23 miles/day commute
08-20-10 | 08:27 AM
#27
Matt Pendergast
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 3,428
Likes: 8,060
From: North Bend, Washington State
Bikes: 1937 Hobbs; 1977 Bruce Gordon; 1987 Bill Holland; 1988 Schwinn Paramount (Fixed gear); 1999 Fat City Yo Eddy (MTB); 2018 Woodrup (Touring) 2016 Ritchey breakaway
I commuted much less this year than in the past though I did get in something like 13 trips in May - perfect for piling on the base miles for the challenges I had in store for July (STP and RAMROD both ridden fixed). Pretty busy at work these days. I posted this on another forum a few years ago. It describes my commute of 56 miles round trip and I feel very blessed to have such a nice route. I do this route most of the time now on my fixed gear bike:
I set out at 5:30AM. This morning was foggy and somewhat gloomy in a Hitchcock sort of way as I rode between North Bend and Snoqualmie, dew forming on my arm hairs so they looked like spiderwebs. There is this large field of tall grass I pass by and at that time of the morning there's a herd of Elk that graze there. I was watching them off to the right when I detected movement on the left. On the other side of the road were 6 Elk running along side me in a field looking spooked and uncertain about whether to cross the road. I braked and one passed 10 yards in front of me, the other 5 bolted across behind me. Scary and cool. Wish I coulda gotten a picture of that!
At that time of the morning I have the Issaquah Fall City road to myself with it's glorious stepped climb to the Plateau. I deal with traffic only for a few miles on top before heading down a little used street that plunges off the Plateau down to West Lake Sammamish road. After navigating the speed bumps and hairpin turns there's a 90 degree turn where (on a geared bike) I release the brakes and let gravity take me away. In less than 3 blocks I can reach over 47mph. On a fixed gear this is done slower feathering the brakes the entire way down. The route from Issaquah to Bellevue passes by very quickly.
I think the best part of commuting is the anticipation of the 30 mile ride home on a sunny day and Friday was one of those rare warm and sunny springtime days in the northwest. I made a point to stop along the way home (a slightly different route than the ride in..) to snap some pics where I have at one time or another thanked God for being alive.
From the office, I use the I90 trail and a pedestrian overpass to get to Newport way. Newport way has a great flow to it and you can reach some fast speeds as you roll onto Issaquah. Traffic isn't bad at all.
I take the Issaquah Highlands trail to climb up to the Plateau. There's a nice climb here and you don't have to worry about cars until you're on top of the Plateau:
From the top of the plateau, I ride on some very busy streets for a few miles. I just try to concentrate on being smooth and predictable until I reach the turnoff to the old Issaquah Fall City Road then, ahhhhhh:
The Issaquah Fall City Road drops down into the Snoqualmie Valley. Here the road levels out but leaves enough rollers in it to make it really fun:
Passing through Fall City, I head east to North Bend on Rte 202. The road is busy but newly paved with a wide shoulder. I always take Fish Hatchery Road when it presents itself. It is only a couple of miles long but it is truly quiet and beautiful situated next to the Snoqualmie River. You ride by a farm where Wallaby's are raised and a there's Private Airpark. At one point just before you turn to go back to Rte 202, the temparature always drops maybe 15 degrees and it feels very damp. I guess it's from Snoqualmie Falls just around the bend in the river. On Friday it was a welcome relief from the 80 degree heat (remember, this is Seattle we're talking about). I took this picture just after turning off Rte 202 where the maple trees provide shade along the route:
There is a steady 1 mile long climb to the Upper Snoqualmie Valley, good shoulder even though the traffic can sometimes be heavy. I turn onto Tokul road at the top by the Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls and I again, have the road to myself. I am getting close to home when I see Mt Si from Reining Rd. Only 5 miles to go:
I set out at 5:30AM. This morning was foggy and somewhat gloomy in a Hitchcock sort of way as I rode between North Bend and Snoqualmie, dew forming on my arm hairs so they looked like spiderwebs. There is this large field of tall grass I pass by and at that time of the morning there's a herd of Elk that graze there. I was watching them off to the right when I detected movement on the left. On the other side of the road were 6 Elk running along side me in a field looking spooked and uncertain about whether to cross the road. I braked and one passed 10 yards in front of me, the other 5 bolted across behind me. Scary and cool. Wish I coulda gotten a picture of that!
At that time of the morning I have the Issaquah Fall City road to myself with it's glorious stepped climb to the Plateau. I deal with traffic only for a few miles on top before heading down a little used street that plunges off the Plateau down to West Lake Sammamish road. After navigating the speed bumps and hairpin turns there's a 90 degree turn where (on a geared bike) I release the brakes and let gravity take me away. In less than 3 blocks I can reach over 47mph. On a fixed gear this is done slower feathering the brakes the entire way down. The route from Issaquah to Bellevue passes by very quickly.
I think the best part of commuting is the anticipation of the 30 mile ride home on a sunny day and Friday was one of those rare warm and sunny springtime days in the northwest. I made a point to stop along the way home (a slightly different route than the ride in..) to snap some pics where I have at one time or another thanked God for being alive.
From the office, I use the I90 trail and a pedestrian overpass to get to Newport way. Newport way has a great flow to it and you can reach some fast speeds as you roll onto Issaquah. Traffic isn't bad at all.
I take the Issaquah Highlands trail to climb up to the Plateau. There's a nice climb here and you don't have to worry about cars until you're on top of the Plateau:
From the top of the plateau, I ride on some very busy streets for a few miles. I just try to concentrate on being smooth and predictable until I reach the turnoff to the old Issaquah Fall City Road then, ahhhhhh:
The Issaquah Fall City Road drops down into the Snoqualmie Valley. Here the road levels out but leaves enough rollers in it to make it really fun:
Passing through Fall City, I head east to North Bend on Rte 202. The road is busy but newly paved with a wide shoulder. I always take Fish Hatchery Road when it presents itself. It is only a couple of miles long but it is truly quiet and beautiful situated next to the Snoqualmie River. You ride by a farm where Wallaby's are raised and a there's Private Airpark. At one point just before you turn to go back to Rte 202, the temparature always drops maybe 15 degrees and it feels very damp. I guess it's from Snoqualmie Falls just around the bend in the river. On Friday it was a welcome relief from the 80 degree heat (remember, this is Seattle we're talking about). I took this picture just after turning off Rte 202 where the maple trees provide shade along the route:
There is a steady 1 mile long climb to the Upper Snoqualmie Valley, good shoulder even though the traffic can sometimes be heavy. I turn onto Tokul road at the top by the Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls and I again, have the road to myself. I am getting close to home when I see Mt Si from Reining Rd. Only 5 miles to go:
08-20-10 | 08:55 AM
#28
Oh, you know...
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,834
Likes: 0
From: DC
Bikes: '74 Schwinn Sports Tourer (Polo), S-Works E5 Team Festina (Chorus 11), Trek 2200 Bonded Carbon (Fixed), Trek 920 (7 speed IGH), Chesini Olimpiade SL (1x7)
I'm jealous of:
1) Your weather (80 degrees is hot... sigh)
2) Your roads
3) Your scenery
I should just suck it up and ride to work one day, taking pictures of my commute along the way. It would be substantially less appealing than yours.
1) Your weather (80 degrees is hot... sigh)
2) Your roads
3) Your scenery
I should just suck it up and ride to work one day, taking pictures of my commute along the way. It would be substantially less appealing than yours.
