It was great.
But, it didn't do much for my fitness. I felt like I needed to boost my base miles, and Saturday and Sunday here in Seattle were fairly nice -- a little cool and breezy, but at least not raining much -- so I headed out for a long ride on Sunday.
My route was one that I had planned online over a month ago, starting with a flat cruise south down the Duwamish, Green River, and Interurban Trails. It was early enough when I started -- and still lightly sprinkling -- so that the trails were fairly devoid of pedestrians. The roads were also less full of cars, so on most parts of the Duwamish Trail I was able to get on the road and not wind my way between the piles of debris prevalent on that multi-use trail.
The wind was out of the south at a steady 10 mph, so it was hard work to maintain a decent speed. I stayed mostly in the drops going down the Interurban, dreaming of how pleasant the wind would be later when I got to return north.
I had skipped breakfast and thus badly needed the latte and muffin I got at Zola's Cafe in Auburn. At that point, I was just over 25 miles in and considered heading back. But the skies had cleared when I finished my late breakfast, and I decided to do the loop up to Black Mountain.
One of these days I'd like to stop here and see what a flaming geyser looks like.
There were many cyclists coming back as I headed up the gentle grade, and I considered that maybe I was doing this loop the wrong way. But the inclines stayed mild and the road stayed wide enough to accommodate me and the somewhat frequent speeding cars. Soon, I was in town.
All of the routes that I had seen favored a stop at the Black Mountain Bakery, and I decided to take a break there. The apple fritter that I got was huge and very tasty, and was easily worth the labor of the climb.
Leaving town, I got on busy Hwy 169 heading south. When I got to the turn that my GPS wanted me to take, however, I saw that it was a dirt road. Assuming that my GPS was concerned about me staying on a busy road too long, I ignored it and continued south looking for a better option.
When I got to Green Valley Road, the sign indicated that it would go to Flaming Geyser State Park. For some reason, my brain rejected that, thinking that the road was doubling back too much, and so I stayed on Hwy 169.
Soon, the road had a long descent to a bridge over the Green River, followed by an even longer climb. It was about 2/3 of the way up this climb that I began to think that I should have taken Green Valley Road, but at that point the prospect of going back down that hill on that busy road and then climbing back up the other side did not appeal to me. Thus, at the top of the climb, I pulled out a phone and opened Google Maps. Sure enough, Hwy 169 was just going to continue south, away from home, and so I picked a series of smaller roads that would allow me to get back on route.
The countryside was quietly rolling to flat, with small farms and fields of grazing cattle. The roads were in good shape, and the few cars that I saw passed with plenty of room. At one of the many places where I stopped to consult Google Maps and confirm my direction, some kids in a passing car even gave me a "Woo-hoo." At least they no longer yell, "Go Lance!"
Finally I crossed back over the Green River and got on Green Valley Road, where I was supposed to be. As the name suggested, this road winds its way through a mostly flat and rather verdant valley. Although I was generally heading east, the wind had shifted slightly -- or was being redirected by the hills -- so that it stayed on my nose here. By the time that I got back to Auburn, I was tired.
I skipped Zola's this time (remember that "eating lots of stuff at the beach" comment earlier?). Back on the Interurban Trail, it was easy to break the posted 15 mph speed limit while barely turning over the pedals. The sun and wind had dried the trail, too. This was particularly nice on the frequent railroad crossings that this trail has near Kent and Tukwilla.
Back on the Duwamish Trail, near South Park, I noticed this ghost bike.
It honors Marvin Miller, who "died doing what he loved" on this trail. Although I don't plan to do either any time soon, it's better to burn out than to fade away.
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