Seattle Forrest

I did this ride last year and loved it; went back on Saturday and did the loop in the opposite direction this time. It was a blast!

This came just short of 50 miles. About 15 of them were on US Route 2, and the rest on back roads. Other than the highway (not freeway), traffic was almost non-existent, and every driver I saw was surprisingly courteous. Nice change from city riding. The scenery was unbelievable, which is why I like this route.

Most of the ride goes through pretty remote and fairly wild country. Outside of town, my only company was the forest, mostly ponderosa pines, with a bit of prairie and lots of views of the mountains. Rides like this give you some of the "on a hike" feeling, where you're alone with your thoughts and surrounded by grandeur.

Here's the view near the park and ride:





Plain:





The Wenatchee River:





A pretty stretch of road approaching the lake:



Lake Wenatchee:

Seattle Forrest

I'm not a morning person, and this is about a 2.5 hour drive from town. By the time I got to Tumwater Canyon, the sun had already set behind Icicle Ridge, and the pictures from that section aren't as good as I had hoped when I set out in the morning.

Tumwater Canyon:





Back into town:





Ride map:



It was chilly!



The balmy start to the ride is because the Garmin got used to the temps inside the car.

JoeB14

Your pictures of your rides never fail to impress. Thanks for sharing.

LAJ

I recognize that ride, and enjoy riding it each July when I visit that area. The Chiwawa loop is an awesome training course, and for a little excitement, Chumstick can be thrown in, which I'm sure you know. Old Blewett Road is a great little climb, but I'm not sure how accessible it is at this time of year.

Awesome pics.

renton

Thanks for sharing!

FLvector

Great pics and gorgeous scenery. I am officially jealous

Seattle Forrest

Old Blewett Road is pretty fantastic (not quite as scenic, but pleasant, and with a fun descent) but the road is snowed out. Also, it looks like the bridge construction that was supposed to end last November hasn't finished yet, so even if snow wasn't a problem, you'd have to get across the creek.

Hunt-man

Nice. Didn't you have more snow last year? Good looking pics, what camera are you using?

primov8

My wife and I are trying to plan a trip sometime around August with the kids, driving cross country from NYC to Bremerton. My brother-in-law and his family are stationed there and works at the naval hospital at Bremerton. I can't recall how far Seattle is from their location, but if I do make it out there, this is one of several rides you've posted that I would love to do as well. Beautiful scenery.

Seattle Forrest

A cheap Sony point and shoot. I like that its lens zooms out to 24 mm (in film terms). I'm not sure which one exactly, but I think it says Powershot (?) G on the case.

2011/2012 was a heavier snow year than 2012/2013, but this time I went about a month earlier than I did a year ago, and the end result is that I saw more snow. Here's a picture from last year, you can see the snow line on Icicle Ridge comes down about half way. Right now it's down to the canyon floor.

Seattle Forrest

I haven't been to Bremerton in years, but it's somewhere in the ballpark of an hour and a half, and you'll probably wind up taking a ferry.

If you like climbing, it would probably be closer to take your bike to Port Angeles, and then ride up Hurricane Ridge Road, which is going to be a mile of elevation gain over the course of 17 road miles. I'm more partial to the Cascades, personally.

Clipped_in

Very nice, thanks for posting!

diverguy

Looks like a really beautiful ride. Great shots!

dan911

VERY nice pictures, Thanks.

Walter

Beautiful rides and pics.

I lived in Kansas for a year so when I saw your title......

First pic made it clear you weren't talking about that Leavenworth.

matt from pa

looks like one of those rides you want to take your time on and enjoy the scenery. Im jealous as well.

Seattle Forrest

That Leavenworth started out as Fort Leavenworth, a great stopping off point for settlers and homesteaders heading west. Our L-town began as a tiny fur trapper settlement called Icicle (named for a mispronunciation of a native name for the area), but when the railroads came, it took on a new life. The guy in charge of finding a suitable route renamed the town Leavenworth for his uncle, who had founded Fort L'worth in Kansas.

So while it's not the same place, it's closely related.