After the easy time I had with my Davidson on the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, I decided to try something a bit more involved.
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This was yet another one of my rides where I shamelessly kept trying to make my knees happy. I found the right saddle height range, but fore-aft still needed work at the end.
More after the break…
Part 1: To Bus
I left home at about 04:30, an hour earlier than I would've typically done so for heading east.
Since I'll be working all weekend, I'm doing my big ride today. An upside is that I can take earlier buses to my real starting points.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 30, 2016
Bus driver put the rack's claw on my aluminum fender, which will not only allow the wheel to spin, but damages the fender. #seabikes
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 30, 2016
Guess I now need to make a guard that prevents ignorant drivers from doing that again. Thanks guys. #seabikes
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 30, 2016
I've never had this happen before, and now I have to be paranoid every time I get on a bus with a bike. The wheel hook was positioned well within the green zone, too.
Part 2: Outbound
I realized my mistake in starting so early when I got to Issaquah: it would remain dark for a while, and it was much colder than in Seattle. To warm up and await some semblance of light, I stopped at the local Panera as I've been doing on a lot of these rides.
It's pretty chilly up here! Definitely cooler than Seattle.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 30, 2016
I'm at @PaneraBread in Issaquah, WA https://t.co/LdAmjYdeqm
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 30, 2016
Once done there, I headed along the rocky trail to Preston.
I then went down through Fall City and up to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail.
Then passed through Snoqualmie and North Bend.
I'm at Georgia's Bakery in North Bend, WA https://t.co/xNHAMcYoYe
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 30, 2016
When I got to the bottom of the climb up to Rattlesnake Lake, I decided to reduce tire pressure as the rocky trail earlier had been a bit rough. That did the trick!
Reduce tire pressure to 40 psi at the base of the climb to Rattlesnake Lake. Much more comfortable.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 30, 2016
Once up the climb and after stopping for water at the Cedar River Watershed Education Center, I headed up the John Wayne Pioneer Trail.
Groups of mountain bikers taking up the entire width of the trail while speeding downhill.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 30, 2016
How in the world do I have data service out here?
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 30, 2016
After all that climbing, I made it to the tunnel. Rather than continuing to Keechelus Lake, however, I decided to turn back once I got water at the other end of the tunnel to save time. After all, the last time I did this, I spent the night in Easton, and I couldn't do that this time due to work the next morning.
I'm at Snoqualmie Tunnel in Snoqualmie Pass, WA https://t.co/GJtrykzUAX
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 30, 2016
I still have service!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) September 30, 2016
There was an older guy riding through the Snoqualmie Tunnel.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) October 1, 2016
He said that this was originally going to be a three-day ride, but one of his friends recently passed away.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) October 1, 2016
He was riding alone as a memorial ride.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) October 1, 2016
He was walking through the tunnel when I first saw him, as his derailleur was having trouble indexing and he didn't want to adjust cable tension until out of the tunnel. He talked about how his friend who had recently passed was the fittest of the three of them, too.
The tunnel was fun as always, and cold enough for a sweater.
Part 3: Inbound
I started my return trip by going back through the tunnel, then zipped down the descent all the way to North Bend. It was pretty fast, too!
At North Bend, I increased tire pressure to 55 psi for a little more speed, then headed out of town along the 'truck route' that avoided downtown Snoqualmie and the narrow bridge. It was a pretty nice route.
Going to use some shortcuts to get to Preston. Traffic is light, so it should be fine.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) October 1, 2016
Spent way too much time fiddling with my bike's saddle. My knees are the happiest they've been, but it's still not perfect.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) October 1, 2016
I passed by the Salish Lodge, then went down the windy descent of SR-202 to Fall City.
I'm at King County Park Fall City in Fall City, WA https://t.co/9BjLPgMXhX
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) October 1, 2016
Next, I went up Preston–Fall City Road to the Preston–Snoqualmie Trail and stopped for water in Preston.
Ended up very dehydrated on the way to Preston, so I drank a big bottle of water slowly.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) October 1, 2016
Going to avoid the Issaquah–High Point Trail because I know it'll be very dangerous in the dark. #seabikes
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) October 1, 2016
After carefully heading along the High Point–Preston Trail, I jumped onto I-90 for a quick descent on its shoulder.
I-90 was the right choice.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) October 1, 2016
And then I caught the bus back to Seattle. Thankfully, the driver didn't feel the need to damage my fender this time.
I'm at Issaquah Transit Center/Park & Ride in Issaquah, WA https://t.co/AlbwpLkl8e
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) October 1, 2016
Today turned out okay in the end.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) October 1, 2016
Part 4: Return Home
When I disembarked the bus, I had to spend a bit of time tackling a major issue, but managed nonetheless.
The bike fell over while I was loading it, and a fender bolt popped out. Took a while to figure out why the wheel wouldn't spin.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) October 1, 2016
The bolt had probably wiggled loose over time, so this was bound to happen. Will apply thread locker soon.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) October 1, 2016
I got home fairly late, but not too late to make work the next day difficult. Also, it rained much of the next day, so I dodged a bullet by working on the weekend instead of riding!
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