Redmond/Carnation rides

[TommyL]

I'm going to be down in the Redmond/Carnation area this weekend, and I'm looking for a nice ride. 20, 30, 40 or more? I'll be around Ames Lake/Union Hill, any suggestions on some nice rides?

Thanks!

[TommyL]

This was my first long ride (37 miles) on my new road bike:

I ended up going down the last bit of Union Hill to Lake Ames/Carnation farm Rd, following it north, east and over the bridge to the Duvall-Carnnation road (saw lots of bikers here, but the traffic made me happy to get off), which I took north to Stillwater.

From there I headed up the Kelly Rd to Cherry Valley, and took Cherry Valley back in to Duvall. I hopped on the Duvall-Woodinville Rd and went up Old Duvall-Woodinville rd.

My plan was to go down through the Trilogy golf course, hope on Novelty hill, and take Redmond Ridge back to Union Hill. Unfortunately, I came to a T Intersection that I mistook for Novelty Hill, and ended up going downhill for a couple miles and spilling out onto Avondale. By the time I got down Avondale to Union Hill, I was quite tired and in for a big surprise. After climbing out of Redmond, I slowly rode the length of Union Hill back to my fiancee's house, absolutely smoked. I guess I have a lot to figure out about my own abilites, pace, etc. as a rider.

I can't believe how much fun it is to ride down those winding roads! I should've bought a road bike a long time ago...