed section of the trail is far too dangerous, despite local residents continuing to walk and bike across it.

Most people were probably unaware the trail was so close to the river here.

Google Street View

King County has furnished no information about repairs. Given that the embankment is not a levee protecting a flood zone, repairing the trail probably has low priority. Fortunately the damaged section can be bypassed on residential streets:

RWGPS Cycle map

Four permanents have been rerouted. The routes are slightly shorter and lost some gravel credit, but gained a 15% surprise.

0401 Leschi-Auburn-Leschi

0848 Mercer Island-Selleck

1076 Southern Exposure

5709 Cedar River Wilderness Run

Leave a Comment

Filed under Permanent Change, Permanents, Uncategorized

by | March 3, 2026 · 4:30 pm

Snoqualmie Valley Trail Closure near Rattlesnake Lake

Note Rattlesnake Lake at lower left

The last mile or so of the Snoqualmie Valley Trail is closed to bicycles and pedestrians very close to Rattlesnake Lake. The trail is being used for vehicle access to residences on Edgewick Rd while Edgewick is being repaired. Edgewick is not a detour option. The SVT should reopen in early April according to King County.

Detour options are not good. The route beginning with 136th Ave SE at I-90 is strongly discouraged due to extreme grades, poor sightlines, and fast drivers. A safer option is to follow permanent 4078 Snakebit backwards from North Bend. This is a substantially more difficult route than the SVT’s nice railroad grade. The best option is probably to choose other routes while the SVT is closed.

Note that permanents continuing up the Palouse to Cascades Trail (Iron Horse) past Rattlesnake Lake are deactivated due to the serious washout that occurred in December. The rideability of most of those routes is moot anyway while the Snoqualmie Tunnel is closed for winter.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Permanent Change, Permanents, Uncategorized

by | August 16, 2024 · 9:44 pm

2024 Summer Gravel Populaire Pre-ride Report

Cle Elum-Hyak-Cle Elum

a populaire with a downhill tailwind finish

Distance: 101.5 km
Climbing: 1090 ft (Wahoo Roam v2)
Time limit: 8hr 15min

Important travel info

Construction-associated lane reductions on I-90 may slow your drive to and from the ride. Be sure to allow ample to arrive at the start in Cle Elum. Information from WSDOT here; scroll down to Homestead Valley Rd.

Bike Detours

You will encounter “Bike Detour” signs at several locations on the route. Ignore all of them. They appear to be for the questionable benefit of unfortunate cyclists riding on I-90, directing them around the construction zones and back to I-90. Ignore all BIKE DETOUR signs.

The Route

From Pioneer Coffee the route reaches the Palouse to Cascades Trail in about 1.4 miles. From there it follows the trail directly to Hyak almost entirely on gravel. This part of the P2C is more exposed than the trail on the west side of the Snoqualmie Tunnel. Be prepared for sunny conditions.

Do not be dismayed if your speed seems impaired. Gravel is slow, the route climbs almost the entire way at a railroad grade, much of it too shallow for a GPS to detect, and you may be heading into the Snoqualmie Scirocco. (Cliff Maas explains the wind.) Enjoy the often quiet setting, the absence of cars, the open fields, the forests, the river views, and your fellow riders. Carry more water than you think you should need. Keep in mind the gravel time allowance gives you an hour and a half more time than the same distance entirely on pavement. Think about the return trip: How often do our routes finish downhill with a tailwind?

There are two tunnels on the way to Hyak. Both are short enough that lights are not needed. In fact, you will exit them before your eyes can adjust. The surface in the tunnels is rougher than the trail out in the open. There are no serious potholes but be prepared to absorb surprise roller coaster bumps and dips.

At several bridges the bridge deck sits an inch or two above the dirt trail. Be careful at these transitions not to flat or dent a rim.

No services are available on the way to Hyak. There are a few pit toilets at irregular intervals.

There are numerous gates to go around. They are all well marked with reflective material. One gate in particular, at the site of a double railroad crossing at 12.8 miles, has some loose gravel in the path around the gate.

