Fat Tire Biking to the Cross Cabin Again

Molly and I had such a nice time biking to the Cross Cabin last weekend we decided to go again.  This time my Mom and Dad joined us.  Dad took the supplies with the snowmachine so our bikes were even lighter than last weekend.  Just an inch or so of new snow had fallen making the trail softer but still relatively easy biking.

Dad and I got a few jobs done around the cabin and I still had time for a snowmachine ride out to Clear Creek.  I enjoyed plotting the trails using the Gaia app on my phone.  Sitting around the wood stove with family and chocolate was a was a great way to spend Valentines weekend.

Dad and I talking about the trails

Molly and I headed out to Talkeetna

Fat Tire Biking to the Cross Cabin

Last year we tried fat tire biking by renting and borrowing bikes to go to the cabin for my birthday. This year we decided it was time to buy our own fat bikes.  I bought a KHS 3000 for myself off of craigslist last summer and Molly got her 15" Motobecane Sturgis from Bikes Direct.  We then set up both bikes up with 4.7" tires with carbide studs.

We had plans to ride our new bikes to the cabin before the holidays but after twisting my knee while skiing and then a bit of late season field work it never happened.  So finally last weekend we made it happen. The trail conditions were perfect, hard packed but not icy, with temperatures just below freezing.  The bikes performed great and we made good time getting to the cabin.

Our friends Wynne and Nicholai also purchased new fat tire bikes this winter and joined us for the weekend.  They came in later on Saturday but I was able to send them a GPS track and detailed directions. Molly even sent them photos of some of the intersections.  Modern technology can make navigation easy!

The conditions were so good that I went for an extra ride with Wynne and Nicholai out to Chase and back to the cabin Sunday morning.  It felt like a March day but we were reminded it was still February by the early darkness.  Even though it was a clear day, the sun was noticeably low on the horizon.

We had so much fun that we are planning on going back again this weekend with my parents.  This time it should be even easier as my parents will be able to haul our food and gear on the snow machine.

Molly pedaling across the lake with the cabin in the distance. 

Wynne, Nicholai and I getting ready to leave the cabin

Nice winter sunshine

Enjoying the great riding conditions

Brand New Fat Tire Bike

Marta on Powerline trail

First time on my fat bike!

Hot drink break time

My new toy for this winter is a fat tire bike (you may not be surprised to know that Ryan also bought one, but he's in the field right now). After our first decent snow I took it out for the first time on Saturday with my friend Marta. What a perfect crystal clear day - it made it hard to imagine that it would snow on Sunday!

We had a great time on Powerline Trail - perfect snow conditions. I'm still trying to figure out the best clothing and footwear for biking in cold weather. I was on the right track with the clothes and snowboarding helmet, but I must wear the real winter boots next time!

Lost Lake Overnight Mountain Bike Trip

We had an incredible weekend mountain biking the Lost Lake Trail near Seward. The weather was absolutely fantastic with the exception of a little wind. I had never been on the Lost Lake Trail before, but for some reason I agreed to bike it on my fancy new mountain bike. I've never really mountain biked anything except normal dirt roads and ATV trails, and a few single track trails around Anchorage and Palmer...so why I agreed to do this I have no idea. However, I survived and had a great time.

We started on the Primrose side. The trail has some big roots, many of which we had to push our bikes over, but it really wasn't terrible until the last little stretch before you break into the alpine. At that point I was not having a great time. Nor did I take any photos, mostly because I was too busy cursing all the gear on my bike. But, there were convenient distance markers every half mile from the Lost Lake trail race earlier in the day that kept me going. Once we got into the alpine though the riding was exactly what I was hoping for. If you watch any YouTube videos of biking Lost Lake Trail, they are likely to be of this section because it's awesome.

My cousin and a friend of ours hiked the trail and met us at the lake and we all camped out together. This was the first time we've loaded up our bikes with racks and panniers with all of our camping gear. I think I had about 15 lbs and Ryan a little more. I was surprised at how well my bike handled with all the weight and I am really, really glad Ryan decided I need a real mountain bike this summer!

 The riding down to the Seward side the next day was awesome. The trail turned into a bit of a super highway though of hikers and bikers and our bear bells ended up being really handy for announcing our presence.

Birthday Fat Tire Bike Trip

Marta enjoying the April heat in a tank top!

Ann Marie cruising through the woods

Saturday was Ryan's birthday and we went on a fat tire bike adventure to the cabin with my cousin and a friend. Ryan was up there two weekends ago on a snowmachine and the trail was in good condition. Since then it has snowed a bit, but it has also been very warm (mid to high-40's during the day). We knew we were taking a bit of a risk with bad trail conditions, but sometimes doing something the slightly hard way is better than not doing it at all, and that was definitely the case!

