Days like this make the few long weeks of gray very worth it. Not too shabby of a view when running.
WA
Trip to the Cape
Super Bowl didn’t include the Seahawks so I took a trip to Cape Flattery. Way better scenery than the bowl this year.
Trail riding in the Northwest
With the summer riding season in the northwest wrapping up, I threw together some fun times that were had in the woods this year. Make sure to watch the video in 4K. Cheers!
North Fork Taneum Trail
Took the two strokes out for a little Sunday ride in Cle Elum. Epic. This could be one the the best areas that I have found in WA thus far for single track riding. Of course no video, too lazy to deal with the GoPro but today would have been a ride to record.
Here is the GPX tracks of the ride
Lazy Sunday at the Jetty
Early spring riding in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Since we didn’t have a winter this year early mt. riding came sooner than normal. We took the 2-stroke out and explored all the trails we could get to out Mt. Loop Highway. Up green mountain road, down all the side shoots and across the closed bridge. We found everything from sun to hail but any day on the bike is a good day for me.
We also attended the Tanks and Helmets show at Nuemos in Seattle, great art and cool bikes. The burnout was great this year. Stay tuned, more posts and riding to come.
Weekend Update
While the northeast has been getting slammed we have had an extremely warm and dry winter, I guess you could say its payback for the Super Bowl. Saturday I headed out early to catch the 8am ferry out of Edmonds to do some riding on the Olympic Peninsula. Trails were fast and empty for the most part, despite the nice day, most people hiking/biking close to town. It was a short day due to some time constraints but it was fun. Sunday Ashley and I slept in way to late with Ham, he is quite the Sunday snoozer. Coffee and Breakfast were made and the afternoon was spent scrubbing the mud from previous weeks off the noble steeds. Next weekend looks wet for now but, Ham is crossing his toes for sun since we are headed to his Frenchie Frolic with his smush face crew at Magnuson Park.
Goat Lake Hike
With a sunny day in early March and the bikes out of commission for a few days we set off to check out Goat Lake. Located about 31mi east of Granite Falls out Mt. Loop highway, nestled between Foggy peak and Sloan peak. Approach is fairly level with a slight gain as the wide trail winds into the valley before forking giving you an option on what trail you want to take. We took the upper approach headed in and the lower river walk on the way back. There wasn’t much hiker traffic but more than I expected due to how far out it is. As you approach the lake the trail meets up with Elliot Creek, the outlet to the lake, for some pretty waterfalls.
The lake is very picturesque, as are most of the alpine lake in the region, partially frozen it was very calm. The mass of logs near the outlet makes a great picnic spot to take a load off before you start your decent.
Make sure to keep a lookout for the fork in the trail as it is easy to miss on the way down, I would suggest taking the opposite fork on the way back to get more bang for your buck. While not the hardest hike in the area its very doable with spring unconditioned legs. 1400′ feet in total ascent and 10.5mi in length. Put it out your spring list.
Westland Distilling Peated Whiskey
Nose starts with a smoldering campfire and a touch of honey. Taste is light smoke, sweet almost honey taste and a touch nutty, almond like. Over time, the taste moves into earthy herbs and spices and leather. Peat, iodine and smoke are on the finish. A very good Washington Whiskey, my favorite from Westland. I was comparing it to Lagavulin 16, a very different much peatier, smokier version that still has by heart. This is a good local staple to have on hand.
The Road Worth Traveling 