Although I've been remiss about doing this for the last few months, I have a habit of heading down to the land 'o hicks to do singletrack mountain biking with my Dad down by Lake Sawyer near Black Diamond.
If anyone is interested, I'm currently planning on trekking down there in the next weekend or two and will be doing so at least once a month-ish. When the time comes, I'll edit the details in the first post here.
For now, I'm interested in seeing who's intrigued by this concept.
The riding at Sawyer is mostly flat singletrack with lots of small hills and a couple climb/descent areas. The riding area is probably about the size of Cap Hill with a good 20 miles of trails snaking through it. The trails themselves are very tight and twisty and the usual travel impediments are tree roots, mud and the limitations of your low-speed bike handling skills with an occasional log thrown in.
This time of year tends to be wet with lots of leaves which pushes the difficulty level up a tad but anyone with any off-road experience should be able to do pretty well. Complete beginners may be advised to wait until late spring when things dry out a tad.
Any bike that's cyclocross capable will work out there but big knobby tires are highly recommended if you don't want to be slip-sliding off of the roots and leaves.
Rigid frame bikes should do pretty well. Suspension does help but riding skillz can fill in on most of the terrain here.
lantius
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 3:53 pm
1337Joined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 6705Location: right over
yes! i think my bike will be adequate for that.
Stanglor
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 4:02 pm
Joined: 28 Jan 2006Posts: 555Location: Wallingford
I might be interested, and teh Trimble is has crazy scary mtn bike skills
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J
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 4:07 pm
Joined: 03 Aug 2007Posts: 179Location: by that one arco am/pm
i yes learning how to do bicycling on a mountain yes
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Alex
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 4:09 pm
Joined: 18 May 2006Posts: 3128Location: Roosevelt
I'm interested, but won't make be able to make it this month. Do keep updating this if it happens again in December.
Once spring comes around I'd also be into riding there, playing on the trails, and riding home. I stopped mountain biking a few years ago because I didn't like the "drive to ride" aspect of it. Lake Sawyer isn't that far away.
alex
SKETCHY
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 4:11 pm
Joined: 25 Aug 2007Posts: 336Location: Everywhere
I'll have fun hurting you people at this.
_________________ Pissing the world off since 1973.
Protein Man
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 4:34 pm
Joined: 15 May 2007Posts: 56Location: N. Seattle
I'd be game--I've not checked out those trails.
A few of us (biotech geeks) are planning on messing around at Colonnade this Saturday.
Foo
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 4:43 pm
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
My, I might have to reserve a couple rides to myself first to get my skills built back up so I don't get left in the dust on my own ride!
I am unapologetic about devil-mobiling on the Kent East hill - the biking infrastructure is terrible and the drivers are insane or just plain hostile out there. A few years back, a local minister got put into a coma when somebody deliberately door-ed him. A couple days later somebody tried to do the same to my dad - he's just driven the 5 miles out to Sawyer ever since.
Let me know about the colonnade ride - I probably won't be able to make it since I'm triple-booked Saturday but my intrigue-a-meter is-a-jumping at the thought.
martin
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 4:44 pm
Joined: 30 Jan 2006Posts: 712
Alex wrote:
I didn't like the "drive to ride" aspect
St. Edwards - so ride-to-mtn-biking-able.
Foo
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 4:49 pm
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
True - I've ridden up there a few times to poke around. I might have just missed the good stuff but I found that the trails up there were rather lackluster and very short in comparison.
Sawyer has the best non-downhill riding in the area, IMO. Tolt-McDonald (did I get that right?) has some nice riding as well but the Sawyer trails are a lot more varied in the skill levels and terrain you get.
Oh yes, I might also mention that two of the best trails out at Sawyer are slated to be turned into more urban sprawl soon. Get your riding in while they're still there!
[edit] the Tolt McDonald area is also a lot more convenient from Seattle than Black Diamond via bike.
wanderlyte
Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:37 pm
Joined: 06 May 2006Posts: 62Location: Afloat somewhere in Puget Sound
Foo wrote:
If anyone is interested, I'm currently planning on trekking down there in the next weekend or two and will be doing so at least once a month-ish. When the time comes, I'll edit the details in the first post here.
