A tour director of a national bicycle travel company describes New England as ”quiet” and ”quaint” and the Midwest as ”beautiful.”
But he saves his most powerful adjectives for the Northwest:
”majestic,” ”spectacular,” ”unbelievable.”
It`s true. Their pictures make the Northwest look so inviting that I`d probably pick Northwest tours more often than not, even if I didn`t see the words ”Puget Sound” or ”Olympic Peninsula” in the captions.
Ferries drift between timbered islands, with Mt. Baker shining in the background. Rustic roads lead to picnic tables stacked with seafood, berries and local wines. Adults cycle with the abandon of 12-year-olds on all-terrain bikes in the tawny colors of eastern Washington`s deserts.
I`ve seen similar Northwest scenes from the seat of a bicycle, albeit not always in perfect sunshine. In fact, in training for a trip to New England last fall, I was reminded of all that is available here.
Washington is sort of a sampler state. And I can`t think of any way the geographical differences are better emphasized than by bicycle, which allows life to pass by at a pace that fixes mental snapshots.
A decade ago, seeing the Pacific Northwest by bicycle was limited primarily to people who were as comfortable repairing a bicycle chain as they were hauling a tent and sleeping bag.
Abundant alternatives
Today, while independent travel probably remains the most popular mode, there are abundant alternatives. They range from joining hundreds of cyclists on fundraising rides to camp-as-you-go escorted tours to tours that include more luxurious stops.
Locals occasionally go on Progressive Travel`s Puget Sound tours, which include parts of the Olympic Peninsula, Bainbridge Island and Port Townsend, and give them scrumptious stops such as the Inn at Langley on Whidbey Island or the Manor Farm Inn near Poulsbo.
More often, however, it`s out-of-towners who are willing to pay $1,000 or more to see this area in a week`s bicycling.
And pampered, as you would be with one of his tours, or unpampered, as you would be going it alone, Kirk Demeter of Seattle-based Progressive Travel, which organizes bicycle and walking tours, says the state ranks high as a cycling destination.
For a bargain-version tour, hundreds of riders will be joining a group called Cycle America, which will travel 472 miles from Anacortes to Newport, near the Idaho border on June 2-7, an average of about 75 miles a day.
Leader John Haugo takes people across the whole country in single jaunts or state by state over a number of summers.
For $160, cyclists will have a guide, a support van and permission to stay in school yards or gyms. Food is equally cheap, often from fundraising feeds put on by local communities.
”We hardly ever see a golden arch,” said Haugo. ”We bike the back-country roads. People come away with a very positive view of this
country.”
Cycle America has a coast tour that highlights the San Juan Islands, Olympic Peninsula and Mt. St. Helens July 29 to Aug. 3.
Another inexpensive way to tap into a supported group ride is to join one of the fundraiding trips sponsored by a local health agency. The American Lung Association, for instance, has raised more than $1.5 million in the past few years through donations raised by riders.
The ALA Tri-Island International Bicycle Trek is offered three times each September. The tour includes five ferry rides, with overnight stops in Port Townsend and Orcas Island en route to Victoria, British Columbia.
Or, you can do it alone, which takes a little more planning, but offers a lot of freedom.
My best memories are from a mid-June Gulf Islands ride in British Columbia several years ago. We took a ferry from Anacortes to Sidney, British Columbia, and then devoted a day to each island.
In Washington`s San Juans, the traffic has increased but the cars still tend to come in waves when the ferries release their loads. And bicyclists can roll right past cars that have waited four and five hours to board the ferries.
I`ve done the San Juans staying in condominiums, inexpensive hostels or camping.
Another of my favorite destinations is the Methow Valley, which is a hearty pedal up and over the North Cascades Highway or a great place to drive to and take day trips, especially with all-terrain bikes.
Leavenworth is known for its spectacular fall foliage and, like the Methow, it also has ski trails that double as mountain bike paths.
Another temptation in eastern Washington is the Iron Horse State Park from Easton, 25 miles east, to Thorp, near Ellensburg, along the old Milwaukee Road rail right-of-way. I`ve done it by horse but never by mountain bike.
And then there are the coastal roads of Washington, Oregon and northern California. You can buy cycling maps and books that describe routes or you can wing it with highway maps.
Here`s a sampling of Northwest rides and information sources:
Benefit rides
– July 20-21-Round the Sound Bike Tour. Registration: $25- and $150-a-person fundraiser to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Contact Stephanie Hill, 2328 6th Ave., Seattle, Wash. 98121; 206-728-1088
– Sept. 7-9; 14-16, 21-23-Tri-Island International Bicycle Trek. Registration, $40. Fundraising minimum $300. Port Townsend, Orcas Island, Victoria, British Columbia. The ride benefits the American Lung Association. Call Hilary Howarth, 206-441-5100, to register.
