Stehekin

Recently, I hiked 35 miles across North Cascades National Park, to the wilderness-edge town of Stehekin. I got there earlier than I planned, and had some time to explore and enjoy the little mountain town. Luckily, they have a bike rental business! 🙂

Stehekin can only be reached on foot, by boat, or by plane, so there isn’t an extensive network of roads. In fact, there’s one road, about 15 miles long, and paved for 1 of those miles. A shuttle van goes between town and a backcountry camp called High Bridge, 11 miles out of town, 4 times a day. I took my rental bike on the shuttle, and rode back into town.

Following the Stehekin River into town

Stehekin Valley Road is an old wagon trail, and now a dirt and gravel road. I’m not very used to this type of surface or the wide tires, so I went slowly, and enjoyed the wonderful scenery. It took me three days to get to the town from the Cascade Pass trailhead, and now I was moving at a luxurious pace.

Where the mountains meet the meadows

Stehekin sits near the western edge of Lake Chelan, a 50 mile long finger lake. The western edge is a special shade of blue green, because it drains 27 glaciers. That’s not apparent in the photo below, from this angle the lake reflects the sky. But the lake signals the edge of the town, and the end of the ride.

Approaching town, at the edge of the lake

This was a fun ride, and exactly what I needed. Next time I visit Stehekin, though, I’ll probably spend my time there hiking. But I’d recommend doing it once to anybody who finds themselves in the area.

Rainy and Washington Passes

I spent this past weekend camping in the best of all places: the North Cascades. While I camped on the shores of lovely Diablo Lake (a medium-sized glacial lake surrounded by high, snow-capped peaks just east of the Cascade Crest), my bike stayed locked in my car until Sunday when I had a chance to bring it to the high country for a ride.

This was the warmest and clearest weather we’ve enjoyed all year, with the temperature reaching into the 90s Fahrenheit, although during the course of this ride I got hit with several blasts of 45 degree air. It would happen whenever I’d go through the shade of a grove of trees, or by a waterfall, and it was a relief every time.

My pocket-sized camera died about a month ago on a rock climbing trip, and I haven’t replaced it yet (hence the lack of trip reports). For this ride, I took my SLR camera, which was a bit unnerving (it will hurt a lot if I crash). But it turned out well, and this was a fantastic ride.

The approach to Rainy Pass, with an almost empty road.

East Leavenworth Road and Icicle Canyon

I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to present this weekend’s adventure, and decided it would be best to split it into two posts. I’ll begin by describing the ride itself.

I spent last weekend camping in Icicle Canyon, outside Leavenworth, got up Sunday morning, and enjoyed a road ride up a narrow mountain valley until I was stopped by the snow. This was my first ride of the year in a tee-shirt without a jacket, and my first sunburn of the year. This is exciting for a person who lives in Seattle.

The ride started in the lower canyon, and I went east on E Leavenworth Road. This is a very handy bypass that avoids the main strip in town, going from Icicle Road to the far end of US 2, near the Safeway. It’s also a scenic ride, especially in the spring; it offers views into Icicle Canyon as well as of the mountains that surround Cashmere Valley, including Icicle Ridge, a dramatic rise to the west. Of course, this is most scenic with snow on the peaks.

Snowy mountains rising up above Icicle Road; this looks into the canyon. Ironically, the ride began as I left the canyon, stretching my legs on flatter ground.

The Leavenworth Loop (2013)

I did this ride last year, and loved it. Now that spring is in the air, I wanted to enjoy a favorite route, with a few changes for the better: go earlier in the season, to see more snow on the peaks, and ride the loop counter-clockwise this time.

Icicle Ridge and Cashmere Mountain standing behind Leavenworth, WA, covered in snow.

My bike, at the start of the ride, with Little Bavaria in the background and a Cashmere Valley Bank post to lean on.

