Walk Don’t Run by The Ventures
White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes
(Today’s music selections are both from the state of Washington!)
Our first two weeks of touring took us across a state with which neither of us were very familiar. As we cycled across the state, we were taken aback by its beauty and diversity, so we decided to dedicate this post to the great state and its people, places, and parks.
Parks:
We started our journey on the Olympic Peninsula where Olympic National Park is located. We had both heard about this place, with snow capped mountains reaching down to the sea, but it was simply spectacular to see it in person. We visited Lake Crescent, a place I will be sure to visit again.
Lake Crescent Olympic National Park
We headed to the western most point in the contiguous US at Cape Alava. We took a 3 mile hike on an incredible year well kept trail (mostly on boardwalk) out to the cape.
Cape Alava, Olympic National Park
After we visited Cape Alava, we made our way to Cape Flattery, the northwest most point in the 48. This is where we officially started our ride (as Cape Alava had no way of getting our bikes to and from the ocean). It was again a beautiful trail leading to cliffs that abruptly end into the Pacific Ocean.
Cape Flattery, WA
We rode from the cape down to Hobuck Beach, where we dipped our back tires into the Pacific Ocean. We had previously stayed at the beach the night before, where we were able to watch the sunset over the ocean.
Hobuck Beach, WA Dipping our tires and at sunset.
Our first night camping on was in a county park, Salt Creek County Campground. Washington knows how to do their county parks. This was one of the nicest campgrounds at which we have stayed. Behind the campground were snow capped mountains, leading directly down to the ocean. Our campsite was directly next to the ocean, so we could hear the waves crashing onto the coastline throughout the night, and we could even see Mt. Rainier across the sound.
View from our campsite at Salt Creek, look closely and you can see Mt. Rainier.
The park had walkways down the ocean, where there were tidal pools along the rocks.
Tidal pools at Salt Creek County Park.
That evening, the sunset was spectacular over the Pacific.
Sunset at Salt Creek County Park
Our next park we stayed at was Sequim Bay State park, it was built directly next to the Olympic Discovery Trail and was our first experience with canposites specifically designated for bike touring. Despite a nasty wind storm that swept through the campground that night, the park was well kept and incredibly peaceful.
Sequim Bay State Park, WA
Our first night off the Peninsula was spent on Whidbey Island at Fort Ebey State Park. At first glance, we really did not think much about the park itself, mainly because of the climb to the campground at the end of the day. Luckily, Nick decided to take a stroll on a well kept trail next to our campsite. What he found was a breathtaking view looking across the sound at the Olympic Mountain Range. We both just sat and stared at its beauty.
The view across the sound from Fort Ebey State Park
Our next stay was at Rasor State Park, which was conveniently located directly off the ACA bike route. Here we were able to stay next to two other couples also on bike tours. The park was well maintained, and also had three dedicated biker campsites. No pictures of this park, just imagine trees and campsites.
The next National Park we visited was North Cascades National Park. Spencer did not even know this national park existed, and we both are glad we were able to experience its beauty.
North Cascades National Park, WA
We ended up spending two nights in Colonial Creek Campground located within the national park. Even though this was Memorial Day, we were able to find a campsite dedicated to cycle touring.
Campsite of Colonial Creek Campground, WA
On our rest day we were able to soak our tired and sore legs in the cool water of Diablo Lake while taking in the surrounding Cascade mountains.
Us on our rest day at Colonial Creek Campground
The ride out of Cascades National Park was stunning. We both had no idea what the Cascades were like, and feel incredibly fortunate to have experienced them as we did.
Our ride out of North Cascades National Park
Our final night in the state was spent camping at Panhandle Campground in Colville National Forest. The park is located up against the Pend Oreille River, with the campsites abutting the banks. As with the other parks in our stay in Washington, it was well kept and incredibly beautiful.
Our campsite and view from Panhandle Campground
Both of us agree that the parks in the state of Washington have been an incredible treat. Not only are they impeccably maintained, they are incredibly abundant across the entire state. Not only were we never more than a half days ride from a public campground, they seemed to be placed in areas that were stunningly picturesque.
Places:
For the first four days of our cycling, we were following bike routes that we found on Open Cycle to help connect us from the Western/Northerwesternmost Point to the Norther Tier, the cross country bike route established by the Adventure Cycling Association. This led us along the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the Olympic Peninsula and Whidbey Island and the communities which dot the coast. Many communities, such as Neah Bay, are dependent on fishing and timber. Both of these endeavors have been impacted in recent years by fishing quotas and a decrease in the demand for wood products; but as other costal areas have already been shuttered, there are still communities along the coast where people are making a living in these areas.
