A little celebration of Bainbridge Island's lesser hills.
More after the break…
Part 1: To Ferry
I started at a little before 5 AM and headed straight for the ferry terminal. This ended up being too early, so I had to wait in the car line for a while.
Got here a little too early. (@ Seattle Ferry Terminal in Seattle, WA) https://t.co/8OrP4Lcxpc pic.twitter.com/u3xVkdHDel
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) February 2, 2019
The ferry wait should still be significantly shorter than last weekend's.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) February 2, 2019
A LOT of cars got off the ferry. I wonder if it has anything to do with the Superbowl.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) February 2, 2019
Part 2: Bainbridge Island
Rather than winching all the way up to High School Road, my route took me on a right turn not long after leaving the ferry terminal. The roads were quiet and dark, which is exactly how I like them.
I ended up with a couple of wrong turns: once because I wasn't paying attention while descending, and once because RideWithGPS said that the road went through when it really ended at someone's driveway. The latter was mainly from the site's tendency of staying away from major roads.
Google Maps/RideWithGPS said this road goes through, but it doesn't! #cycling #seabikes
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) February 2, 2019
The ride continued to be on quiet, rural roads for quite some time, with minor climbs and descents alternating. A few were pretty tough, but nothing to write home about.
Not long after crossing SR-305, I got a big surprise: Lynwood. It featured a lot of German-style buildings and much more development than a lot of the island. There were even some nice little shops!
I had no idea Bainbridge Island had something like this outside of Winslow! (@ Lynwood Center in WA) https://t.co/6HKE1gioI0
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) February 2, 2019
A little further on, I finally reached Fort Ward Park, where I stopped to eat.
Finally reached my destination. (@ Fort Ward Park in Bainbridge Island, WA) https://t.co/EsDXTGupsG pic.twitter.com/ypsqMYz8OA
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) February 2, 2019
A system of cold air moved in at some point after I'd been riding on Bainbridge Island for a while. It was colder midday than it was before dawn!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) February 2, 2019
I left the park via a small trail that connected it to one of the local neighborhoods.
And then the real hill climbing started! I was hit with a longer 6+% grade for a bit, followed by constant rolling hills. Thankfully, the traffic on that part of the island was pretty light. I also recognized some sites from back when I did the Chilly Hilly years ago.
The next biggest hills were toward the end of the route as I approached Winslow. I spent a few blocks trying to find something notable to take a photo in front of, but gave up and just went to the "bike barn" near the ferry terminal.
I almost missed boarding the ferry before the cars, but thankfully didn't
Barely made this ferry. (@ Washington State Ferry - Bainbridge Island to Seattle in Bainbridge Island, WA) https://t.co/KU2hkXFJ1A
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) February 2, 2019
Part 3: Return Home
It was pretty tough getting through downtown because of the big bicycle ride that celebrated the closing of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and opening of its replacement tunnel. I wonder if I would've had even more fun if I'd done that with folks I knew…
There were a lot of police around because of the SR-99 detour and the run/walk through the new tunnel.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) February 2, 2019
On the way home, I stopped by FreeRange Cycles for a quick chat. Other than that, it was pretty routine.
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