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Outdoor adventures, mostly gravel rides, but not always

Flying Wheels++

The Cascade Bicycle Club Flying Wheels course with the addition of two transport stages along 520

Flying wheels route

A group from Seattle I had toured around BI a year ago had been planning a ride of the Flying Wheels 100M route for a few months, being pushed off by a number of factors. Finally this weekend, albeit without perfect weather, we were able to ride the course. To mix it up, we opted to ride it backwards and, with inspiration from Jan from BQ, I rode two transport stages as well.

Second Beach

An easy beach trail along the Olympics' South Coast

Sunrise, full moon, and Crying Lady Rock

A tale of so many fronts: sun, fog, thicker fog, sun breaks. “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes” was never truer advice.

Marmot Pass

A beautiful alpine meadow filled with wildflowers & views

Trail leading from Camp Mystery

The upper meadow at Marmot Pass is one of my favorite locations in the Olympics having hiked there a few times. The WTA reports suggested the wildflowers were in bloom – perfect!

Icicle Creek Road

A straightforward out-and-back on a steady, but shallow, climb along a roaring river

Morning light on the mountains

I rarely ride out-and-backs and when I do it’s usually a hill climb. The ride up Icicle Creek Road isn’t as impressive as Hurricane Ridge or Mt Baker but it offered an exceptional experience on an early morning ride.

Icicle Creek Gorge

An easy loop around the Icicle Creek Gorge with a variety of water views

Rushing waters of the Icicle Creek

A nice morning loop around Icicle Creek with a variety of forest, hill, and water views.

Eightmile Lake

A hike through the remains of a forest fire to a picturesque alpine lake

Reflections on Eightmile Lake

We go to the trail early (7:30 am) mid-week to plenty of parking. The trail to Eightmile Lake starts through a burn from 2017 resulting in little cover from the sun and a lot of shrubby new growth. Fortunately the views along the trail are plentiful from the start and the grade wasn’t too bad for our mixed-skills hiking party.

Tyler Peak & Maynard Burn Loop

A short and steep loop to expansive views into the heart of the Olympics

Spectacular lunch spot on the false summit of Tyler Peak

With record breaking heat descending on the PNW, I sought relief in the mountains and took advantage of the snow melt to photograph wildflowers. I really enjoyed this loop and until recently it was not on my radar; nor others apparently because very few trip reports were available at the WTA.

Islands & Bridges

A tour of some of the islands and bridges of Kitsap and King county

The 520 bike lane

A departure from my usual farm and logging road riding, this loop offered a lot more city riding along with bridges and islands I had never visited on bike.

Colchuck Lake

A classic Enchantments hike to an alpine lake

Colchuck Lake

With the snow mostly gone, I opted for the classic hike to this gorgeous alpine lake.

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