Thanks for the tips (so far)!
I don't have the flash player here, but will check out some of your videos ( talking to Bekologist here ) to see if I can narrow this down to what I'll do over the weekend. Stephen's Pass is pretty close, though, and sounds like a good next trip ... I've done three mountain rides so far, and only two of them in the past several years.
How bad would Stephen's Pass ( getting on the bike somewhere near Deception Falls? ) to Lake Wenachee, and then back up, be? I talked a friend into playing driver, mostly because driving takes a bit of energy, and I want to make sure I can get home safely if I bonk or "hit the wall" on a tough ride. My friend is going to do a bit of hiking wherever we set off, and ultimately find a tree to sit down and read under. I'm supposed to find her when I get back. I can probably talk her into meeting me elsewhere, but it'll use up all the brownie points I have left.
Also, when people camp with their bikes ... do you chain or cable lock them to a tree at night? Or do you look for back country campgrounds where no other people are likely to show up? The Beckler River Road idea sounds like a good one, too, and
in theory it's been camping season for a couple weeks now; if it stops raining, this might be a nice option. ( Plus, I found a nice campground on the IHT I'd like to return to, but am nervous about bike theft. )