Darrington to Rockport

Like Friday before it, Saturday was a fine day in the Pacific Northwest, and unlike its predecessor, it wasn’t filled by work. So I took my bike to Darrington, and rode it to Rockport. This was an out-and-back from the Mountain Loop “highway” to the North Cascades Highway.

Heavily glaciated White Horse Mountain over “downtown” Darrington, WA.

Rainy Pass

This is a ride I did last July (7/8/2012), and apparently never got around to writing about, probably because the photos wound up not being as spectacular as the ones from other rides. 😦 Yesterday was a sunny day, with a clear blue sky and glorious views of the surrounding mountain ranges, and as I’ve been sitting in front of a computer most of the day for work, my mind has wandered toward the high country. Also, I miss summertime.

Last year I spent four days camping in the North Cascades at Diablo Lake (Colonial Creek Campground) and used the time to enjoy two great road rides. One of these was a short and sweet climb over Rainy Pass.

Snowy, craggy peaks above the North Cascades Highway, heading east.

Rainy is one of the two passes along SR-20, move lovingly known as the (gorgeous) North Cascades Highway. The road mostly follows valleys, but must cross two ridges, first over Rainy Pass and then Washington Pass, before it descends into the Methow Valley.

Rainy Pass on a hot day, with July snow.

Edmonds

My little brother used to work in Edmonds, and it’s the ferry terminal that’s most convenient to visit my mother on the peninsula. So I’m familiar with the seashore town of Edmonds, meaning it’s never seemed very exotic to me. But this isn’t the time for exotic; the sun sets at 4:30 pm, and rain is an almost daily problem. We had a sunny day, and I decided to bring my bike up north and explore Edmonds in more detail.

The beach and the ferry terminal at Edmonds.

Falls Creek Road: Up and out of the Methow Valley

This is something I should have posted in the summer, and never got around to. In fact, I did this ride in early July; it’s on my mind because winter has once again found the Pacific Northwest, and I’ve been reminiscing about warmer, sunnier times while planning snow shoe trips. And I realized I’d never written about this ride from Winthrop.

Winthrop is a small town in northern Washington, and depends heavily on tourism. It has a cowboy facade, much like Leavenworth has a Bavarian character. Situated near North Cascades National Park, Winthrop attracts the outdoor crowd. Skiing and mountain biking are popular here, but I’d heard a lot of buzz about road riding in the Methow Valley, and, on a short vacation for the 4th of July, I decided to go find out for myself.

Looking west toward the North Cascades and the edge of town, at Methow Cycle & Sport. This ride departs SR 20 here for Chewuch Road.

I parked at “the red barn” next to Methow Cycle & Sport, left my car, and rode into town for lunch. The kind folks at the bike shop told me I’d be able to leave my car there without it being towed or stolen. They were right!

Leaving civilization behind and coming into the Okanogan Highlands near the Pasayten wilderness. Like the last adventure, this is a hot and dusty place, parched by the sun, fed by the occasional creek.

Water in a Hot and Thirsty Place: Cashmere Valley

I’ve been silent these last few weeks. It’s not for want of trying, but for something to say. The weather just hasn’t been congenial for cycling or photography. I don’t mind (too much) riding in the rain, but I’m not going to bore everyone with mediocre photos of clouds, explaining how beautiful they’d be if you could only see the mountains in the background. 😮 This weekend, though, the cloud cover broke, on the other side of the state.

I wouldn’t have done this ride, normally, but I bought a new cycling guide book, 75 Classic Rides in Washington, and this is one of the routes it lists. Besides, I didn’t have better plans on Sunday.

Sunday was a blustery day in a windy land. The headwinds, as always, were brutal, but so were the cross winds. There were a lot of places where the road was protected by a strand of trees or by the hill side, only to come into an exposed zone once you’ve had a chance to pick up some speed. In the barren hills near Wenatchee, there were very few tell-tales to watch for gusts. Still, it rained in Seattle, and my sunburn was a good trade. 🙂

I took my bike to Leavenworth (where several other great rides have started, ended, or passed through), and rode to Wenatchee and back, almost entirely on side roads, often climbing partway up the walls of the Cashmere Valley. I turned around at the mighty Columbia River – the one Canada’s BC is named for – after dunking my head to cool down. This wasn’t a long climb followed by an endless descent, though, it was more like gentle rolling hills with an occasional rude segment.

