Another latish morning snd a slow farewell to Spokane. Sad to get back on the interstate, but at least we had a clear day versus the last time we drove toward Seattle - could actually see Mt. Rainier! We made it to the Duthie bike trail system just east of Seattle. This was interesting - pretty geared toward beginners and included a skill park and more easy level trails. I actually spent a good hour tooling around on 'skinnies' and jumps - I still have a long way to go!! After the ride, there was just time to stop by Snoqualmie River to clean up then find a parking spot along a forest road. Rice and lentils made for an easy dinner - then we got a start on Game Of Thrones 2nd season.
August 17
Cool, nice morning for a stroll around our camping area of pretty open woods that are easy to get around, so unfortunately, not really any trails since you can walk wherever, and little wads of tp next to seemingly every tree - kinda sad. A short drive brought us to the Tokul trails - the actual biking trails a little overgrown - I opted for an easy run along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail - flat and gravel. A few hours at Tokul, then on to Tiger Mountain for more purpose built biking trails. I'm glad I saved my bike ride for here - nice new climbing 'green' trail that was worth an hour crawling up for a fantastic view of Rainier!! And the port of Seattle too...
I definitely surprised myself with some of the trails we took - luckily starting with smoother, flowy trails. Things got a little more challenging and technical that I fell apart on - 3 hours was just an hour too much for me...character building? Rudy had lots of fun though! We found a calmish spot in the somewhat raging White River to clean up in, then made camp at the Greenwater trails northeast of Rainier National Park (Skookum Flats trailhead) and settled for mac n' cheese late dinner.
August 18
A long bike ride for Rudy and run for me - glad I didn't bike! Not super-technical, but above my skill level - great for my hike/runs though. There were great views of Rainier, through big cedar woods that smelled wonderful and had some cool flowers.
Rudy managed to visit a watchtower where people volunteer for 2 night shifts. Following our activities, we got the swim in early enough that glacial White river wasn't too bad. Chatted with a guy from MO that has been doing a lot of driving around the country, living out of his truck for weeks at a time - he actually watched fireworks in Duluth last 4th of July! After the cool swim, the evening was comfortable enough to make split pea soup a nice meal choice. The original plan was to head to Mt. St. Helens, but we decided to take a day off from driving and spend another day in this area and check out more of these trails. SO! Plenty of time for a little game of Trivial Pursuit :)
August 19
Near repeat of the prior day, but the views and sights and smells were still much enjoyed, as were some of the 'features' of the trails.
The trails were not too crowded, but noticeably more people coming in - glad we were leaving Friday! Headed to Portland, a little later than hoped, so just enough time to go to The Caldera for some decent food and beer and visiting with uncle Larry.
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