The first info control is at Hyak. Hyak has nice restrooms and a water station on the north side of the building. From Hyak you head back to Cle Elum.

On the way back the route turns off the P2C into Lake Easton State Park on a pleasant trail through forest. Take it easy as there may be families with small children. At the info control you can enjoy scenic views of the lake. A little farther there is a nice Park restroom and water just off the route, noted in the cues.

After the Park the route goes through the small town of Easton. You might want to grab a bite at Spur Burger (the only option for resupply that I could see).

Leaving Easton the route rejoins the P2C trail. Now downhill, and possibly with a sprightly tailwind, you should make good time back to Cle Elum. The old Cle Elum train depot heralds the turn off the trail and arrival in Cle Elum.

The Finish

The finish at Mule & Elk is in a construction disaster zone. Look for the large wooden beer mug on the right. Walk your bike over the steel plate, or whatever pathway leads across the construction zone that day, and make your way to the brewpub.

Comments Off on 2024 Summer Gravel Populaire Pre-ride Report

Filed under SIR Rides

by | January 29, 2024 · 10:23 pm

Gravel Permanents

Starting February 1, 2024, gravel credit and timing will apply to permanents with unpaved portions! Relaxed timing should open up new terrain and gnarlier routes should become accessible to a wider variety of riders.

Gravel Timing

An extra minute is allowed to complete a route for every kilometer of gravel. The extra time allowance is computed by adding up all the gravel segments in a route, then dropping any fractional kilometer. (Ride with GPS displays the summary unpaved distance.) For example, at the minimum average speed of 15 kph, a 200 km route has a basic time allowance of 4 min/km, or 800 minutes. If the route has gravel segments of 20.6 km and 2.2 km, the sum is 22.8 km. Thus the extra time is 22 minutes. The total time limit is 822 minutes or 13 hours 42 minutes. This is the same rule that has been used for RUSA gravel brevets and populaires.

RUSA’s RwGPS routes contain the overall time limit in the final cue. Presently the time limit is based on 4 min/km. After Feb 1 the volunteers will begin updating gravel routes with the extra time allowance. It will take some time to work through all the routes. If you are unsure whether a time limit has been updated, you can check it yourself with the method described above.

RUSA’s results logger, where you enter your elapsed time, has been updated with gravel distances. It will know the correct time limit regardless of whether the time limit in the RwGPS route has been updated.

Gravel Credit

Gravel permanent kilometers will be tracked in your results and apply toward gravel awards.

Checking for Gravel

To check whether a route is a gravel route, use the Permanents Search function at rusa.org > Permanents > Search. The results will list unpaved distance. For example, searching WA routes of 100-199 km gives:

Baked Goods and Cle Elum-Hyak-Cle Elum contain unpaved distance, so you would get gravel credit and timing for riding them.

A route is a gravel route only if the RUSA database says so!

RwGPS might say a route has unpaved distance yet RUSA does not show any unpaved distance. Reasons could be:

  • The route was overlooked and needs to be updated as a gravel route.
  • The route is known to be entirely paved. RwGPS’ surface-type data is flawed and has not been corrected.

Gravel Errors

Surface-type information comes from the crowd-sourced Open Street Map project. Surface-type data is missing or incorrect for some roads, leading to errors in unpaved distance. If you notice errors when riding, such as unmapped unpaved segments, or incorrect unpaved distance, you can report errors with the form at rusa.org > Permanents > Permanent Route Update Request. (If you’re really dedicated, you can also correct OpenStreetMap yourself. Then routes created in the future will have the right surface type.)

Comments Off on Gravel Permanents

Filed under Permanents

by | December 27, 2023 · 6:13 pm

High Impact Closure: South Interurban Trail

Photo by Shaun Ivory

The Interurban bike bridge over the Green River in Kent near S 256th St appears to have been damaged by a vehicle. The bridge is just south of where the Green River Trail terminates at the Interurban Trail. Hopefully the damage is light and the bridge will not be closed for long. Detouring is not difficult – plan ahead.

