Another nice ride, this time through farmland!
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More after the break…
Part 1: To Bus
I started at about 05:00 like usual, heading to the University District freeway station just like the past few rides. There were a lot of cones along the trail, and it looks like some of them were for recent crosswalk repainting projects, and others were for a 5k run.
There were a ton of new cones on the BGT. Is there a running event today or something? #seabikes
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
Homeless people were hanging out in the shelter until someone else (me) showed up. (@ University District North Bound Freeway Bus Station) https://t.co/PtkIaTVT4C
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
Part 2: Outbound
Riding north out of Everett, the smells and right amount of humidity really made me want to go camping.
The weather this morning reminds me of some of my past camping trips. Now I really want to camp again!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
Rather than taking my old route through Smokey Point, I followed something similar to last time, then cut over via Cemetery Road. I had this odd feeling that there was a short descent along the route, and I was right. Once past the descent, the Stillaguamish Valley farmland opened up!
Came out here for the farmland, wasn't disappointed. Too bad the good landscape photos can't go up until I get home and grab them off my mirrorless camera. #cycling @ Arlington, Washington https://t.co/O5Td50xRud
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
Once I reached SR-530, I headed west on it and continued as it turned into the Pioneer Highway (which used to be an extension of SR-530).
The scent of #Spring is so strong that it reminds me of seaweed at the beach. #cycling @ Silvana, Washington https://t.co/JWAhHVdLBq
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
Silvana looked largely how I remembered it…
Pretty sure this is this bike's first time out this way. #cycling @ Silvana, Washington https://t.co/wDiwQMPtEC
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
…except for how the former Silvana Mercantile had been turned into a pot shop.
The #Silvana Mercantile was turned into a pot shop… #cycling @ Silvana, Washington https://t.co/3O6UfUNfy6
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
A group of older roadies stopped at the cafe in Silvana right before I left. One of them was riding a Leonard Zinn frame with HUGE steel tubes almost as big as those usually found on aluminum bikes.
There was a group of cyclists in Silvana who were headed back to Everett. One guy was riding a very tall steel bike made of the largest tubing I've ever seen! He said it was made by Leonard Zinn. #cycling
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
Shortly after leaving Silvana, I hung a left onto Norman Road to escape the traffic.
The Pioneer Highway is nice and all, but Norman Road is where it's at! #cycling @ Snohomish County, Washington https://t.co/FgMBP0B7xA
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
At the end of Norman Road, I joined the traffic again on Marine Drive for the last leg into Stanwood. When I got there, I discovered that the "Touch a Truck" street festival took up a lot of downtown Stanwood, where big trucks were all lined up for kids to honk the horns. It was definitely noisy, but there were other attractions like food as well, like the crisp, fried corn dog from a food truck while looking around.
I'm at City of Stanwood in WA https://t.co/4Wny7mK5Z2
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
Wasn't expecting to see a street fair in #Stanwood today. Got a corn dog! @ Stanwood, Washington https://t.co/ORAko8d1A9
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
Before leaving town, I headed into the older part of downtown for some photos.
Part 3: Inbound
While planning this route, I remembered a bridge with very narrow shoulders on SR-532 from a past ride, so I knew to plan a route that avoids it. Unlike that bridge, the climb was very gradual to the the intersection that got me back on SR-532. Once on the highway, a westerly tailwind gave me a nice push over the hills.
I was a bit worried about climbing over the ridge between Stanwood and Bryant, but it wasn't hard at all. It had good stretches of not-too-difficult climbs punctuated by descents, which is really my favorite style of riding.
I was a bit worried about climbing over the ridge between Stanwood and Bryant, but it wasn't hard at all. It had good stretches of not-too-difficult climbs punctuated by descents, which is really my favorite style of riding.
Once in Bryant, I actually stopped at the general store and got some Fanta and water.
Yep, it's #generalstore time. #cycling @ Bryant, Washington https://t.co/aXDAeLba9X
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
The lady who runs this general store is very nice.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
It's very warm and dry out. Lots of dust blowing around.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
I headed south via the Centennial Trail to and through Arlington. While passing through the town, I remembered that I needed to get a shim for helping my partner with her bike's handlebar position, so I needed to get back to Seattle before our bike shop closed. I debated a few options:
- Sticking to my planned route, which would've involved some potentially-busy roads.
- Going through Snohomish and then taking the river road back to Everett, which would've taken more time, especially with the strong northerly winds.
- Figuring out a shortcut between the Centennial Trail in Lake Stevens and Everett. The only shortcut I knew involved a VERY steep road and I didn't want to deal with it.
While climbing Culpeper Hill, I passed a couple of guys on carbon fiber road bikes. Shortly after, some guy on a mildly squeaky mountain bike rode my rear wheel all the way up before passing me at the top. I didn't see the roadies until I stopped to use the porta-potty at Lake Cassidy Park.
Regarding my route back to Everett: I did end up choosing #3. I continued south along the Centennial Trail and used my GPS to route me over to SR-9.
Managed to find another weigh station, but the moment has passed. #cycling #sr9 @ Lake Stevens, Washington https://t.co/GtsEuNfRV7
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
And then I had a nice, fast, and fairly long descent down SR-204 before the wind started fighting me as I crossed US 2 via the old path. I even saw a couple of other cyclists using it, when I usually see none!
Almost done for today. Who recognizes this route? #cycling #seabikes @ Everett, Washington https://t.co/xuSnkLWIf0
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
Actually saw some other cyclists out here!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
Just as I was unloading my bike for the bus, the bus showed up. This was nice, because I usually either have to wait for a bit, or miss the bus by a tiny margin and have to wait a half-hour!
The bus back to Seattle showed up less than a minute after I got everything off my bike. (@ Everett Station - @everettcity in Everett, WA) https://t.co/YDqYPyY0bV
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) May 4, 2019
Part 4: Return Home
I stopped by FreeRange on the way home, where there was quite a lot of activity! Some of the owner's friends from out of town were visiting, and another group of folks discussing fancy steel bikes was out front. Thompson and Page Street both came up in the conversation.
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