In one week, I roll out of Issaquah, WA. I'm riding up to Banff, AB where I'll meet up with some other "normal ones." From Banff, we'll race the Tour Divide -- south to Antelope Wells, NM, along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.
A huge number of folks, folks I collectively call "Team Turtle", make this adventure possible. To celebrate the team and the start of this grand adventure on Thursday June 3rd, 2010 we'll gather at the Bicycle Center in Issaquah at 10:00 AM. I know it's a weekday, but it's the day I have to depart and anyone in the area who'd like to come to the Mountain Turtle Roll Out is very, very welcome to come and join in the fun. You'll get to see the Bicycle Center's new, expanded space and check out just how damn much gear I'm lugging with me on this trip.
Don't feel you need to ride, but at 10:30 AM any adventurous cyclists who would like to are invited to roll out of town with me. This will be a mixed-surface ride, with some pavement and some unpaved trails but no real technical mountain biking. The pace will be turtle-ish and people can join in for any or all of the following route.
From the Bicycle Center (the new store is at 121 Front Street North, across the parking lot from the old store), we'll head south on Front Street to Sunset. We'll ride on Sunset (going right past my place) and then ride the gravel trail up to Highpoint. (Highpoint is a good turn-around point for folks short on time or those not fond of climbing.)
We'll ride the Highpoint Road to Preston and then the Preston Trail to the Preston-Fall City Road. At Fall City, we'll take 202 to the Fish Hatchery Road. Fish Hatchery Road is a pretty little road along the river and it gets us most of the way up to Snoqualmie Falls before it reconnects with 202.
Snoqualmie Falls is a picturesque potential turnaround point (Twin Peaks was filmed here) and you'll also get see all the old train engines in Snoqualmie. Those intrepid souls who are still riding will follow small town roads through Snoqualmie and then join the Snoqualmie Valley trail at the golf course.
We'll follow the trail up to Rattlesnake Lake, a great picnic spot. From here we follow the John Wayne-Iron Horse Trail east for a bit. We'll cut down towards I-90 , ride the frontage road to Olallie State Park and ride the freeway shoulder for one exit (it's totally legal, the shoulder is wide and it's not as scary as it sounds). We'll exit the freeway and then ride the picturesque gravel Tinkham Road up towards Snoqualmie Pass. Folks who don't like climbing will have turned back long ago!
At the end of Tinkham Road we join up with the beautiful and ultimately switchbacking paved Denny Creek Road. Denny Creek road goes all the way to Snoqualmie Summit, popping out at Alpental. If you've made it this far, you're about 3,000 feet higher than you were at 10:30! At the summit, you may want to stop and have pancakes (there is a good pancake house there!)
Snoqualmie Summit is the end of the Roll Out Ride and the start of my final prep for the Tour Divide Race. I'll be rolling east and north from there, down small roads and tiny trails, remembering lessons learned and friends and loved ones left behind. I'll be racing to return with tales from the distant places, messages that I've heard whispered on the wind.
Thanks again to all the team. I hope to see a bunch of you in Issaquah on June 3rd.
Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA
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