Comments Off on High Impact Closure: South Interurban Trail

Filed under Uncategorized

by | June 27, 2023 · 4:27 pm

2023 Summer Populaire — Iron Horse Trail

Very little has changed about this route from previous years. See my writeup for 2022.

A small change has been made at the start due to changing traffic patterns in North Bend. The ride now accesses the trail via Ballarat Ave. (The same change has been made to the Permanent.)

The start and finish will be run differently for this ride. Late starts will not be accommodated. The organizer intends to join the ride. The start will close whenever he gets all the start materials put away.

Proof of finishing and proof of passage will be entirely by electronic means. The finish will not be staffed. When you finish, or if you DNF, text the organizer (me) with your name. This provides the confirmation RUSA wants that you are off the course. If you do not text within a reasonable period after the time limit, I will call your emergency contact. We don’t want that, do we?

Proof of passage will be by providing a gps track in Ride with GPS. Upload your ride to RwGPS, then report the link to the ride on a Google Form that will be made available on the SIR ride page and on an informational card you will get at the start.

Comments Off on 2023 Summer Populaire — Iron Horse Trail

Filed under Brevets, SIR Rides

by | March 25, 2023 · 5:08 pm

Tommy Thompson Trail Trestle Reopened

Last summer a portion of the trestle across Fidalgo Bay was burned. Reconstruction finished ahead of schedule last month. Three permanents were affected. They can be ridden now without detouring onto Hwy 20:

3040 San Juans Shuttle, 3043 Snohomish-Anacortes, 3044 Snohomish-Anacortes-Snohomish

I know you all missed chancing your tires on the broken oyster shells.

Thanks to Matt Kreger for alerting me to this news.

Comments Off on Tommy Thompson Trail Trestle Reopened

Filed under Permanents

by | November 3, 2022 · 11:50 am

2022 Turkey Populaire Pre-Ride Report

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/40858024
117 km
Climbing: 4300 ft (RwGPS), 4900 ft (pre-ride gps)

The Populaire starts at Tacoma’s War Memorial Park. There is ample parking at the park and adjacent Park & Ride lot. The park does not have restrooms. A number of fast food restaurants and a gas station are nearby.

The ride starts with the spectacular crossing of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The projected cold weather should discourage tourists, but as always, be careful around pedestrians and other cyclists. The descent to the bridge, climb to its middle, descent and then final climb on the west side set the tone for the route: Up, down, up and down, up and down…. Easily adjustable clothing for temperature regulation is highly recommended. For the most part the route is on relatively quiet roads with pleasant scenery.

After a short cruise on the Cushman Trail the route descends into Gig Harbor, where the traffic circle that was under construction all summer at Stinson Ave is finished. Expect slow traffic and oblivious pedestrians in the downtown area.

A long ascent ensues culminating in a thrilling plunge to Olalla. The store here is closed but does have a chemical toilet available.

Climbing out of Olalla we take the longer route through a little neighborhood while the cars go up the shorter way. This bit has the steepest climbing on the route. There is a scenic spot near the top where you can pretend to take in the view while catching your breath. Once you’ve winched your way to the top you’ve got the ride in the bag. Now about the remaining 100 kms….

Seriously, if you decide to walk the climb on Banner Rd, do use the left side where you will not be hemmed in by a guard rail.

Banner Rd continues north arrow straight. Eventually it begins a “climbing descent” where you can make up some time. Approaching Southworth we weave through a little neighborhood to stay away from any ferry traffic.

The Southworth info control is at the Southworth Grocery. From there the route offers water views as it continues through Manchester and around the point to the next info control at the Waterman Pier. This is a pleasant, speedy section of the route.

Port Orchard comes next where the cue sheet points out a 7-Eleven for resupply. There are numerous cafes and coffee shops if you need a higher-class calorie and caffeine boost. The steady climb on Port Orchard Blvd returns us to the undulating highlands of the Kitsap Peninsula.

After the Fire Station 15 info control comes a fast downhill on Pine Rd where you must be ready to get on your brakes for the turn to Spruce Rd. Warning cues have been added for this and several other turns that are easy to miss.

At Wauna we turn left onto Hwy 302. Traffic may be heavy, be patient with the left turn.

