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two bike rides

Scott and I went on bike rides both Saturday and Sunday. It felt indulgent. Here is a list of what we saw:

  • two weddings
  • a game of cricket
  • the sign shown above (which I had to investigate because all I can see is a pair of eyes with heavy eyebrows, as in: “be warned that we give disapproving looks to those who skateboard here”)
  • many people tubing down a shady river on which was likely the hottest day of the year
  • a cute hipster geek with skinny jeans wielding some serious camera equipment at a tiny bird
  • a massive soccer meet
  • a sign that said “No Trespassing – Private Trail” which we completely ignored didn’t see at all
  • a guy on old school roller skates (he didn’t have a Walkman or a sweatband around his forehead, I checked)
  • a bald eagle
  • Mount Rainier and Mount Baker viewed with fields in the foreground and no cars in sight
  • Redmond’s first school bell (which I almost broke trying to ring)
  • a piece of large public art called “Portal II” (which I almost broke trying to climb on)
  • a bronze sculpture of a woman sitting on an invisible chair (which I almost broke by attempting to sit on)
  • a rather lovely other world that exists along bike trails just next to rivers hidden from the streets by fields and buildings

Whenever we find an empty circle shaped bit of path or parking lot we ride around and around, sometimes going opposite directions and having conversations in two or three word sections. (“Remember that time” “we were camping” “in Yosemite and” “we heard wolves howling” “and thought they” “might want to” “eat us?”) That’s my favorite part.

If you live in Seattle and are curious about the rides: This weekend we took the Sammamish River Trail from Marymoor Park in Redmond to Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville, where we had lunch and beer, and back. This is a highly recommended trip and wasn’t too long. If you time it right you can take one of their beer tours and have lunch, and possibly more beer. The next day we took the Cedar River Trail, where we recommend parking in the lot just east of and sort of beneath 405. The trail northward through Renton and to the water at the bottom of Lake Washington is walk-only most of the way (a lovely walk though!) and if you bike the streets you’ll need to cross some busy intersections and it’s not fun at all. So park in that lot and head south-ish and there is a really lovely bit through a wooded section and then the trail is sandwiched between the river and Maple Valley Highway. It wasn’t the most interesting out there but it wasn’t crowded, had plenty of places to stop, and had straight enough sections that you could build up some speed and let your mind wander. The King County Bicycling Guidemap has been really useful, but do look for warnings on trail pages, the Green River Trail is currently closed to bicycle traffic which happily we noticed before we went all the way out there.

· comments [18] · 07-26-2011 · categories:seattle ·

18 responses so far ↓

  • 1 anenthusiast // Jul 26, 2011 at 5:00 am

    Uh, you have cricket? In Seattle? For reals?? I always assume no-one outside of the UK (or the Commonwealth, really) has ever heard of it. I love cricket. I also love your blog. Long may you enjoy it! 10 years!!

  • 2 Malori // Jul 26, 2011 at 7:39 am

    All of the things that you almost broke on your bike ride completely cracked me up. Sounds like you had a fabulous adventure!

  • 3 Nathalie // Jul 26, 2011 at 8:09 am

    That sign looks like a meme, you know, with the eyes and the slanty eyebrow. I can’t stop seeing the meme, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere either

  • 4 EB // Jul 26, 2011 at 9:23 am

    I’m not big on bike riding, but this kinda makes me wanna hop on.

  • 5 Reading (and chickens) // Jul 26, 2011 at 10:10 am

    @anenthusiast: Lots of Indian people in Seattle = cricket! I love the sight, even if I don’t understand the game at all. I always wonder why the SRT is so much nicer than the Burke-Gilman.

  • 6 Megan // Jul 26, 2011 at 10:50 am

    If you’re looking for another great ride (although not paved), I highly recommend the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. I’m particular to the section between Carnation and Duvall, because I live out that way, and because it’s not a bad ride between towns, so you can ride-lunch-return pretty easily. And any time we have sun it’s a gorgeous ride, from spring to fall!

  • 7 megan // Jul 26, 2011 at 10:58 am

    anenthusiast – Reading (and chickens) has it! It was a group of Indian people. I was so excited to see a casual game going on.

    Megan – Thanks for the recommendation! I did buy a hybrid bicycle so I could take on a soft surface trail if needed, I’ll have to try it out.

  • 8 mel // Jul 26, 2011 at 12:40 pm

    Hooray for rare sunny, warm days in Seattle! Glad you took advantage of the weather before the rain hit on Monday!

  • 9 brianne // Jul 26, 2011 at 1:28 pm

    fun! you rode right past my office (just south of redmond city hall). I have sat on that bronze lady’s lap a time or two myself ;)

  • 10 megan // Jul 26, 2011 at 1:52 pm

    Brianne – Awesome, we were wondering if people who work in that building watch people attempt to sit on it from the windows.

  • 11 Eastsider // Jul 26, 2011 at 3:57 pm

    For those wondering, the Redmond/Bellevue area (home of Microsoft) has one of the largest Indian communities in the US.

  • 12 Lauren // Jul 26, 2011 at 5:13 pm

    Your circling/biking/storytelling made me just love my husband a little bit more. I think you two might love each other like we do. :)

  • 13 Miss B // Jul 26, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    This has nothing to do with bicycling, but I just wanted to say that I made tiny pies in tiny 4-ounce jars last weekend with a friend (half blueberry, half apricot) and it was both extremely fun and completely successful. We froze half and baked half right then, and some of the frozen ones that I gave away have been baked and that was also successful. So, thank you so much for posting about that; I will definitely be doing it again! (And I was so happy to discover that it was possible for a normal human, and not just for special internet people who spend all of their time doing this kind of thing and are much better at it than I am, because I honestly wasn’t sure going into it.)

  • 14 anenthusiast // Jul 27, 2011 at 6:33 am

    There it is then! Totally makes sense. You’ve got to but got to love a game that stops not only for lunch but for tea too. Nothing like it!

  • 15 jennifer e // Jul 27, 2011 at 10:26 am

    i thought the same thing when i saw that picture of the skateboard sign. lol.

  • 16 Ceri // Jul 27, 2011 at 11:27 am

    Oh sweet memories of Marymoor Park! I spent a very happy 6 month internship at Microsoft wayyyy back in 1992, when I was a fresh-faced 22 year old who had just finished university here in the UK. I loved Marymoor Park and in fact all the out-doorsy-ness of the Seattle area. I have never made it back yet … but I WILL one day I tell you.

  • 17 Nella // Jul 27, 2011 at 6:07 pm

    If you ever want some serious mileage, ride down to Flaming Geyser park in Auburn and back. 50 miles each way. This was always my century the week before STP.

  • 18 Bridgit // Jul 27, 2011 at 7:10 pm

    I used to take walks with an old boyfriend and whenever we came upon a circle or roundabout we had to go around and around it until we built up enough centrifugal force to spin us off in the right direction.

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