Outdoor adventures, mostly gravel rides, but not always
Lower elevation adventure ride on the Olympic Peninsula
In January the higher elevation forest service roads are covered in snow & ice and inaccessible, safely, by bike. Wanting to ride some forest service roads, I opted for one of the lower elevation areas which is muddy and cold but generally snow free. The area around Big Skidder Hill is closed to vehicles but open to walker and bikes so it’s a wonderful place to ride in the winter.
The Cascade Bicycle Club Flying Wheels course with the addition of two transport stages along 520
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.
A tour of some of the islands and bridges of Kitsap and King county
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.
A tour of quiet Kitsap roads and the Stottlemeyer trail system
A quiet roads ride with plenty of gravel options from Bainbridge to Port Gamble’s Stottlemeyer trail system.
A cafe ride of rolling hills, quiet roads, and well-maintained trails on two island of Puget Sound
Blue skies and warming temperatures promised ideal riding conditions so I chose to venture to Vashon Island to tour the farms, coffee stands, and bakeries. I started with a route from the Seattle International Randonneurs, 2020 WTS #9: Vashon Island, and modified it slightly to add some gravel and a trip through Dockton Forest, both of which turned out to be great additions to the route.
Rapha's annual winter challenge to ride 500KM in the eight days between Christmas Eve Day and New Years' Eve Day
I’m a huge fan of Rapha’s annual #Festive500 challenge. The challenge rules are simple: ride 500KM in the 8 days between Christmas Eve and New Years’ Eve, inclusive. I look forward to it every year because there’s something about riding in the cold, dark, wind, and rain which appeals to me.
Quiet farm roads with rolling climbs, great views, and plenty to explore
Fantasic tour under blue skies, under falling leaves, and quiet roads among farmland. I started the ride from BI on the normal loop to Port Gamble with a small detour for a road closure.
Riding from Bainbridge Island to Deception Pass over bridges, on ferries, and on quiet roads
✅ Ride from BI to Deception Pass and back in one day.
The day the route fails -- adventures in on-the-fly navigation
The primary goal of the ride had been to see | ride what had become known as the scary bridge – the High Steel Bridge, the highest railway arch bridge ever built in the United States.
A butterfly-shaped imperial century around the Hood Canal
It’s not an adventure until something goes wrong.
