After being closed for many years due to severe washouts, road 26 in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest is open again. This road runs from south of Randle up to road 99 near Spirit Lake and Bear Meadows. We last used this road on the 2014 Summer 600 brevet. It features in two permanents, which are available again: #511 Elbe-Bear Meadow-Elbe and #512 Ashford-Bear Meadow-Elbe.
Special thanks to Tyler Gillies for checking on the status of road 26.
Comments Off on Permanent Change: Gifford Pinchot Forest Road 26 is Open
Filed under Permanent Change, Permanents
Pre-riders Thai and Ray
by Ray, Hugh, John, Rachel and Theo
Note: The 6/29/2019 Last Chance 400K and 600K follow the same routes described here.
Magnificent views a little gravel and a lot of hills? We’ve got all that and more in these returns to the wonderful 2017 Chuckamano Views 400K route from 2017. We’ve also added a 200K extension to the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River to create a 600K brevet option. The original report covers most of what you’ll want to know for the first 400K, but in this report we’ll provide a few updates as well as information about the 200K extension.
Leaving the Bear Creek Park and Ride on Sunday morning, Rachel and Theo were surprised to find themselves shivering in the mist, trying to warm up on the first few hills. So much for Epic Ride Weather, an app Theo has recently become obsessed with! Though, in truth, its promises of headwinds for the first 200K of their 400K pre-ride would bear out all too accurately. On the upside, the cold, inverted weather held a beautiful layer of cloud in valley trees, making for a lovely view looking down from Broadway rolling toward Snohomish. But let this be a reminder: Bring a warm layer as it could be cold at the start and again on the way back to Redmond via the Centennial trail, even if daytime temperatures are forecast to be nice and hot.
Edison Slough
This theme of beauty along the route was a constant for all six pre-riders—and they’re confident that you’ll experience the same. Hugh remarked on the striking flowers, everywhere along the course: California poppies, buttercups, fox glove, daises, and a lot more. He also had this to say about the stiff climb out of Fairhaven: “I enjoyed the climb out of Fairhaven. It was on a small road with many turns and well-kept properties. It reminded me of roads in France.” Whether you have the presence of mind to imagine the roads of the South of France, where the ACP Super Randonneur 600K challenge was born, or not will, depend on your gearing. Bring something low enough that you can settle into a steady spin, or be prepared to stand up and go! (Perhaps easier said than done if one fills up on too much pizza and beer at the open control in Fairhaven.)
Lake Whatcom
From Fairhaven, the routes diverge from the 2017 original and skips Deming altogether. Instead, you’ll ride along Lake Whatcom through the incredibly striking Sudden Valley. Here, preriders saw many deer, experienced a bit of car traffic (likely dependant on time of day), and wondered what it would cost to move into one of the triple-size homes along the gorgeous lake and take up watersports… but they kept pedaling anyway.
Eventually, the winding roads of Sudden Valley meet Highway 9. 600K riders will turn right, riding south toward Sedro Woolley. 400K riders will turn left, riding north to an info control in Acme before turning around to catch up with the 600K riders. For this next section of the rote, whichever distance you’ve chosen, you’ll be on the narrow-to-nonexistent shoulder of the highway and it pays to remain attentive and cautious throughout. Traffic here seems to vary widely by time of day. Hugh specifically mentioned that this section was good. Rachel and Theo were passed by car after car, including a semi-trailer truck which zoomed by much too close, clearly in excess of the speed limit, and nearly hit an oncoming car. Theo rode most of these miles looking over his shoulder. Perhaps a rearview mirror would be advisable. In any case, please be attentive as you ride and be sure to stop and don your reflective gear (vest and ankle bands) and turn on your lights as the day wears on and grows dark.
Both routes return to Redmond via the Centennial Trail (Arlington to Snohomish) and short section of the Sammamish and Marymoor Connector Trails. A welcome respite from car traffic and stop lights, these trails can have a somnolent effect on some riders (looking at you, Theo). But don’t sleep on your bike! Stay alert and on the watch for the many bollards along the way—there are even a few without reflective tape—we don’t want you to hit them. You can, however, sleep at the Redmond Inn, where 600K riders will have their overnight control and 400K riders are encouraged to have a bite to eat and close their eyes for at least a few minutes before attempting to drive home. Better yet, book a room and get several hours of sleep. Driving home after a 400K may seem reasonable when you’re full of energy from the excitement of finishing, but it can be very unsafe as your body will be very tired.