After crossing the little bridge on 302 turn into the 76 gas station. What looks like a parking lot is actually Tyee Dr.

Tyee Dr shortly merges with Purdy Dr. At this point Purdy Dr is functionally a shoulderless onramp for WA-16. At least there are two lanes and most drivers should give you room. Relief comes in a kilometer with the turn onto Burnham Dr.

The route wanders south and west to the last info control at Kopachuck State Park, which has restrooms. Next we swing by the Arletta store on our way back to the Narrows Bridge.

The entrance to the Narrows Bridge trail is via a left turn on a blind right hand curve. Please be cautious.

The finish is at the Starbucks on 6th Ave in Tacoma, a few blocks past War Memorial Park.

Comments Off on 2022 Turkey Populaire Pre-Ride Report

Filed under Brevets, SIR Rides

by | September 10, 2022 · 5:25 pm

Permanent Route Updates

Lots of new routes have been created since my last post about routes.

#04367 Divas 2 Good 2 Stoup, 105 km, designed by Mark Thomas, was the route used for the Divas Populaire.

#04412 Redmond-Golden Gardens, 102.4 km, was contributed by Randy Oakley. Apart from the Missing Link in Ballard, it is entirely on the Burke-Gilman and Sammamish Valley Trails. At 47.8 km the route has a curious left turn onto the Burke-Gilman from Shilshole Ave that involves getting on the right-hand sidewalk along Shilshole. SDOT has done what it could to ensure cyclists make the turn under the protection of the traffic light. Please study the map and execute the turn as intended for your safety.

#4481 Packwood-Paradise-Packwood, 126 km, should be a spectacular route once the wildfires pass this year. Note Stevens Canyon Rd is only open Fri-Sun this year due to construction.

#4509 Cle Elum-Hyak-Cle Elum, 100 km, is 92% on gravel on the Iron Horse Trail.

#4454 Southworth-Belfair-Keyport-Bainbridge, 104 km, is a scenic and rather strenuous route with 4200 ft of climbing. If you find this route unchallenging you can move on to:

#4518 Vashon Ramble, 102 km. Finally I worked out a route on Vashon! With 6500 ft of climbing don’t let the name lull you into taking it easy. Note Burma Rd is closed. The closure signs are on the side of road to allow local traffic to pass. Don’t mistake that for the road being passable. It is definitely cut.

Geoff Swarts has been busy constructing a loop around the Olympic Peninsula:

He also has some routes to get you down the Oregon coast:

#4536 Mazama-Chesaw-Mazama, 402 km, was created by request.

Reactivated and updated routes

#2342 Four Pass Challenge, 605 km, was reactivated by request. This route climbs Stevens, Old Blewett, White, and Cayuse Passes in addition to traversing the Yakima River canyon.

#4180 Wet Side-Dry Side, 404 km, was updated for the closed trestle on the Issaquah-Preston trail.

Farther Afield

If you are feeling mildewed this winter consider my new routes in Death Valley:

#4387 Dante’s Palette – Death Valley, 120 km, has a devilish 8000 ft of climbing to a peak elevation of 5460 ft.

#4390 Black Mountains Loop – Death Valley, 218 km, has yet more climbing but mercifully below 3400 ft elevation.

Comments Off on Permanent Route Updates

Filed under Permanent Change, Permanents

by | September 7, 2022 · 11:31 am

Tommy Thompson Trail Trestle Closed

Someone set the trestle on fire last week. Cascadia Daily News. This is the trestle that crosses Fidalgo Bay approaching Anacortes. Several routes use the trestle:

3040 San Juans Shuttle, 3043 Snohomish-Anacortes, 3044 Snohomish-Anacortes-Snohomish

The routes will remain active. Detouring on highway 20 is straightforward. Leaving Anacortes there are side roads and a bike trail accessible at S Fidalgo Bay Rd about half a mile before the traffic circle on 20. You cannot use this trail and roads going into Anacortes because of the median barrier on 20 at S Fidalgo Bay Rd!

Comments Off on Tommy Thompson Trail Trestle Closed

Filed under Permanents