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I rode to Snoqualmie from my house, taking the winding road up past Snoqualmie Falls. After picking up my number and topping off my water bottles, I headed south to do the "Upper" loop, which meanders along North Bend's blueberry fields near Mt. Si, pictured above.
While browsing the maps the night before, I noticed the road past the Lake Dorothy Road stop continues for at least another 10 miles. When I got to the stop, the super-friendly volunteers filled me in on the details. It's a forest road, meaning it soon turns into dirt, providing access to several trailheads and a swimming hole. Intrigued, I rode it a few miles, turning around at a very out-of-place concrete bridge. (I say "out-of-place" because the bridge was "Interstate quality," as one person put it. Very big, smooth, and ... out-of-place.) This section was very slow moving because of the rocks and potholes, but would be worth coming back to if I can borrow a mountain bike.
On the way back to Snoqualmie, I saw a family of deer sipping water. I'm sure they were wondering how much faster I have to pedal with the smaller wheels.
Greeting us back at Snoqualmie was a feast of pizza, pasta and pastries. Sated, I biked half of the "lower" loop (to the north) taking in the hillier section, but skipping the deconstructed bridge (I did that earlier this year). Totals for the day: 60 miles and 1,965' elevation gain. The dirt road really slowed me down.
Flickr gallery.
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