Kitsap Weekend Tour + Photo Recap!

Potentially one of Seattle's last sunny, warm weekends means... Get out on your bike!

I started the weekend tour from the city after work on Friday, bolted straight to the ferry downtown, and rode up at 5:29 to be the last cyclist let on board (phenomenal timing incident #1, there were a few this trip, I'll keep count!). I took the ferry to Bainbridge Island (about a half hour) and stopped at the T&C for the weekend's groceries - pitas, peanut butter, granola, an apple, a fruit cup.

Next was the ride about 7mi north, the length of Bainbridge, to a campsite at Fay Bainbridge Park. Mostly pleasant, only one huge wall of a hill, which could be mostly my fault for choosing a random side street to take me off of the main road. This was the only point at which I wanted to call it... PAINBRIDGE ISLAND.

The campsite was busy and pleasant - right on the water, lots of cars and RVs, but bikers/hikers camping got priority on the little sites closest to the beach. I met a guy, Josh, who was touring fully loaded from Vancouver to Santa Barbara! Awesome trip! We hung out and nerded out over bikes, gear, tours, and upcoming routes over beers and a campfire before crashing.

Day 1:
Dist: 8.12
Time: 36 mins
Avg speed: 13.29
Max: 38.11

Ferry to Bainbridge

Seattle shipyards+stadiums

Seattle from the ferry

There must've been 35 cyclists getting off of the 5:30 ferry. What a cool commute! Getting off looked like starting blocks at a race.

Plainbridge

Sweet campsite!

Being stoic

Josh's awesome vintage Bridgestone MB-1

Day 2 I got a relatively slow start in the morning, breakfasted with Josh, split up and planned to meet in Port Townsend in the evening. I had an awesome ride up North over a sketchy bridge off of Bainbridge, through Suquamish, to Point No Point (my favorite) and its lighthouse at lunch, back down South past Port Gamble, North across the 104 bridge (very cool), and North again, following the coast on some side roads suggested by lighthouse volunteers, to Port Townsend. We each got a few bike compliments from a local bike shop owner, caught up over incredible burgers at the Owl Spirit Cafe in Port Townsend, and entirely lost track of time in a state of burger bliss. I snapped out of a burger coma when I randomly decided to check the ferry schedule - the next one was leaving in 7 minutes and there wouldn't be another for another hour and a half! Shit! We bolted and were the last ones onto the ferry (phenomenal timing incidents #2&3) after a 1/2-mile sprint. Excellent. The ride to Mukilteo was about 20 minutes and our campsite was right next to the terminal at Fort Casey State Park. It had a ton of cool old war relics, but unfortunately the cyclist/hiker section of the campground was behind a wooden fence amidst a sea of RVs with generators running. We made the most of it with a 10-mile round-trip nighttime beer run (the closest store to us - not much happening on Whidbey, apparently) and battling wet wood and condensation for an extremely disappointing and difficult, underperforming campfire. The stars were phenomenal, though, so I used my rain fly as a blanket/dew shield, opting for a stellar night sky view (pun very much intended).

Day 2:

Dist: 76.61
Time: 5:49
Avg speed: 13.16
Max speed: 38.49

Weird painted rocks. Island people...

This bridge was terrifying to ride on...

...but had some excellent views.

Pointless venture

At Point No Point

Cheez. Nice lighthouse wall.

Lunch at Point No Point Lighthouse - Apples, PB, Cinnamon+Flax Granola on a whole wheat pita. Also solar-charging devices and scopin' boats with my 'noculars.

Pointless beachgoers at Point No Point

Great place for a farm!

Some fall coloration happening in Port Gamble

Really contesting the acclaimed king-sizedness of this ice cream sammich but it was still the best $1.50 I spent that day.

I do these borderline-escapist adventures largely to get away from my 9-5 writing code all day... but it continues to haunt me. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajax_(programming))

Josh, dinner at Owl Spirit Cafe

Oh My Burger

A fine ship

You put your jacket on because it's cold on the front of the ferry

Yeah, like that.