Views from the Middle Fork
Day 2 finds our tired but determined 600K riders warming their way up Union Hill before dropping down into the cool fog of the Snoqualmie Valley. After a quick stop in Carnation for some hot coffee, there’s a nice section of hard-packed gravel to get you ready for the crown jewel of the day—the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River. The newer asphalt rolls like butter as you take in the views of the river, mountains and forests. If you’re tuckered out at the end of the road near the campground, don’t despair as it’s mostly a nice downhill cruise all the way back to North Bend.
The return back to Snoqualmie features some smooth-rolling gravel. It’s a bit of a climb up to Snoqualmie Ridge, but the steep, flowing descent down Lake Alice Road makes it all seem worthwhile. Don’t get too complacent though, as the climb up the Preston–Fall City Road reminds you that gravity is king! From there, it’s a nice cruise on the mostly shaded Issaquah-Preston gravel trail.
The stretch from Issaquah to Black Diamond is your typical highly-trafficked Sunday bike ride. From the southern terminus of the route, it’s a quick jaunt up WA-169 before more gravel along the ever-pleasing Lake Wilderness. The miles flow quickly on the Cedar River Trail into Renton as you ride mostly downhill like a salmon on its journey to the ocean. The section through Renton is not the typical SIR route, so pay close attention to the cues as you near end of the trail: Instead of exiting onto Mill Avenue and crossing over Houser Way you will take a right turn on the bridge across the Cedar River, hang a quick left and then a sharp right onto Houser Way. Use caution as traffic can be moving quickly on Houser and you’ll need to quickly move 3 lanes to the left to be set up to go straight onto Factory Avenue at the traffic signal.
From there, it’s your typical cruise up Lake Washington Boulevard. Make sure you REALLY DO STOP at all those stop signs, now with additional verbiage spelling it out. No good SIR ride can end without some hills and, yes, there are a few as you make your way onto the I-90 bike trail, through the neighborhood streets and back to the finish at the Redmond Inn.
Additional ride details, RWGPS links and preregistration available on seattlerando.org
By Mitch Ishihara, Adam Glass, and John Nguyen
Reviving our islands and views theme from previous years1, we bring you scenic vistas on Whidbey Island with the added bonus of sufficiently steep and copious hills compressed into 202K (7900 feet elevation). Whidbey Island’s back roads also offer an escape from (un)civilization showcasing mouth watering baked goods, boutique coffee, plenty of real food options, and of course refreshing beer options at the finish. We reshaped SIR’s RUSA Permanent 998 Whidbey Coast, giving it a trim to down to 202 km and a detour away from the automobile-congested Deception Pass. For those who’ve never been to Whidbey Island, we think you’ll discover why tourists are attracted to it after a sampling on this ride.
Depending on if you intend to be on the island with a car or ride your bike onto the ferry instead, there are a few common options. Mukilteo has various park and ride locations located along I-5 which is a fair distance from the ferry terminal. Various signed 4-hour street parking spots are located near the ferry terminal up the hill along 3rd, 4th, and 5th Street. These are rumored to be unenforced on the weekend; use at your own risk. Your volunteers took a calculated risk. Also beware of automated speeding cameras on Mukilteo Speedway heading down to the ferry. Of course you can consider giving the city of Mukilteo a modest non-tax-deductible donation.
As for Clinton, it has a park and ride conveniently located near the finish: SR 525 at Clinton P&R.
After paying the $6.10 fare each at the toll booth, John and Mitch proceeded ‘like regulars’ to the passenger loading zone on the left side of the ferry dock and waited. A morning chat with the friendly ferry attendant ensued as we described our upcoming bike ride on the island – a common destination for cyclists. We scanned our paper tickets and walked our bikes aboard the 7:00 AM ferry sailing. Once on the ferry, you’re allowed to ride the bike to the front to secure your bike to one of the many yellow ropes for bicycles. For those who happen to arrive at the ferry after the cars begin loading, you’ll be boarded last with your bikes at the back of the boat in addition to being last off the boat in Clinton. As an aside, there is an option to pre-purchase your ferry ticket but it is mostly used by folks with an automobile.
The crossing is a quick 15 minutes! Make use of the facilities expeditiously as there is limited restroom capacity at the start. After scouting out a location to process registration on the ferry, we decided we’ll be hanging out on the bow, port side of the ferry. Given the current weather forecast, you may be greeted with this welcoming view below. We disembarked the ferry around 7:15 AM.
Finding an open business early on Sunday morning for a manned start location proved a small challenge. A short 2.7 mile and 450 feet ride up WA-525 gets us to an open complex apparently popular with the locals. Barring a misfortune, this stretch should take about 15-20 minutes, in plenty of time for an 8:00 AM start. We arrived at 7:30 AM.
