Joined: 02 Jul 2008Posts: 493Location: Rural Maine
My mother lives in Eatonville now and works at the Pack Forest. I went down the past weekend to scope out the MTB options there. The trails look great. Plus you can ride the dirt roads up the hills and then down the trails. There's plenty of roads there and they're mostly closed to traffic. It seems like a good way to warm up as my level of mountain biking is "I had one when I was a kid, I rode it sometimes, and I still have it,"
I'm also excited about riding down there (60mi) and back, having a nice place to spend the night in the middle. Does anyone have comments on a possible route?
now with 50 percent more EVILJoined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 10566
do you have a date picked out? id like to do this, closer to summer might be better for me though.
that's my hometown, but i didnt ride bikes when living out there (no one did like we do). on the backroads (orting - eatonville, especially in the kapowsin area) id suggest really really riding defensively and out of the road. that's a major log truck/dump truck/hick truck area and they are in no way used to cyclists. not much infrastructure for it from what i remember. i remember the area around kapowsin lake being a skinny windy road (drug induced cruising memories from 15 years ago).
all said, id dig doing this ride. i graduated highschool in eatonville and i dont make it back there to see friends often enough.
derrickito
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 12:11 am
now with 50 percent more EVILJoined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 10566
also, id suggest looking at staying in the valley a bit longer. im pretty sure it's a hill climb up to a plateau east of auburn up to bonney lake (i think, double check it though). might be better to stay in the valley all the way to sumner/almost to puyallup, then cross over eastish.
meridian is similar to highway 99. tons of cars and suburban sprawl all the way to graham. busier and uglier but probably easier to avoid getting squashed by a dump truck just because it's straight and not curvy.
6 in one hand, half dozen in the other i guess. food for thought on routes
btm
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 1:30 am
Joined: 02 Jul 2008Posts: 493Location: Rural Maine
derrickito wrote:
do you have a date picked out? id like to do this, closer to summer might be better for me though.
No dates picked out, just thinking about it more and more as I spend time there. So May or June would be good, because I want to do it before STP (or PTS), but I wouldn't be surprised to do it a couple times this summer either depending on how regularly we get camping trips going.
I've ridden down there a few times and never had trouble with traffic.
My route is way longer than 60 miles and some of it is on the illegal forest road 54, so I can't really recommend it. From Enumclaw to Eatonville I just did 162, Orville Road, Kapowsin. I remember it being pretty nice riding. The climb into Eatonville was more of a bitch than it seems like it should be. Going to Eatonville first is kind of out of the way.
I'd be up for it as a summer overnighter or 3 day weekend.
alex
ethan
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 8:15 am
Joined: 21 Jan 2008Posts: 920Location: Maple Leaf
Might very well be into this... and if a two-night trip, maybe ride the 35 miles up to Paradise, in Mt. Rainier, the middle day?? (About a yr ago there was a thread here talking about riding to Paradise, not sure if that ever happened... thought that'd be pretty cool tho.)
kalen
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 8:53 am
Joined: 10 Apr 2007Posts: 342Location: Olympia, on the farm
Sounds like a great ride. I did almost the same (with a detour to Buckley to visit my parents) while heading to Portland a few years ago. There are definitely rural roads with quite a bit of truck traffic, but nothing we can't handle, and the scenery makes up for it.
Like Derrick said, avoid going up to Bonney Lake-Lake Tapps-Buckley, as that's up on the plateau. Best to stick to the valleys until the last approach into Eatonville.
Take the interurban trail to Algona-Pacific. Then either side streets, or W Valley Highway into Sumner. W Valley is busy, so if you have a good map, I'd take side streets through town. The Foothills Trail (paved rail-trail) goes from McMillin to Orting, so you can get off Highway 162 for a while. After that Oroville Rd takes you the rest of the way. It's rural with some truck traffic, but really nice riding.
Keep me posted, I'll be down for this.
derrickito
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 9:22 am
now with 50 percent more EVILJoined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 10566
if this is may/june, im in.
tehschkott
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 9:43 am
daywalkerJoined: 09 Nov 2007Posts: 6108Location: Hatertown
Alex wrote:
My route is way longer than 60 miles and some of it is on the illegal forest road 54, so I can't really recommend it.
'cause we don't do illegal
I'm down for this. Sounds like fun. When we're done we can ride to my home town of Wenatchee!
stab stab stab
_________________ GREAT UNITER / ORACLE / ELDER
MOOAAR DONGS
Alex
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:49 am
Joined: 18 May 2006Posts: 3128Location: Roosevelt
tehschkott wrote:
Alex wrote:
My route is way longer than 60 miles and some of it is on the illegal forest road 54, so I can't really recommend it.