When we started out late Saturday morning it was already warm and the trail was slushy. We were sliding around quite a bit and having a hard time staying on our bikes. About 100 yards into the nine mile ride, Ryan looked at me and said "Is it too slushy?" My response was "Well, we can always walk."

The first 4 1/2 miles of trail are usually easy as it follows the railroad tracks, is flat, and wide, but honestly it was quite challenging yesterday. Once we got into the woods, the next roughly 4 miles were a mix of very challenging slush with very deep puddles we had to avoid, and fairly hard sections that were comparatively easy. Unfortunately when we got to the last turn-off in the trail (the trail that goes only to our cabin), we realized how much it actually had snowed since the last time Ryan was there; the trail wasn't even visible. The snow was too soft to ride on top, so we pushed our bikes and post-holed/tried to stay on top of knee-deep snow for the last half mile. I was just happy it wasn't waist-deep!

At the cabin we enjoyed the sunshine until it clouded up, then we lounged around the woodstove drinking cocktails. Shortly thereafter, it hailed, then it snowed, and snowed, and snowed, or so it seemed (and it was in the 40s!). It was still so warm when we went to bed that I didn't think it would get below freezing for long that night and I didn't expect the trail to be much different on Sunday.

Ryan's birthday cake

On Sunday we left around 11 and when we made it back to the main trail we found that it was a thousand times better than it had been the day before! It was hard and the ~2" of new snow was fairly easy to break through. It was like a completely different ride. Ann Marie even said "So this is what snow biking is like!" It warmed up fast though and by the time we got to the railroad trail is was slushy again, but we couldn't complain at that point.

Warm enough for shorts!

Great trail conditions for fat tire biking!

Fat Tire Bike to Serenity Falls Hut

I was invited by friends to join them for a weekend at the Serenity Falls Hut at the back of Eklutna Lake.  The invitation for this early december trip came months in advance when there was no snow on the ground.  In fact, there was so little snow in November that it wasn't until a day before the trip that I decide the best mode of travel would be on a fat tire bike.  It is about twelve miles to the hut so riding bikes saves a lot of time compared to walking or skiing.  I don't own one of these fat bikes so I rented from a local bike shop in Palmer.  I took friday off from work and we hit the trail at about noon.  The temperatures were in the upper 20s and I had no trouble staying warm.  After mile 6 or so we had to break through a few inches of snow so it took about three and a half hours to reach the hut.

This hut is amazing and much different than other mountaineering huts I like to visit in the spring.  For one thing it is huge, with bunks to sleep 13.  There is a wood stove and wall made mostly of windows we grand views toward the Eklutna Glacier.  All this comes at a price though.  This hut is notoriously difficult to heat.  Luckily, someone had left a good supply of dry spruce and with the mild temperatures were were able to get the hut warmed up to the upper 50s in just a few hours.
More friends joined the group on Saturday and I headed out by myself to join Molly at party in Anchorage.  With a little lighter load and better packed trail I was able to make it back to the parking lot in 2 hours and 20 minutes.

This is nice hut and I would like to visit it again in the fall when there are nice colors on the trees.

Inside the hut

View of the hut from the river

My rented fat bike equipped with panniers.

Taking a break on the trail

No ice on Eklutna Lake yet

No bike rack necessary!

A few years ago I heard an episode of Car Talk where a man called in asking why his gas mileage on his fairly fuel-efficient car dropped about 10 mpg when he had his bike on his rear bike rack. Tom and Ray were pretty sure it was because he was disrupting the carefully designed aerodynamics of his car. They felt certain that if he just took the front wheel off his bike and put it inside the car, he'd get the same great gas mileage he was supposed to get.

Ryan and I transport our bikes inside our car with the back seat folded down. Obviously if we needed to transport more people that wouldn't be possible, but it does work for us most of the time. And it's really not very hard to take the wheels off a bike, especially not the front wheel. My bike actually fits in the car with both wheels on. With both of them in there, we take both wheels off my bike and just the front wheel off Ryan's.

I didn't see anybody else at the triathlon with their bike in their car; everyone had a bike rack. Gas is so expensive here that I don't know why you wouldn't put your bike inside your car if you had the space! And ditto about skis and snowboards; a roof rack or rocket box also kills gas mileage. We can fit four people and four sets of skis/snowboards inside our car and sure, it's a little cozy in the back seat, but it's not like we take two extra people skiing everyday.

Olympic Discovery Trail

Finally some smooth, flat pavement!