For the cyclists reading this, I should say that I lost the route three times. Pine Flat Loop’s road sign is rotated enough that it’s hard to tell which way to go; the ‘wrong’ way still gets you where you need to be, but I missed a nice climb and descent, and a bit more scenery. I would have had to retrace my steps from Wenatchee if I didn’t have a GPS with maps. And I’m not sure what happened in Dryden. That said, it was a good time, and you should do a ride like this. (A map and elevation chart can be found at the end of this post.)

Heading east from Leavenworth, looking southwest toward Icicle Ridge or the Mount Stuart Range?

This is nothing like my normal style. I love it! While the extreme saturation and the brightness can be downright startling at first, the image grows on you quickly.

A panoramic image of the Cashmere Valley, walled in by the eastern flank of the Cascades. The valley itself is heavily irrigated and supports a lot of farms, but the background is a sagebrush steppe.

The Mount Stuart Range – still snowy in late June – in the background, with Peshastin orchards lining the back road I found myself on.

Mount Rainier: Cayuse and Chinook Passes, and Wildlife!

I got up early on Saturday and drove my bike toward Mount Rainier, parked on a forest service dirt road, and then rode into the national park, coming out the other end.  I’m pretty sure this was the first time I’ve ridden a bike inside a national park (North Cascades Nat’l Park is ends at the road, divided into two pieces), which was a little bit of extra fun.

Cayuse Pass has been open for a while, but Chinook is still closed – they’re hoping to have it opened this week.  But the road itself is bare.  You can ride all the way to Yakima, if the spirit moves you.

I rode a little beyond Chinook Pass, by Tipsoo Lake and the Pacific Crest Trail, then turned back.  (My turn-around point was at the trailhead for the Sheep Lake and Sourdough Gap trail, which looks like it’s been getting snowshoe use.  Beautiful place in the summer.)  Coming back down, the road that had been closed off with a sign and a few cones, at Cayuse Pass, was now chained off with a sign about avalanche blasting east of the pass!

On the way up, I passed a group of backcountry skiers, grinning ear-to-ear, who pointed the mountain goat out.

This came to 40.6 miles round trip, with 3,700 feet elevation gain. Cayuse Pass sits at 4,675 feet, and Chinook Pass is 5,430 feet.

Entering the national park on Route 410. To the left are some maps.

The White River flowing from Mount Rainier, with a lenticular cloud forming over the summit. “When Mount Rainier wears a hat, bad weather follows.” Sure enough, the rains came a few hours later.

Cayuse Pass, at 4,675 feet above sea level. I couldn’t get a picture of my bike in front of the sign saying as much, because it was buried under the snow. The closed road leads to Chinook Pass.

At Cayuse Pass, SR-410 makes a sharp turn, heading toward Yakima, and meets SR-123 which continues south through the park. The road up is closed. There were a lot of cars here, and people congratulating themselves on their trip, skis and bikes still at hand. I stopped briefly to make sure this really was my destination, Cayuse Pass. The people I met were animated and jovial, and encouraged me with news that the road is free of snow all the way up. I had secretly hoped to climb both passes, but didn’t think it would be possible that day.

A mountain goat, giving me the evil eye. Both of us appreciated the road closure for the lack of traffic.

Entering the hairpin turn section below Chinook Pass, cliffs and tree tops stick out here and there above the snow line.

Part of a switchback to the left, and mountains surrounding Rainier to the right. The clouds are graying, as the weather starts to turn foul.

One of the sweeping turns below Chinook Pass. There are no words to describe just how much fun these hairpin curves are at speed.

My bike, just below (and to the east of) Chinook Pass, and about to descend. A water purifier hangs from the rails of my saddle.