Thursday, October 22, 2015

Lost in the Woods (Cedar River and Green River) (2015-10-17)

I rode out on the Cedar River Trail and down the connector trail until it sort of "vanished." After that, I wandered in the woods for a couple hours before finding a bike trail to the highway, which got me to the Green Valley. From there, getting home was easy.

Is Something Beyond the Railroad Tracks?
Geotagged Album

Related albums:

Carbon and Green Valleys (Album)
Carbon and Green Valleys II (Album)
Tacoma nd Green Valley (Album)

More after the break…

Outbound

Outbound

The night before this ride, I was hosted by a generous former coworker and her husband to discuss randonneuring, super randonees, and PBP. This is relevant here because I had to start this ride at about 08:30 due to how late I got to bed after that.

I started by heading over to Capitol Hill up Pike St, then rode down Broadway's cycletrack.

Broadway Cycletrack
Broadway Cycletrack
Broadway Cycletrack

And then crossed the José Rizal Bridge and headed down over Beacon Hill. However, my route sent me on a number of odd side streets.

16th Avenue S: My RideWithGPS directions were a bit odd. I ended up going onto this street only to go a block west to the street I had been on earlier.
16th Avenue S: My RideWithGPS directions were a bit odd. I ended up going onto this street only to go a block west to the street I had been on earlier.

After missing my planned turn onto the Chief Sealth Trail by a few blocks, I cut over and got onto it.

Chief Sealth Trail
Chief Sealth Trail

It really is a gem of a trail here.

Once I got near Rainier Beach, I headed down the hill and got onto Rainier Avenue to head toward Renton.

Rainier Avenue S: The bike lanes have been getting significant upgrades!
Rainier Avenue S: The bike lanes have been getting significant upgrades!

After entering Renton, I went along the little road through the airport that the Lake Washington Loop officially follows, then went into downtown Renton where I stopped for a water refill and then some.

He went on about my Salsa Cowchipper Bars, big tires, frameset, and so on. Eventually, a guy riding an underbone caught his attention and I left, getting onto the Cedar River Trail.

Cedar River Trail
Cedar River Trail
Cedar River Trail
Beyond the Horizon Over the Cedar River
Cedar River

Shortly after the pavement ended, I took the south fork of the trail and went up the steep climb.

P3140249: OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

And continued along that way.

Green-to-Cedar Rivers Trail
Beyond the Horizon
Green-to-Cedar Rivers Trail

I eventually got to the railroad tracks and just pushed my bike over them, as that was my plan from the start.

P3140183: OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
P3140187: OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

And then continued up the other side to the dirt trail.

Green-to-Cedar Rivers Trail Extension: The trail right of way continues like this.
PA170064: OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Beyond the Horizon
Green-to-Cedar Rivers Trail Extension: The trail right of way continues like this.
Green-to-Cedar Rivers Trail Extension: The trail right of way continues like this.

Eventually, I found the abandoned railroad tracks that originally occupied the right of way.

Old Railroad Tracks
Is Something Beyond the Railroad Tracks?

Unfortunately, the trail didn't keep going.

Lost in the Woods
Lost in the Woods

From the tracks, I rode with little bits of hiking around sketchy stuff.

Riding Into Private Property: I ended up on Palmer Coking Coal Company property and had to turn back because I didn't want to get into trouble.
Riding Into Private Property: I ended up on Palmer Coking Coal Company property and had to turn back because I didn't want to get into trouble.

And eventually made it to a place where I took the left fork, which sent me straight toward buildings. This turned out to be private property, so I didn't want to go near the buildings. Instead, I rode across a bumpy meadow back into the forest then started hiking the hiking trails, trying to find my way to the highway.

Beyond the Horizon: Lost in the Woods: I had a lot of fun riding singletrack on this guy.
Lost in the Woods: I ended up wandering in the woods for a total of two hours trying to find my way to the highway. I knew where the highway was, but the hiking trails didn't follow straight lines.

I found a fairly straight trail and rode it for a bit until I approached what my GPS said was a street, then tried to head toward it. I eventually ended up edging along an office property, but it was fenced in and had blackberry bushes, so I had to turn back.

Lost in the Woods: I ended up wandering in the woods for a total of two hours trying to find my way to the highway. I knew where the highway was, but the hiking trails didn't follow straight lines.

I then eventually ended up along the edge of a housing development, but I didn't see a way through. Dogs started barking after a while, so I high-tailed it out of there.

Housing Development: I had to turn back when I saw this…and the dogs suggested doing so was a good idea. Unfortunately, this also involved bushwhacking for a while.
Abandoned Relics?: Even though this property doesn't belong to the homeowners, that certainly didn't stop them here!
Abandoned Relics?: Even though this property doesn't belong to the homeowners, that certainly didn't stop them here!

I eventually found my way back to the straight trail…which lead straight to the highway. After wasting something like two hours, I was finally out.

Rather unhappy, I went to the Black Diamond Bakery for a root beer float and some coffee.

Black Diamond Bakery
Black Diamond Bakery

Inbound

Inbound

I left Black Diamond by following the highway to the road down into the Green Valley, then followed the latter.

And kept following the valley all the way into Auburn.

Green Valley
Green Valley

Once I got to Auburn, I hung a left and stopped by a familiar coffee shop for, well, coffee.

I then returned to the road along the Green River and took it into Kent, overshooting the entrance of the trail I had originally intended to take. Since I did that, I found may way down to the trail a little further on, then headed back toward the entrance along it.

Green River Trail

Much to my surprise, I found that it didn't actually pass under the BNSF mainline.

Green River Trail: Rather than going under the railroad tracks, the trail just turns and ends without a paved route to a road.
Green River Trail: Rather than going under the railroad tracks, the trail just turns and ends without a paved route to a road.

However, I just went under the bridge to get to the other side, anyway.

Green River Trail: Rather than going under the railroad tracks, the trail just turns and ends without a paved route to a road.
BNSF Bridge: OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

And went to the entrance, only to start heading along the trail again.

Green River Trail End: Looking west from the easternmost end of the trail.

On the way back to the BNSF mainline, I was minding my own business on the far right of the trail and a guy walking the other way shouted curse words loudly in my ear right when I passed him. I responded, "I can't hear you!" a few seconds later, not turning back to face him, of course.

After a while, I noticed that the trail degraded.

Green River Trail Dual-Track: The trail devolves into this for a while in Kent.
Green River Trail Dual-Track: The trail devolves into this for a while in Kent.
Green River Trail Dual-Track: The trail devolves into this for a while in Kent.

But I eventually made it onto a road that I took to where the main portion of the Green River Trail meets the Interurban Trail, and took the former for a while. I switched over to Frager Road at a point, which was a lovely ride with nary a soul around..

Eventually, I had to get back onto the Green River Trail. This involved hanging a right, then turning around and veering left to go under a bridge I had crossed. Eventually, I ran into the detour I knew about and rode a side street, following the signs that directed me to a stair climb.

From there, I stuck to the trail all the way until South Park, then crossed the Duwamish River There. East Marginal Way was pretty dead that far south, so it was a fine ride. I saw a guy doing something similar to what I was doing as I got further along.

And then I stopped by at a Mexican restaurant with the kindest older women waiting the tables.

From there, I headed home along East Marginal Way, 1st Avenue S, and then my typical route home. I used 6th Avenue instead of 4th Avenue past Pike Street since the former is less annoying traffic-wise.

I got home fairly late for the distance.

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