Originally Posted by
Medic Zero
Oh, it's quite a hill! You go as if you were climbing Capitol Hill from the north; crossing the University Bridge climb up Harvard to the funny little bicycle only left turn lane. Take the first right and go through the little passage in the barrier dividing the street and into and through Roanoke Park. If you were to continue up the hill on 10th it'd eventually put you onto Broadway, instead head east on Roanoke (the east-west street that runs along the northern edge of Roanoke Park) and it'll turn into Delmar. 2nd street on the right is the street that runs through Interlaken Park. There's a sign just before it that has a symbol of a bicycle and an arrow pointing up the hill with "To Interlaken Park" on it. The first 1/2 or 3/4's of the ride through Interlaken is just pleasant. The last part from this direction is practice climbing hills in a really nice park with no traffic!
Funny, I do mostly the same route, in reverse.
When I've got time (like if I'm in town for the weekend, which is rare these days) I like to do a "grand loop" of Seattle. Ride down Lake Wash to Seward or Beer Shiva Park, come back along the Chief Sealth Trail, I'm not sure what the name of the park is but you can go right onto a bike trail just before the 15th Ave Bridge, it's really pleasant and drops you off at Judkins Park (?), then you follow another trail down to Dearborn, and come into the ID. From there I like to go up Cap Hill, make my way to 19th (usually I'll ascend near Volunteer Park) and come down Interlaken, out at Roanoke Park, and head north through the neighborhoods until I have to join Eastlake for the bridge. Roanoke Park is small but I like it a lot, it's really pleasant. Plus there's a water fountain (in season) and nice gardens.
I agree, Interlaken is a really pleasant ride. It's nice and curvy, a fun descent, and probably 2/3 of the time I won't see a car.