My favorite part of the trail

Toward the beginning of our ride

The Dungeness River Bridge

After tidepooling on Saturday we headed in to Port Angeles to check out the Olympic Discovery Trail. It was not exactly what I expected, but we had tons of fun anyway. I thought it was going to be a lovely rolling smoothly-paved bike trail passing through fields full of cows and hay. We started five miles outside of Port Angeles (toward Sequim) and the trail was pretty much exactly the opposite of that - it was steep, ups and downs, the pavement was rough (like chip-sealed pavement), and it was mostly forested. Once we got over the fear of the steep descents into creek bottoms with hairpin turns onto bridges at the bottom and the steep climbs out, we started having a great time. And about eight miles in, there was actually some beautiful smooth, flat pavement through fields full of cows (it didn't last long though).

We turned around at the Dungeness River - 24 miles round trip. That was actually quite a ride on the rough trail on my skinny tires. It didn't feel particularly good and I am still shocked I didn't get a flat. We had a great time on our ride back though. We were familiar with the trail so we knew (mostly) where we could pick up some speed and where we needed to be cautious. There were still a couple of steep inclines that caught me off guard - ones that started after a 90 degree turn - there was no way you could see them coming!

It's an awesome trail and I would definitely recommend it - just not for really skinny tires and not if you are looking for a fast ride. Unfortunately the website for the trail isn't particularly informative but there are kiosks along the ride with map pamphlets - although they were all taken late in the day. And it might be useful to know that there are outhouses conveniently located every couple of miles along the trail - don't expect them to be at the parking access points though. I think the trail crew specifically puts them out of sight of road access points so that they don't get used by non-trail users or vandalized - a great idea!

A tiny piece of glass

My first week of Bike to Work month didn't go so well. Last Thursday I got a flat tire on my way to school. Luckily I was only about 3/4 mi from school, but it was completely pouring rain. I was in a hurry to make it to a meeting with a student, so I opted just to walk my bike the rest of the way rather than change it in the rain. I don't really like changing bike tires so I just left it in my office that night and went to the pool to swim. I had planned to take the bus home after swimming. But after one ONE lap, my goggles broke (there is no way I will swim laps without goggles). So I got out, walked all the way back up to my office, changed my flat, and rode home. I didn't ride my bike again for a few days because I wanted to buy another tube so I'd have a spare. Of course, as soon as I bought a spare tube, I got ANOTHER flat riding home on Wednesday. Ahhhhhh!

I was only seven blocks from home, and it was raining again. So I used my mom's favorite flat tire technique: I just aired it up with my little hand pump. That was good enough to make it the rest of the way home.

Why does it always seem like flats happen in pairs? At least to me (it was the same wheel both times). Ryan suggested I very carefully check the tire and my rim and see if anything was stuck in there. I should have done this when I changed the first flat, but I just wanted to change that tire as fast as possible so I could get home.

He was totally right. There was a tiny piece of glass stuck in the tire and poking through just enough to puncture the tube. So hopefully I've fixed the problem for now. I did pack two spare tubes and a patch kit for this weekend though. I'm heading over to the Olympic Peninsula tonight to camp and tomorrow we're going to check out the Olympic Discovery Trail.

The Burke-Gilman Trail is FINALLY Open!

After 8 1/2 months of being closed for improvements, the section of the Burke-Gilman Trail between 145th and 165th (basically right where we live) is finally open. It was supposed to re-open months ago. As with most construction projects, the re-opening date kept getting pushed back and I even stopped checking. But, it did finally open two weeks ago. They've widened the trail, added a soft gravel shoulder for walking/running, and upgraded traffic controls and intersection markings. Today was the first time I rode on it. While it was a pain that it has been closed for so long, the new pavement is fantastic.

Unfortunately it's only a mile and half of fantastic pavement. On a bike it only takes a few minutes to cover that distance. And then it's back to the old, bumpy pavement the rest of the trail is made of.

I can handle a bumpy trail though when it's as nice as it was this afternoon. Especially after the downpour that went on for hours this morning. I think everyone appreciates the sun a little more after it rains.

Winter Warmth

 

Occasionally we have a 60-degree day in the middle of winter. Right now we are having a stretch of them. Yesterday we went for a bike ride to the UW campus to enjoy the sun and temps. It was glorious. One of the wonderful things about living in a place that is often gray and rainy (or so they tell me), is that when the sun does come out, everyone goes outside to play. On days like this, the Burke-Gilman Trail is always full of walkers, runners, bikers, dogs, and strollers of all ages and abilities.

