Blue Steel Roads

Now that I know what to expect on this convenient ride, I’ll go better prepared and go further south to connect to either the Burke-Gilman Trail or complete the Interurban Trail which I cut this trip short and crossed the sound at Edmonds instead of Seattle landing at Kingston instead of Bainbridge Island.

Finding ones way from the Anacortes Ferry along the back-roads to Deception Pass and then Whibey Island was pretty easy with a map and GPS and the shoulders were wide in the north part of Whidbey but once into Oak Harbour all hell broke loose. Technically I once lived in Oak Harbour but was closer to Coupeville and thus told most that this is where I lived. Oak Harbour then and particularly now was a troublesome town, more-so for cyclists. Firstly the should disappears along the main arterial. Then the traffic turns aggressive and in fact I was “squeezed” several times blatantly intentionally, where a car moves closer and closer to the curb forcing a cyclist to stop and move onto the shoulder so they wont get run over. Eventually I had to ride through a parking lot where upon exiting I saw a confrontation between a panhandler sitting in a wheelchair and another, what I suspect, panhandler who might have normally worked that corner, in a large older blue Cadillac. The guy in the Cady was telling the other that it was his spot and to get the *$#@% away. Meanwhile, drivers honked at me and continued to drive within inches from me even though they had plenty of room to give me more room. This town not only gets am FAIL for bike friendliness but a bigger FAIL for it’s civility… but to be honest, it hasn’t changed from when I lived there years ago, only to get worse.

Once past Oak Harbour, if cycling, one should get off at Penn Cove onto Madrone Road. This is a beautiful road with very little traffic into historic Coupeville and reminded me why I moved there way back when in the first place. The road has gentle rollers and is lined with… you guessed it, Madrone or Arbutus trees and edges Penn Cove. You ride past the famous Penn Cove Seafood company on the right and all the shellfish pens in the cove on the left.

One of the best parts of Whibey Island is south of Coupeville. Though there is no shoulder for a few miles and the traffic can be heavy in places, the scenery is lovely and the pace slows a little – people aren’t in as much of a hurry but still don’t let your guard down. There is also a start of a paved hiker/biker trail but it mostly slow going with dips and peaks and is very short. On heavy traffic days it might be worth it but otherwise the shoulder on the stretch should be sufficient.

Most of the ride was very nice with few big (by San Juan and Gulf Island standards) but there were a few trouble spots. After Whidbey Island, the first was at 164th street north of Lynnwood along the Interurban Trail. The trail comes to an abrupt halt in between two apartment buildings and I could find no signage signalling where it picked back up again. It wasn’t until I rode briefly with terrible traffic that I found it again on the west side of I-5 and east of the Alderwood Mall. But overall I was extremely impressed with the Interurban Trail which starts at 41st and Colby in Everett (something to be proud of Everett!). The trail is well maintained and for the most part well marked, allowing multiple points at which to park a car and start riding. One thing I think could be changed though is changing the signs a little. The brown signs have a thin red arrow pointing the way which at first, when I wasn’t sure what to look for, was hard to see. Another area that could be improved is directive and distance signage. It would be nice when coming to an area where the trail forks into other directions that something mention where to keep on the main trail and where the branch off was heading. Distance to towns and where one was at (ie what town or area) would be very helpful as well. Thankfully I had a map and GPS so the couple of times I did get lost, I quickly found myself again and was able to figure out the best biking roads to get off the trail and head to the Kingston Edmonds Ferry.

Another trouble spot is what to do when one gets into Kingston. Instinctively one might want to head down highway 104. Highway 104 is another area where drivers do not feel obliged to give cyclist room and I had several VERY close encounters with side-view mirrors, again, even though there was PLENTY or room to move over. What confuses me is that if I were a slow going car and there was no room to pass or it endangered me to pass me, would you? For some reason drivers feel compelled to pass even when there is no room to do so in spite of a cyclist’s safety. I do not understand this at all. Why is my life not worth as much as another driver’s? Maybe the other driver’s life isn’t worth anything to the passing driver but running over cyclists doesn’t scratch cars like sideswiping another automobile. Are you worried for getting a ticket for passing on a double yellow line? What kind of ticket do you think you would get if you stayed within the lines but ran over a cyclist? I think most cyclist would agree with me when I say that If you get a ticket when passing me on double yellow lines I will personally show up at your court hearing and plead on your behalf. And if they still fine you, I will pay your fine for protecting my life!

Anyhow, getting off my soapbox, Once in Sequim, the Olympic Discovery Trail picks up and though the route is a bit broken up and hard in find in places it is well maintained but needs more signage including directional and distance information. I am especially impressed with everything 10 miles before Port Angeles and the rest of the way into Port Angeles. This is where the trail gets serious and takes you in the most direct line possible into PA. Conveniently it spits you out about 500 feet from the ferry terminals.

By far though the Galloping Goose and Lockside regional trails on the Saanich Peninsula in Canada are my favourite. Starting in Victoria the Goose takes you north toward Sidney and connects to the Lockside with only a sign to tell you that you’ve changed trails. There are plenty of signs telling you which roads you are crossing and what towns and districts you are in. There are also some distance signage but this is the one area that could be improved.

Overall though some of the trails need some work and many drivers need to get their head out of their asses, I enjoyed my time on this trip. What I enjoyed the most that, though a lot of work needs to be done to improve trails and attitudes, that there are trails and that communities are finally starting to see the benefits of cyclists and keeping them safe.

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