Of course, once Mitch found Whidbey Island Bagel Factory, it was on the list of candidates to verify for the pre-ride. The peanut gallery couldn’t resist commenting on bagels and how many a certain volunteer rider would consume that day. After taking a bite, the commentary shifted to, “these are pretty good bagels.” Good enough for a New Yorker!
We were a little disoriented leaving Ken’s Korner Shopping Center heading to the loading zone behind the complex. We’ll get you going in the right direction for the Brevet – head south near the Les Schwab Tire Center. We then turned left onto Surface Road which is a one mile descent down to Bob Galbreath Road.
Freeland Park on the right offers public restrooms for those who need it. For those who don’t, you can enjoy the view while waiting for your riding buddies. Or you can zoom on by covering ground while the clock is ticking.
An eastern view of Holmes Harbor down Bercot Road on Honeymoon Bay Road with the Snohomish convergence zone (clouds) in the distance.
The hills, where do we start with this? They are relentless repeats oscillating somewhere between sea level and about 400 feet as the course hugs the coastline of Whidbey Island (hence the original Whidbey Coast permanent). One volunteer brought their fresh legs to this ride while another went all out the day before.
There are portions of this route which require traveling on WA-525 or WA-20 – the main highway down the middle of Whidbey Island. Ride well on the shoulder at all times on these stretches in single file.
Looking to your left around mile 27, Greenbank Farm shines in the morning sun. Unfortunately they do not open until 10 AM. You can only dream of eating scrumptious fresh baked pies from here for another time. Heads down, we continued on.
After you’ve scribbled your info control answer, take a peek at the Olympic Mountains in the distance.
About ⅓ of the ride done for the day, we arrived in Coupeville ready to gobble down a few fresh baked goods. We needed the calories later in the day for sure.
Knead & Feed Restaurant
4 Front St NW, Coupeville, WA 98239
https://goo.gl/maps/nXABiepHvuAM4Y4U8
The peach pie features a perfectly flakey crust with an exterior crunch. The peaches are firm and sweet. You may see the volunteers hanging out here the day of the ride too! We promise to try to not eat all of the goods before you arrive.
Note that there are public restrooms on Alexander Street on the side of the Coupeville Chamber of Commerce building.
By the time we made it to Oak Harbor, the island life awakened with a hustle and bustle. We rode the permanent on April 27th, greeted by a parade and street fair on Pioneer Way. For the May 26th pre-ride, we encountered light traffic. There are plenty of services options in Oak Harbor, as well as Skagit Cycle Center (but it is closed on Sunday).
What goes up must come down. This is one of the many descents to enjoy on the island. Be safe!
For the brevet, we rerouted to Cornet Bay instead of Deception Pass Bridge to avoid heavy automobile traffic near the bridge. Cornet Bay features panoramic views in an open setting. Boat tours of Deception Pass are available, though we didn’t take time to do the hour long tour while on the pre-ride.
For the Makeup 200 Brevet, we reserved the picnic shelter below for a SIR manned food stop and contrôle. There’s running water conveniently located nearby.
After finishing our scouting of the location, we left Cornet Bay with about an hour in the bank, returning on Cornet Bay Road back to WA-20. The route continues on WA-20 for 6 miles where we banked some time. The shoulders are wide.
After scribbling down the info control answer we captured some photos on West Beach Road.
A bit further down the road on the right we stopped at West Beach County Park to enjoy the views of Puget Sound.
At about the ¾ mark on the Brevet just past the Coupeville-Port Townsend ferry terminal, there’s a nice restaurant and market, Callen’s Restaurant and Co. The right side features the restaurant. The left side features a market with coffee, drinks, and water. Callen’s is open Sunday 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM. We stopped here for an early dinner.
We made it to the finish at 6:32 PM with 3 hours in the bank.
There are plenty of ferry sailings to return to Mukilteo departing approximately every half-hour until 12:30 AM.
Schedule: Mukilteo/Clinton
This is a pretty but hilly 202 km with about 8000 feet of climbing on mostly quiet roads to be completed in the 200K ACP Brevet maximum time of 13.5 hours. We’ve modified the brevet route slightly from the permanent route. Searching the SIR permanent inventory, 998 Whidbey Coast permanent is in the top 10 most climbing for a SIR 200K. The winner is of course 517 The Alps permanent at 9900 feet of climbing over 202 km.
The weather forecast for Sunday June 9, 2019 is looking fantastic!
Help the organizers by pre-registering for this brevet here:
https://www.seattlerando.org/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=928629&item_id=896680