When we got to campus yesterday, I saw the construction happening at Husky Stadium and was shocked to see that the southern half of the stadium was GONE. Clearly, I rarely walk to or drive by this part of campus. I knew the stadium was under renovation, but I thought it was just remodeling, I didn't realize they were tearing most of it down and completely re-building it. My personal feelings about pouring money into a stadium that hasn't had a sold-out game in over 15 years and about working and going to school in a building that hasn't been remodeled since the late 1950's aside, I am interested to see what the new stadium will look like compared to the old.

Riding in everything but the rain

Bundled up for 31 degrees!

It seems I have biked in everything BUT the rain so far this November. Yesterday I biked home in the hail - big hail. It didn't last for long though. This morning I biked to school in below freezing temps. But I am not complaining! I will take a crisp clear day over a Seattle downpour anytime.

It has been a pain to dress for the cold though because I have some big hills on my ride and I get HOT. On my ride to school I have a short, steep downhill, and long gradual uphill followed by a long gradual downhill. I deal with this by starting off bundled up - there is nothing like pedaling into cold air first thing in the morning! About half way up my long gradual uphill I stop to take off a layer. This tends to be a pain because with my lobster mittens and having to open one of my paniers to stuff my layer away it takes quite a few minutes. But I have generally found it to be worth my time to stop. I prefer not to be drenched in sweat when I get to school. At other points in the past I haven't cared so much, but right now I'm a TA and I prefer not to smell too bad.

Dressing for my ride home is much more of a hastle. I start out with a long gradual uphill, so I get pretty warm almost immediately. But then I have a LONG gradual downhill on a very quiet street that almost never has traffic. And I like to go fast on it. The problem is that I freeze my butt off on this section. I haven't really figured out a good solution to this problem yet. If I'm too bundled up in the beginning, I get sweaty and then my long downhill is even colder. Maybe I should stop before the long downhill and put ON an extra layer. Somehow I don't see myself wanting to stop on my way home though. I'd probably rather just keep pedaling. I just remind myself that it might be chilly, but this is not Fairbanks!

Ride in the Rain

The view from under my umbrella on campus today

I joined a Ride in the Rain team this month - a program at UW to encourage bike community in November. November happens to be one of (or maybe the) rainiest months in Seattle. The way the program works is you go to a website and log your miles every week. My team members averaged 24.4 miles each last week. How awesome is that!?!

Ride in the Rain was exactly the motivation I needed to get off my lazy butt in the morning and get on my bike. I even got all set up this fall with new rain paints, a new raincoat, a new helmet, and new lights. I have no excuse not to bike at least one way every day. I did slack off for the entire last month so I am glad Ride in the Rain came along to get me back on my bike! I do have to admit that I didn't get myself together until this week though. I missed the entire first week of Ride in the Rain. Which is really too bad because the weather was so nice!! It has been an atypically pleasant early November. I even saw 58 degrees a few days ago.

Yesterday the weather turned though and we are now in full-on downpour mode. Even some occasional wind which is unusual here. But a little rain and wind will not stop this Alaskan from biking for the rest of November.

Rock Climbing in Eastern Washington and Mountain Biking the Iron Horse Trail

West side of the Snoqualmie Pass Tunnel

Jay and I getting rained on near the end of the ride

I made the most out of this weekend by planning two separate adventures. Friday evening Richard and I drove to Leavenworth where we had time to climb a couple of single pitch climbs very close to the road before it got dark. The quality of the rock in Leavenworth is great and I am looking forward to going back. That evening we shared a camp spot with one of Richards’s classmates and his family. It was nice to have someone to meet up with as the camp area was totally full. We had a great fire and it was fun to meet some more Alaskan's who have been displaced to Washington for school.

Saturday morning brought rain. We packed up camp and went for plan B, which was to drive to Vantage. Vantage has an extremely dry climate and was only an hour and half drive away. The drive was scenic and I enjoyed looking at all the fruit treas and other crops along the Columbia River valley. In Vantage we ran into some people I know from Seattle Mountain Rescue, this was great as neither Richard or I had climbed at Vantage previously. My SMR friends showed us how to access the best of the climbing areas. Richard and I enjoyed the rest of the hot aftersoon sun climbing tall exposed columns of basalt.

Sunday Molly and I headed back to the mountains for some mountain biking with our friends Jay and Adam. We left a car about 15 miles east of Snoqualmie Pass and then started the ride at the pass itself. The trail is an old railroad grade that has been converted to a biking and hiking trail. The trail starts with a two mile long tunnel through the mountain. The tunnel was built over the course of two years from 1912 to 1914. We all had bike lights and headlamps but it was still very dark and cold in the tunnel. It was also a bit disorienting to ride through as it was difficult to tell how fast you are going and how far it is to the end.

I really enjoy historic trails like this one. I am amused by the engineering and nature at the same time.  This is certainly a trail I will ride again someday.