Thoughts

Thoughts and Adventures From Greenlite Heavy Industries

Monday, April 6, 2015

An Uphill Battle

Burger at Home Fries
I've done the ride from Mercer Island (suburb of Seattle) to Snoqualmie Pass a few times now but the ride on Saturday seemed especially long.  The route I take is fifty percent gravel and ascends slightly more than five thousand feet - for the most part it's a nearly constant low grade climb.

Normally mile sixty marks the beginning of a two mile long tunnel, but when I arrived two days ago the entrance was closed off with a chain link fence; a sign noted "Tunnel Closed, Open in the Spring."  Spring started three weeks ago, and due to a crazy low snow year the ground has been free of the white stuff for over a month and a half.  Oh well, I had plenty of food and half a bottle of water; it was time to find another way over the Pass.


Crossing Humback Cr
I descended the rail road grade (John Wayne Pioneer Trail/Ironhorse State Park) a mile and a half to the Annette Lake trail.  I figured that it couldn't be too far to the trail head so I started down the single track trail - in the saddle.  I made it about twenty feet: the trail was simply too rutted, rocky, muddy and steep to descend on my cross bike.  It was hike a bike time.  The first group I passed on their way up was a family with three kids under the age of seven led by a tiny white poodle.  I figured that the parking lot had to be close.  The trip down to the trail head was around a mile and a half wherein I passed a significant number of curious day hikers.

A short descent from the trail head took me to the Denny Creek Road.  From here it's a five mile ascent up to The Pass.  I love this road, it's smooth, scenic and, due to a couple of downed trees, nearly devoid of automobile traffic.

When I reached the Pass I stopped in to check out the Pass Life development and was happy to see a new coffee shop and even happier to see a new brewpub - DruBru.  I was tempted to stop in but I was running late so I dropped down the east side and coasted into the cabin.  Time for a beer in front of the fire.   

Thanks Darryl