John’s Ramblings

Scout speaks to the subject very well. There are rides that are of local legend, mostly by virtue of the length or grade of the hill climbing involved. Until you have done them, they percolate in your liquor cerebrospinalis until you finally ride the route, checking if off the “life list”.

I’ve been privileged to be able to check off a few this year:

• On July 1, I climbed Sunrise on Mt. Rainier,
• In early August, I did the 6-day Ride Around Washington for 450 miles,
• Yesterday, I finally did Vashon Island.

Yes, I’ve been cycling around here for a few years now, and no, I hadn’t ridden on Vashon yet. Everyone else has, and I’ve heard umpteen stories about the amount of climbing to be done. As one who has traditionally been gravitationally-challenged, these stories served to keep me off the island, “until I can climb better”. Having accomplished some pretty grand feats this year, it just did not seem appropriate to turn down an offer to ride the island. I was confident that I could do it, less so that I could do it with aplomb.

I found a route sheet on the Internets that included loops of both Vashon and Maury Islands for a total of 52 miles. I met Lee and Rod at their house at 8 a.m., and we ‘pooled to the Fauntleroy ferry dock to catch the 8:55 boat to the island. Once off the ferry, the climbing starts with a 1.1 mile ascent from the dock. Welcome to Vashon, indeed.

We turned off the main road shortly after the first climb and spent the next hour or so on some lovely side roads. We wound our way down the west side of the island, catching views of Colvos Passage, Misty Island Farms, and Wax Orchards. We turned back north at mile 15, and we stopped for a while in Burton to refill bottles and chat with another group of cyclists. We did a short loop of the Burton Peninsula, then headed north on the main road again.

At about mile 22, we turned right at Quartermaster Drive in order to ride the loop of Maury Island. We were soon met by a “detour” sign, which we promptly ignored and rode around. There was some sea-wall construction taking place but the crew let us ride though, one fellow even raking some rocks out of the path of the scofflaw cyclists. At mile 27.1, the route sheet directed us to make a right-turn on a road marked “Dead End”. Continuing straight at this point was out of the question, as it was marked “No Outlet”. Turning left would mean leaving the “approved route” to climb a hill that would have been more appropriate for a ladder than a bicycle. Someone said “The map has been right so far…”, so we clicked in and turned right. Sign correct, route sheet incorrect. As we soon learned from a rural letter carrier, “…that road (Manzanita Beach Road) washed out years ago”. “Just head up over this hill…” she says, pointing in the general direction of the wall we had turned our backs on just minutes before. Trusting the directions of this person who undoubtedly hadn’t ridden a bicycle in decades, we clicked in and started climbing. I was in my lowest gear and I still needed to do the “switchback” maneuver several times to get up this sucker. About halfway up, you notice that the “top” that you’ve been eyeballing with lust isn’t the top at all, but a “false” top that disappears when you get about 2/3rds of the way up. I made it, but it wasn’t pretty. As it turns out, Maury Island didn’t end up being all that scenic once you got past Quartermaster Harbor. I think I’d skip this little detour on future Vashon rides, unless I was specifically looking for a place to do hill training. Highlight of the island was this quirky flower-pot redhead perched in someone’s front yard.

Once off Maury Island (yay!), we wound our way north along the shoreline. Just as the road dwindles down to a little one-lane meander near the water at Chautauqua Beach, there was a sign for those who felt that they must be “Lost” on the island. I assume this sign, map, and the box full of paper maps was placed here by a resident who was tired of people knocking on his door, announcing they were lost. We weren’t lost, but stopped for the photo-op anyway.

Soon we were rolling into the bustling town center of Vashon, hungry for some lunch. We settled on a very civilized repast at the Vashon Hardware restaurant. Lee and I split a malted barley recovery beverage, rationalizing that we only had a few miles to go until we were back at the ferry.

We ended the day with slightly more than 49 miles after our detours and shortcuts. It was a good ride with great company, and I’m feeling it today in my legs to be sure. I’m ready to do Vashon again, but I don’t think I’ll be back to Maury for a while, as least via bike.

3,903 miles y-t-d.

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