The closer we road to Seattle, the more we saw tourist and retirement begin the take hold. Port Angeles was one such community (pop. 19K). There are daily ferry runs to Canada, which bring in tourists, including our cycling friend Jerome (met at Sequim Bay), as well as A LOT of retirees from Seattle and other places looking for beauty of the Pacific Northwest at a slightly lower cost! Many of the retirees we met were on bikes and provided excellent advice, such as Bill who advised us to stay at Sequim Bay! We definitely understood the desire to live in this area. Waking up to stunning coastal areas flanked by the Olympic Mountains, with Mout Olympus (7,962 ft) rising dramatically, was truly breathtaking to see. We were fortune to have amazing weather, both sunny and warm, as parts of the peninsula receive the most recipitation in the lower 48!
We moved into the heart of the Strait by arriving on Whidbey Island after leaving Port Townsend, a quaint Victorian town that still serves as a center for boatbuilding and repairs.
Bike route right through the ship yard at Port Townsend!
Waiting for the 2:45pm ferry at Port Townsend…we missed the 2:00pm by 5 minutes!
Whidbey Island (pop. 58K) is home to the most visits state park, Deception Pass, and the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. The rolling hills with farms reminded me (Nick) of Prince Edward Island.
Views from Deception Pass State Park…that sidewalk is as narrow as it looks.
After leaving the island we finally connected up with the Northern Tier near Anacortes, WA. While we had had a spectacular time biking on the Olympic Discovery Trail, it was nice being on the “official route.” The route prioritizes bike paths, roads with wide shoulders, lower traffic, and avoids larger cities. The route also provides a list of places to camp, eat, and refuel on food and camping items. However, from time to time, we find better routes on our own or via the Open Cycle maps, such as the Cascade trail from Burlington to Rasar State Park, where we met our first cycling buddies (see below).
The route led us into the heart of the North Cascade mountains, which are a part of the Ring of Fire due to volcanic activity (like Mount St. Helens which we saw flying into Seattle). There was still a substantial amount of snow on the mountains as the Pacific Northwest had one of the wettest winters in recent memory. The small communities we biked through (Concrete, Marblemount, Newhalem) were thankful to finally have the snow finally cleared from mountain passes, like Washington Pass (5,477 ft), which allowed tourists to finally travel roads and bring income to the area. The mountains, pine trees, and snow made for a spectacular backdrop to our ride.
As we traveled east the climate changed from cooler and snowy to much warmer and dry. We DEFINITELY found this out as we coasted down from Washington Pass to the town of Winthrop (pop. 1900). Tourists were flocking the “old west” town for Memorial Day weekend. It was much warmer and drier this side of the mountains! We also realized that cycling when its 90+ outside will drain you quickly of energy. This is in contrast to the winter when the snow allows for some of the best cross country ski areas in the nation.
The Northern Tier typically goes from Winthrop over Loup Loup Pass, but the road was closed due to water, mudslides, and road repair work. So we detoured south through the Methow Valley, which led us into the heart of farm country in Washington. Ever wonder where those Washington apples come from? A good chance it is from here! We cycled passed thousands of apple, pear, and other fruit trees. These orchards hugged the Methow River and Okanogan River as the upper areas were rather dry and arid. But there was plenty of life in towns, such as Tonasket (pop. 1,000), which support the agriculture and timber industry in the surrounding areas. Such towns also border various Native American Resvations, such as the Colville Reservation. These towns draw people from a wide range for shopping and socializing as we found out at Shannon’s Place, a great restaurant and bike camping host!
From Tonasket we climbed (and seemingly climbed and climbed) into the Highlands. We switched from drier climate back to green pine forests with snow at the top of mountains. The route led us pass more and more former mining areas, such as around Wauconda Pass (4310 ft). Most of these mines had shut down and we saw a few former homesteads with empty log cabins. But there was still life out in these parts, whether retirees like Dan and Charlotte, or current miners, like those near Republic, WA (pop. 1000).
The Highlands area and the Wauconda Post Office with our friends Dan and Charlotte.
Republic is nestled in a beautiful valley which reminded us both of West Virginia or parts of North Carolina. There are still a few gold mines open in the area that employee people, while others have moved to the area for its beauty and remoteness. It was surprising that so many of these small towns in eastern Washington had food co-ops and lots of young (and old) hippies! This included the owner of the pizza joint who was proudly from the State of Jefferson (go look it up). Regardless of miner or hippy, everyone was friendly and glad to talk about our journey. Republic also was our first experience using the awesome bike touring website, WarmShowers.org, with our wonderful host Kay. From Republic, we continued on through the timber and agriculture country into Colville (pop. 4600) and other communities. Most of these were centered around rivers due to floating logs down the rivers in the timber hay days. Many of the rivers are now dammed up, providing electricity to Seattle and other communities.
Downtown Republic, WA…still thriving thanks to miners and hippies alike!
We were amazed by the varying ecosystems of Washington. More than one person proudly mentioned that Washington had more ecosystems than any other state in the USA, including marine waters, tide pools, estuaries, rainfaorests, grasslands, parodies, alpine meadows…most of which we experienced. Finally, we reached our second state…Idaho! We will be here briefly, but have appreciated the beauty of Sandpoint (pop. 7300) and the surrounding mountains.
Finally, our 2nd state!
A Slight Detour 