Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Cross Kirkland Corridor (2015-10-31)

It's not connected at either end well enough to be useful in my longer rides, but since I didn't want to deal with the nasty weather during all my waking hours, I decided to check it out this time.

More after the break…

Outbound

I started a little before 05:00 and started west along the Burke-Gilman Trail. As I was wearing my thickest wool sweater, I wasn't too worried about staying warm in the heavy rain.

Right after entering Bothell, I hung a right and started to fight the southerly wind that had been propelling me northward until only a little while ago. There was also a gradual climb, which was much easier than going up Juanita Drive NE.

After eventually making my way to Totem Lake, I meandered through the shopping areas until I hit the Cross Kirkland Corridor, which uses the right of way of a former BNSF line that ran between Renton and Woodinville. As it was still fairly dark, I didn't bother with photography while heading south.

Cross Kirkland Corridor

After continuously fighting the stiff headwinds, I made it to the south end of the trail. The abandoned railroad tracks were still visible beyond it.

I then started heading north along it, taking photos of the stuff I had passed while fighting the wind.

The trail cuts right through the Google campus in Kirkland, which also features an old railroad caboose.

The trail, which is primarily gravel, becomes paved as it approaches intersections to make braking easier.

However, most of the crossings feature sharp turns to force cyclists to slow down. Of course, they could just hop the curbs to avoid that.

At the intersection of Totem Lake Boulevard NE and NE 124th St, one must traverse two crosswalks to continue. The sidewalks are not widened.

The trail ends at a railroad crossing that marks the continuation of the abandoned railroad.

From there, I crossed the street and headed down another small street to get into the Sammamish River Valley, then used NE 124th St to hit the Sammamish River Trail. With the wind at my back, this was a rather quick jaunt back to Bothell.

I left the Samammish River Trail before it hit Blythe Park, crossed over I-405, then hung a left at a crosswalk to use the North Creek Trail to meander through the business park. It featured steep grades to get onto a berm, undulating gravel, and bleak scenery comprised of high-tech buildings.

Once out of the maze, I took the paved trail over the last hump to get to 228th St SE, then headed to my parents' place to meet them for lunch.


We ended up getting Greek at my suggestion, which was pretty good despite how long it took. I called his cooking style 'deliberate' after the fact.

I hung out with my parents for a bit after, drinking coffee to harden my resolve against the wind I'd be facing.

Inbound

To leave Canyon Park, I took Bothell–Everett Highway to downtown Bothell, then hit the Burke-Gilman Trail at its end just east of Blythe Park, and ploughed my way home.

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