Puget Sound has been sitting under a large mass of stagnant high pressure. The forecast continued for below freezing temps in the lowlands, but clear skies, so I packed up the Long Haul Trucker for a quick blitzkreig to snow country.

One of my goals was to dial in my winter bike camping ensemble. I haven't done any bike snow camping for over a dozen years (moved away from the UP of MI) and have always preferred to do winter trips on skis anyway, but having winter snowbike camping skills definetly come in handy . Since Katrina, I've been dialing in my system to be able to evacuate a metropolitian area under my own power, and be able to leave at any time under any conditions.

Thursday AM, I rolled out of Seattle under 27 degrees and a little frost and ice on the trails north of town, rolled 50 miles in 4 1/2 hours, then got on the 'Mountain Loop Highway' a one way road, closed partway in the winter as well. The mountain loop was my choice because the road closure keeps traffic down.Traffic peters out past Granite Falls, essentially becomming an abandoned road out to the sticks.

By 4:30 I had found a little shelter in a closed down campground, a frozen concrete slab in a picnic shelter. Score! No need to stomp down a camping platform in the snow...

I ate dinner in the dark, and hit the sack by 8. 12 hours later, I was sitting in my sleeping bag, eating oatmeal in the morning light, looking out at 10 degrees and clear skies. One more cup of coffee, and I was on the road by 9:30 friday. I rode 2 hours up the highway, to my destination, the Big Four Ice Caves, about 75 miles out from Seattle. Ate some lunch, fed the bluejays apple chunks, and turned the bike around.

I had an open schedule, but once I got on the bike, the motors kicked in and wound up back in seattle by 6:30 Friday night.. BLITZKREIG!

Road conditions, dry and gritty giving way to %95 full road ice in the shade, with enough grit and snowcrust to get sufficient traction. ran conti travel contacts 700x37s. Had to remember to hydrate, and keeping a sodium and electrolytes flow is still crucial ,even in the winter. Slept plenty warm, woke up relaxed this morning. approx 150 miles, with 17 or 18 hours on the bike, 12 hours in the sack, and a few hours cooking and pitching/breaking camp.

Two pics, both pretty far up the Mountain Loop highway from today.