Other rides
– June 29-July 7-Washington State Sampler, 9-day, 650-mile tour of Chinook and Cayuse Passes to Yakima over the North Cascades Highway. $200. Guide, camping, support van. CBTS, R.C. King, 1402 73rd St., Everett, Wash. 98203; 206-353-4548.
– Aug. 18-23-The Great ESCAPE Cycle. 420 miles from Bayview State Park, near Anacortes, to Newport on the Idaho border. Registration $20; fundraising of $500 per bicyclist, to benefit the Northwest Kidney Foundation and Children`s Hospital. Write to P.O. Box 3763, Seattle, Wash. 98124. Phone Rich Kline: 206-763-7950.
– Oct. 26-27-Falling Leaves Bicycle Tour; two-day, 100-plus mile ride on backroads to see foliage. Fee of $65 includes support van and overnight accommodations and Sunday brunch at the Bush House in Index, Wash. Contact Stu Hennessey, 2722 Alki Ave. S.W., Seattle, Wash. 98116; 206-938-3322.
READ AND GET READY
To find out more:
– Methow Valley-Central Reservations, 800-422-3048, for accommodations and area information. Winthrop Ranger Station, 509-996-2266, has maps of routes in the surrounding Okanogan National Forest.
– Iron Horse State Park (also called John Wayne Pioneer Trail) runs 25 miles from Easton to five miles west of Thorp in Yakima-Teanaway Rivers Canyon. Write to P.O. Box 26, Easton, Wash. 98925; 509-656-2230.
– Eagle Eye Maps, Northwest series, includes San Juan Islands; North Cascades Highway; Stevens Pass Highway; Victoria, British Columbia; Gulf Islands, British Columbia; and the Northeast Olympic Peninsula. Sold through bike stores or through Evergreen Bicycle Books, 1314 N.E. 56th St., Seattle, Wash. 98105; 206-527-9145.
– Guidebooks published by The Mountaineers include ”Bicycling the Backroads Around Puget Sound” by Bill and Erin Woods, third edition, 1989, $10.95; ”Bicycling the Backroads of Northwest Oregon” by Philip Jones, 1984, $10.95; ”Bicycling the Backroads of Northwest Washington,” second edition, Bill and Erin Woods, 1988, $10.95; ”Bicycling the Backroads of Southwest Washington” Bill and Erin Woods, 1988, $12.95; ”Bicycling the Pacific Coast, A Complete Route Guide Canada to Mexico” by Tom Kirkendall and Vicky Spring, 1990, $12.95.
– ”Bicycle Touring the Canadian Gulf Islands” by Stelle Enloe and Byron A. Richardson, (BAR Co., 1985, $8.95), a comprehensive look at the islands and accommodations.
– ”Touring the Islands, Bicycling in the San Juan, Gulf and Vancouver Islands” by Peter Powers and Renee Travois (Terragraphics, 1988, $10.95).
REACHING TOUR OPERATORS
Sources for Northwest tours:
– Adventure Associates, Cris Miller/Sandy Braun, P.O. Box 16304, Seattle, Wash. 98116. Pacific Northwest and Southwestern United States (and some foreign destinations) by bike and other means. Phone: 206-932-8352. Co-ed and women-only tours.
– Backcountry Bicycle Tours, P.O. Box 4029, Bozeman, Mont. 59772;
406-586-3556. Tours of the Rocky Mountain states, including New Mexico, and off-road tours of Yellowstone National Park. Hiking trips also available.
– Bicycle Adventures, P.O. Box 7875, Olympia, Wash. 98507; 206-786-0989. Specializes in Puget Sound area, San Juan Islands, Gulf Islands, Oregon coast, Olympic Peninsula and the North Cascades, along with Northern California and Hawaii.
– Cycle America. Tours from Washington (via North Cascades) to Maine in one summer or on a state-by-state basis, $140 to $160 a section. Also a Western route from Banff, Alberta, or Abbotsford, British Columbia, to San Francisco, with the Washington section including San Juan Islands, coastline, Olympic Peninsula and Mt. St. Helens. (July 29-Aug. 3). Write to P.O. Box 29, Northfield, Minn. 55057, or phone 800-245-3263.
– Progressive Travels Inc., Suite 1100, 1932 1st Ave., Seattle 98101;
800-245-2229 and 206-443-4225. Washington, Colorado, Europe and New Zealand.
– The Touring Exchange. Bonnie Wong, P.O. Box 265, Port Townsend, Wash. 98368; 206-385-0667. Guided and customized tours to Baja California, Belize, Costa Rica and the Pacific Northwest. Bicycle touring catalog offers books, maps and itineraries worldwide.
– Timberline Bicycle Tours, 7975 E. Harvard, J, Denver, Colo. 80231;
303-759-3804. Puget Sound, Cascades, Rocky Mountain states, California wine country.
