I received the tentative description for Ride Around Washington this weekend and am very stoked about the trip. If I can maintain my commuting and occasional weekend rides, I should be in fine shape enough to enjoy the ride.
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| San Juan Islands — what Chuckanut Drive looks out upon |
- Bellingham to Ft. Worden State Park (80 miles) — This is the “hilliest” day. The route reverses the best part of the RSVP segment along Chuckanut Drive (near Bellingham), goes down Whidbey Island through Deception Pass, where we’ll ferry to Port Townsend. I’ll be doing the Tour de Whidbey in September.
- Fort Worden State Park to Port Angeles (67 miles)
We’re taking side roads (vs SR-20), eventually connecting with Highway 101. (“5″ for those of you who don’t speak binary.) I’ve flown over Sequim and the Dungeness Peninsula, but haven’t actually gotten to tour it on foot. The “short” day will afford some time to explore the Spit. Part of the route will be on the semi-paved Olympic
Discovery Trail. - Rest day in Port Angeles — there are at least three interesting options for this “rest day.”:
- A day-trip to Victoria, BC — It’s a 90-minute ferry ride across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. I’ve been to Victoria a few times, always in a car. If I went to the island, I’d head west after breakfast and check out the southern portion of Pacific Rim park.
- Bike up Hurricane Ridge (5,500′ gain in 18 miles) — not sure about this one just because the next three days are long.
- A kayaking trip — I haven’t been kayaking before. It could be fun.
- Bonus option #4 is a trip back to Dungeness Spit.
- Port Angeles to Forks (72 miles) — I’ve been to Forks once, via airplane. Except for one ridge, the ride looks mostly rolling and will stick close to the Strait until Pysht. There’s some kind of evening entertainment planned that evening.
- Forks to Hoquiam/Aberdeen (108 miles) — This is the first of back-to-back centuries and, unfortunately, doesn’t include a side rip to the Hoh Rainforest. (That would add another 40 miles.) The maps I have vary on whether there’s a SR 112 connecting US 101 along the coast. A lot of the trip is circumnavigating the Quinault Reservation.
- Hoquiam/Aberdeen to Ilwaco (104 miles) — Although I rode some small parts of this route back in 1990, the only thing I remember was how overloaded my bike was with… stuff. (Somewhere south of Astoria I mailed 15 pounds of things home.) The last three hilly miles lead to Cape Disappointment State Park.
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| Final approach at Hoquiam |
What road does the route take between Port Angeles and Forks? 101 is the only one I know of..
That section appears to be taking state Roads 112 and 113.
Day 2 does take 112 to 113 and then a small part of 101.
And Day 6 now ends in the town of Ilwaco due to issues with the state park.
Dave (one of the support hams)
Boy, I’ve been working on the route too hard. Make that Day 4.
Dave (one of the support hams)