Cheezin' for Tenspeed Hero

mtns

Into the campsite on Whidbey

The next day I woke up and got on the small non-RV-park side of the RV park and watched the sunrise while a ferry came in and out. Weirdly surreal and picturesque! After breakfasting on a fruit cup and some more granola, I decided to ride with Josh back to Seattle even though he was carrying a lot more crap than I was due to his coastal expedition (of which I am still envious). We had a leisurely pace and made a ton of stops, took scenic routes, and talked more than would have been possibly had the exercise actually been consistently strenuous. Friendship! Very cool to ride with someone else for a change. We made it pretty consistently through the center of Whidbey because, again, there wasn't much going on. Still very pretty in parts, though! Some stops included: potentially abandoned ferry terminal POWER HOUSE (always all caps), sign into Useless Bay (even worse than Point No Point, what is going on with these islands?!), and a self-service pottery sale. The ferry to Mukilteo was short, and we then became the grossest patrons of Patty's Eggnest, a fine diner with a few locations around town - I'd been to one in Arlington, so I was thrilled when I found out I could once again drown myself in sausage gravy in a new location. Not a lot of beautiful scenery for awhile as we bounced through Seattle's North suburbs over to the tip of Lake Washington to go to 192 Brewery Co. on the Burke-Gilman trail for a few beers to get us the rest of the 16-ish miles home. Possibly a bad idea, as we had to stop again halfway to rehydrate and refuel on pitas while laying on the side of the Burke. No problem, though! We made a full recovery and made it back to my place through familiar bike paths before it got too dark.

I also GoPro'd basically the entire day from my handlebars, save for a little bit of time after batteries died and were then charged. The GoPro is a really neat little camera, but I wish the battery life weren't so atrocious - even on a timelapse, the battery only lasts about 2.5 hours. Doesn't help me too much when I'm out riding for 10 hours a day. I'm sure they're working on it.

Day 3:

Dist: 64.34

Time: 5:29

Avg speed: 11.71

Max speed: 34.71

Sunrise

Cliche PNW

Holiest log 

Modest campsite

Beehive!

Outfit for the day. Almost.

2 power houses

POWER HOUSE

POWER.... CLIMB?

Spooky POWER HOUSE overgrowth

It gets worse

Honesty-policy-based pottery sales. I like it.

Ferry - gopro

Cool shadow gopro

BRUNCH

Burke-Gilman - gopro

THE LAST - gopro

Overall, perfect distance, breakpoints, amenities, restaurants, and weather for a quick summer/fall weekend trip! My slick tires and skinny rims performed admirably, although I am pretty sure I beat them up more than I should've. Will most definitely get my more indestructible wheelset out for any heavier venture. Anyway, enough writing. Time to plan the next tour.

Mike

Weekend Tour: Kitsap Peninsula + Whidbey Island

Hiya,

I'm taking off for a weekend tour in a few hours. Here's the approximate route:

Schedule:

Day 1 (Fri pm): Seattle to Bainbridge via ferry, ride to Kay Bainbridge Park, get groceries, camp. ~8mi.

Day 2 (Sat): Bainbridge to Port Townsend, ferry to Whidbey Island, ride to Ft Casey Park or Ft Ebey Park. Campsite depends on which is rumored to be more cool and less packed and how much I feel like riding another 5 miles. ~50-55mi.

Day 3 (Sun): Ride Whidbey South, ferry to Mukilteo, ride home to Seattle. ~55mi.
I'm very excited to take my touring bike out for the first long ride since STP in July. Last night, I couldn't get the cassette off of my super fast super skinny super sleek super wheelset (Mavic Open SUP[er?] Ceramic laced to Phil Wood hubs!) to transfer to my giant bombproof heavy touring wheelset, so I'm just going to pack light and hope for no flats - I think the tires are 700x21c as opposed to my normal touring 32's.