'cause we don't do illegal
Well, there is illegal like drinking in city parks and there is illegal like trespassing onto closed to the public watersheds. Having done the latter and been caught I don't really feel inclined to do it again.
FR54 does have nice riding though, and Stampede Pass is fun too. I wish it were open, a weekend/3day trip of going up Iron Horse Trail, across Stampede Pass, then riding home from Enumclaw would be a great half dirt/half paved route that I'd do annually.
alex
btm
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 11:30 am
Joined: 02 Jul 2008Posts: 493Location: Rural Maine
kalen wrote:
Like Derrick said, avoid going up to Bonney Lake-Lake Tapps-Buckley, as that's up on the plateau. Best to stick to the valleys until the last approach into Eatonville.
Oooh terrain. I was like, "LOOK A LAKE...PRETTY... DRAG".
I'm thinking May 9th-10th then, as that's the weekend after my birthday (Thursday the 7th).
I may very well ride down sooner as well. Will make a post during the week if I plan on a short notice trip.
My mother's house is downtown, walking distance to the uhh, bars, and an excellent mexican chain with great vegetarian options. It's small though, maybe two 15 x 15 rooms for us to sleep in unless someone wants the kitchen floor. There's a backyard with room for tents though if there ended up being a pile of people.
now with 50 percent more EVILJoined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 10566
i can fall asleep in the smallest space easily and happily. tenting is no problem either. if needed i can crash at a friends house too if that makes it easier.
i think that weekend works for me.
and yes that mexi restaurant is yummy.
Alex
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 12:09 pm
Joined: 18 May 2006Posts: 3128Location: Roosevelt
btm wrote:
I'm thinking May 9th-10th then, as that's the weekend after my birthday (Thursday the 7th).
Is that Ben Country? I know it is near then.
henry
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 12:12 pm
somewhat piggishJoined: 05 Aug 2005Posts: 5415Location: on porch with shotgun
Joined: 02 Jul 2008Posts: 493Location: Rural Maine
Alex wrote:
btm wrote:
I'm thinking May 9th-10th then, as that's the weekend after my birthday (Thursday the 7th).
Is that Ben Country? I know it is near then.
It's easy to move, can we get someone to add these mystery rides to the calendar before I say "next weekend then" and someone says, "that's the weekend we put babies on spikes!"
evilmikeJoined: 19 Apr 2006Posts: 640Location: Capitalist Hill
btm wrote:
Alex wrote:
btm wrote:
I'm thinking May 9th-10th then, as that's the weekend after my birthday (Thursday the 7th).
Is that Ben Country? I know it is near then.
It's easy to move, can we get someone to add these mystery rides to the calendar before I say "next weekend then" and someone says, "that's the weekend we put babies on spikes!"
We put babies on spikes every weekend. So, you should just ignore that event and schedule a bike ride anyway.
_________________ Some of us like things. Some of us are just joyless, bitter assholes.
fatasian
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 1:16 pm
dick wang's fatherJoined: 26 Aug 2008Posts: 1707Location: devenshire
have babies, will travel.
derrickito
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 1:25 pm
now with 50 percent more EVILJoined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 10566
daywalkerJoined: 09 Nov 2007Posts: 6108Location: Hatertown
LOL
_________________ GREAT UNITER / ORACLE / ELDER
MOOAAR DONGS
DJStroky
Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 1:40 pm
Joined: 25 May 2007Posts: 356Location: Downtown Tacoma
Here is a more trail-happy, busy road-averse version of the route from Boeing Field through Orting: http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/wa/seattle/661994101851 The route goes on the interurban and then the foothills trail. I've personally biked this route in reverse between downtown Sumner and Boeing field and can say that it's pancake flat most of the way.
I'll meet you guys in Sumner.
_________________ Tacoma isn't that bad... well maybe it is
All times are GMT - 8 Hours
The time now is Sat Aug 12, 2023 12:53 pm
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Joined: 02 Jul 2008
Posts: 493
Location: Rural Maine
now with 50 percent more EVIL
Joined: 22 Jul 2005
Posts: 10566
Joined: 18 May 2006
Posts: 3128
Location: Roosevelt
Joined: 21 Jan 2008
Posts: 920
Location: Maple Leaf
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Posts: 342
Location: Olympia, on the farm
daywalker
Joined: 09 Nov 2007
Posts: 6108
Location: Hatertown
Joined: 24 Jul 2005
Posts: 6037
Location: Ether
evilmike
Joined: 19 Apr 2006
Posts: 640
Location: Capitalist Hill
dick wang's father
Joined: 26 Aug 2008
Posts: 1707
Location: devenshire
Joined: 25 May 2007
Posts: 356
Location: Downtown Tacoma
