April is “30 days of biking month,” when participants take a bike ride everyday and then take a photo or write a short piece about their ride for social media.
Well, for any number of reasons, I didn’t do that. I applaud all those who did.
Last ride of the month along the East Lake Sammamish Trail
I just tallied my rides at BikeJournal.com for the month and counted 14. I covered 171 miles, spending nearly 18 hours on the bike. At least six of those rides were simply errands to the store, which I extended by a few miles.
My rides on the local system of regional bike trails were my favorite routes this past month. I’ve been suffering some back problems, and I found the relative flatness of these trails helps avoid strain. So does my lackadaisical average speed of 10 or 11 mph.
My favorites
Earlier today I rode up the East Lake Sammamish Trail (above) from Issaquah. I was expecting the year-old construction that’s closed the trail’s north end to be completed. It wasn’t. Still can’t ride the 11 miles between Issaquah and Redmond without detouring onto East Lake Sammamish Boulevard. It looks like it could open soon, though.
Caved-in road overlooking May Creek at Devils Elbow
A couple of years ago I discovered a wonderful park near my home. It’s called May Creek Park and it’s located on the south side of May Creek between Coal Creek Parkway and Lake Washington. What I enjoy about this park is the barricaded road that take a sharp turn at the bottom. A long-time resident said the high school kids bestowed the name Devils Elbow on the corner before the road was barricaded. The road is crumbling downhill (above), and it gets narrower every year. It’s also a mega-pick for blackberries in the late summer.
View of South Fork Snoqualmie from Snoqualmie Valley Trail
I’ve biked between North Bend and Rattlesnake Lake on the Snoqualmie Valley Regional Trail many times, but apparently only in the summer when the views are obscured. So I was totally unprepared for this view of the South Fork Snoqualmie River from the trail earlier this month. What a wild and beautiful scene less than an hour from Seattle.
Cedar River at Belmondo Reach Natural Area
Lastly is the view of a high bluff across the Cedar River from the Belmondo Reach Natural Area. There are a string of natural areas preserved by King County along the Cedar River. This one is just a few yards from the Cedar River Trail at the Jones Road crossing.
Hope that everyone enjoyed their rides this month as much as I enjoyed mine.
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