I'd be interested in this. I'll be up in Vancouver this weekend, but should be available other weekends.
Also, looks like there are some good trails at Banner Forest, not far from the Southworth ferry. Took a quick detour through there on my bike last weekend on my way to Tahuya. Might be interesting to hit the trails on Vashon then ride out to Banner Forest for some more some weekend.
--Matt
lantius
Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 1:13 am
1337Joined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 6705Location: right over
banner forest, st. edwards, and south seatac are all very close and fun to ride in.
Alex
Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 8:25 am
Joined: 18 May 2006Posts: 3128Location: Roosevelt
martin wrote:
Alex wrote:
I didn't like the "drive to ride" aspect
St. Edwards - so ride-to-mtn-biking-able.
Yup, it just gets boring after the 27th visit.
The good stuff is on the Finn Hill side.
alex
SKETCHY
Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 12:02 pm
Joined: 25 Aug 2007Posts: 336Location: Everywhere
so where are we riding? are we riding? what time are we riding? are we going to car pool for the ride? another stupid point83 post with out a leader or a plan??????? I'm fucking riding
_________________ Pissing the world off since 1973.
Drewish
Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 4:50 pm
Joined: 08 Aug 2007Posts: 5Location: Seattle, WA
Yeah, what day do you want to ride? Sat or Sun. this weekend or next? if sun. i'm in and i got room for one more in my truck. lets meet where? i can pick a passenger up. somebody has to make a decision!
lantius
Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 5:00 pm
1337Joined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 6705Location: right over
SKETCHY wrote:
so where are we riding? are we riding? what time are we riding? are we going to car pool for the ride? another stupid point83 post with out a leader or a plan??????? I'm fucking riding
too much planning? not enough planning? make up your mind!
Foo
Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 11:18 am
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
Jeez, if any of you yahoos bothered to read the first post, you'd see that I'm not doing any planning yet, just seeing who all's interested.
I've got some sort of scuddy cold right now so I'm not sure if I'll be up to singletrack this weekend. Even if I am, I haven't ridden with my dad in a couple months and so I'd like to do so by myself before bringing on the pack.
However, I will start making plans for the next weekend or the following - those plans will show up when they show up.
If anyone else wants to arrange a trip to St. Edwards or any other place in the meantime, by all means go for it!
SeditiousCanary
Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 11:21 am
sorry, can't make it!Joined: 26 Jan 2006Posts: 2315Location: Fremont Troll
SKETCHY wrote:
another stupid point83 post with out a leader or a plan???????
Right, because you always have a plan...
Protein Man
Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:27 pm
Joined: 15 May 2007Posts: 56Location: N. Seattle
Foo wrote:
Let me know about the colonnade ride - I probably won't be able to make it since I'm triple-booked Saturday but my intrigue-a-meter is-a-jumping at the thought.
It sounds like we'll be out there around 3ish this Saturday.
I'll be riding a banshee hardtail.
Jeff
Foo
Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:35 pm
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
I'm afraid I'll have to catch you guys next time, I'm running a temp and if feels like my lower lungs are trying to give birth to an alien fetus of some variety.
[edit] and evidently sick enough that I can't read properly anymore.
I'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow but it'll be a short ride with you guys if I make it out - I'm triple booked, assuming I'm even up for all of what I was planning. Phone numbers in case I want to try and hook up with you guys?
Protein Man
Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 10:02 am
Joined: 15 May 2007Posts: 56Location: N. Seattle
Colonnade Report:
BBTC and friends has added a ton of stuff since I volunteered/rode it last winter. The xc trails are actually interesting and good to warm up on. Now there are skinnies, drops & rolls, teeter-totters, and other such terrain to ramp up the difficulty and coolness.
The sick stuff I skipped in Nelson, BC this summer because I was riding solo and much of it was exposed such that the consquences of a mistake would be ugly. At Colonnade the stunts are similar, but lower to the ground. I had a blast practicing skinnies until I could clean them and threw in a few nice drops for giggles.
I plan to go back as we didn't even make it up to the pump track and whatever else is new around there. Even though I didn't break 10 mph, after an hour or so of riding I was pretty pumped anyway.
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sorry, can't make it!
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