With packing light (and missing some crucial hex bolts due to things vanishing while moving and sharing a basement in general), I've only got a rear rack and I'm giving this goofy giant handlebar bag another shot. I bought it before my Australia tour, but didn't end up needing the extra space and never really liked how it weighted the handlebars. I am definitely looking forward to the convenience of having a bunch of crap up front, though, now that I am maxing out on electronic gadgets with my phone, 2 cameras, a solar charger, and other little stuff. Another drawback: I have to get creative with my headlight (currently annoyingly clipped to the left handlebar drop). We'll see how it goes - I do need a way to keep from having all of my weight on the back.

I'm not even bothering bringing my camp stove or really a lot of anything. My bags will be filled mostly with food, water, my tent, ... the rest is odds and ends like spare parts, a couple of pairs of socks... I can't even think of what else is in there. Only 2 nights away and barely over 100mi total, I'm hoping I don't need a lot of stuff!

I also got a new saddle recently! I had a Brooks B17 but it never really got to its rumored legendary, extraordinary point of couch-like comfort and especially got pretty rough after 200+ miles in 2 days during the STP. So, I'm trying out a brand new Selle Anatomica X Series Watershed. Old vs new:

Last glamour shot:

Mike

Elliott Bay Bicycles - Closing After 31 Years

One of Seattle's longest-standing bike shops is closing at the end of the month (more info). Major bummer! One of the owners builds Davidson bikes, very high end road stuff. Sounds like he'll keep making frames elsewhere. I stopped in yesterday to see what was left of their closing sale - lots of odds and ends, but definitely worth stopping by. I scored a very nice Surly rear brake cable hanger for a bike I'm building. Like most things in the shop, 44% off!

Hoping to throw together a quick tour this weekend while the Northwest is still promising warmth and sunshine. More info soon.

Mike

Coming Soon: More Stuff, More Posts

Hi, folks! Cycling's role in my life has continued to increase at a rate that justifies keeping a better record. I'm absolutely loving every part of it. So, I've decided (for now) to use this site to track not only adventures, but my general bike happenings, work, purchases, repairs, builds, etc. - there seem to be a lot of them lately. I also like the idea of becoming a resource for information on vintage bikes, since what exists online has no unified source and is often extremely hard to find.

Coming up:
-About 75% complete on a cyclocross bike build (beginning pictured above, from bare frame+parts!).
-1-2 small tours in September/October?
-Possibly another new ride to beat up around town as Seattle slips into non-optimal weather.
-Thoughts on new gear, little odds 'n ends, random musings.
-Photos. Always photos.
-Probably a little griping about potholes and car doors.

Stay tuned!
Mike

Day 5: Uncle Norman, Active Volcanoes, Rain, and a Half-Day Sprint

Day 5 began right where day 4 left off - still hanging out and vacationing with Uncle Norman! I had another fantastic breakfast, packed up my things, loaded it all into Norman's truck and tied it down, and took off on another sightseeing journey.


Breakfast on Norman's porch.

I have to admit to you, readers, that at this point I did something only vacation-Mike would do. We drove up the 4000ft incline spread over 25 miles at Volcanoes National Park - the climb I had been dreading since I first charted out my route's elevation. I regret nothing! It essentially saved my legs, back, easygoing vacation disposition, and one half day of my trip. Additionally, I got to keep Norman as a tour guide on the way. We stopped at a few scenic points and historic lodges, including:


Scenic overlook of Kilauea, an active crater on Mauna Loa, with a small plume of steam and volcanic gas visible! This was taken from the back of a really neat historic lodge. Photos of that are on my camera (to be uploaded later).




The "lava tube", where molten lava once flowed and created a tunnel about 100 yards long. I was fortunate not to have encountered any lava in said tube, but instead got some really cool photos.

From here, we grabbed delicious Thai lunch from a food truck a few miles from the park entrance and pulled in to eat it at Namakanipaio Campground, where I probably would've stayed had I missed Norman. Awesome site! Its Hawaii-ness was replaced with a Pacific Northwest feeling - a big open clearing among tall trees up on a mountain. After our Thai picnic, sadly, it was time to leave Norman's truck / hospitality. He'd been an enormous help, a ton of fun, and one of the more interesting people I'd ever met. Thanks again, Uncle Norman! Check out Norman's work at www.normandavidcarby.com.

Fresh, rested, and full from spectacular meals, I exited towards the southwest part of the island... Directly into a storm. I wasn't 5 minutes from the lunch / campsite by the time I was in a full-on downpour. No matter! I was headed downhill and most certainly could not have expected to get through a week in Hawaii without rain. Volcanoes was a barren wasteland of lava rock and sulfur smells, absolutely nowhere to stop for shelter, so I powered through it at 25-30 mph until I had ridden out of the storm. Near the bottom, I ran into the first other unsupported (carrying their own gear) cyclists I'd seen on the island! A Canadian couple, they were super nice and traversing the island in the other direction. We exchanged info about the roads ahead and parted ways.

I made it back down to sea level at a town called Naalehu in record time! I did a little research on campgrounds and hotels coming up - it's a little sparse around the southern point of the island - and found a B&B a reasonable distance away in Ocean View that would take me. I had to get back up to 2000ft but the sun was out and I was feeling great. I had a beautiful ride as the day closed out, riding along above the coast with the sunset. This was the latest in the day I had ridden, pulling into the B&B around 7:15, but I found it very refreshing! It's usually been either a little too hot and sunny or raining, so a clear evening offered a rare situation in which it was neither. The B&B was ok. The couple running it had lived in Seattle, go figure! They were a bit old and crotchety, but ultimately meant well (I think). The couple in the room next to mine fought all night, but that's a different story. At least I had a place to stay.

Photo time!















Mike

Stats:
Dist: 47.97 mi
Time: 3 hours 9 minutes
Avg speed: 15.22mph
Max speed: 35.0 mph

Day 4: Uncle Norman Saves the Day!

Thursday started out a little rough (trouble in paradise, AM I RIGHT?!) but turned around pretty fast and became amazing! I started at my dumpy hostel in Hilo, waking up to a flat tire. It must've been a slow leak so I opted just to fill it, get away from the hostel and its distractions (mostly talking to people) and see how far the leaky tube would get me. When I was bent down refilling it, I pulled some muscle, approximately in the lower old man back region. The tube didn't make it too far and I opted to try to patch it outside an orchid farm 6 miles down the road.



I couldn't find the leak, so I patched two spots that looked like they could've been tiny little holes. Apparently neither was it (or the patches didn't stick) because it was flat again after another few miles.

At this point I talked to, believe it or not, my uncle's uncle, Norman. Norman is an artist living in Keaau, 5-10 miles South of Hilo. He offered lunch, a hot shower, and even a car ride with my bike. Having had a tough morning, not really feeling up for climbing 4000ft with a pulled back, and reminding myself that I actually AM on vacation, I opted for the detour to Uncle Norman's.

I made my way another few miles, refilling the stubborn tube every once in awhile, to Norman's home set back in the trees outside Keaau and into what turned out to be an absolutely fantastic day! His house was a really neat two-story home with great balconies on both the front and back, ocean and volcano views (when clear), and full of artwork, collectibles, and relics that should probably be in museums. He grilled me a pork tenderloin and broccoli lunch, we both had much-needed naps, a driving tour, dinner out, and I heard more amazing stories than I could ever relay in this blog post. On the driving tour, we saw the southeastern end of the island. It included the warpath of a recently-active volcano (primarily 1980s) that took out 8 miles of road on the southern coast and all the houses that went with it. Also on the tour: a black sand beach, a designer friend's beautiful modern home (with a lava field backyard!), and many educational asides on vegetation. At dinner I had a delicious coconut-encrusted ahi - and a LOT of it. Back at the home, we relaxed and I had the privilege of playing an acoustic guitar from the 1940s! That's pretty old for a guitar! Still sounded wonderful.

Here's some of pictures!


Rough road to Norman's


Front yard


Giant turtles! (Not the kind I expected to see, but more delicious and less endangered)


The beautiful, the illusive: Moji


Lava lava lava






What's your backyard look like?

Overall, a disappointing morning turned into an amazing day! A thousand thanks to Norman. More details on our adventures to follow.

Stats:
Dist: 13.47 miles
Time: 1 hour 13 minutes
Avg speed: 10.95 mph
Max speed: 24.71 mph