LEAVENWORTH BOULDERING

Check out my Seattle Times story on bouldering in BavariaTown, USA--Leavenworth.

McNEIL CANYON 'N' EASTERN WASHINGTON

Back in B'ham after three days of ridin' slash book research including mucho hill climbing. Skykomish to Leavenworth via Stevens Pass on Wed., 40 miles near Chelan including McNeil Canyon (steepest hill I've ever climbed) on Thurs., and a fun L'worth-Plain-L'worth 40-miler this morning.

McNeil Canyon, above two pics, is psycho steep! Climbs 2,200 feet in 5 miles. My Garmin Edge was reading 15 percent and above near the top. No less an authority than Seattle's Tom Meloy, who rides 10,000 miles and climbs 500,000 feet a year, says it's harder than the Galibier, Alpe D'Huez and Co de la Madeleine, all of which he's climbed. Personally, I found the descent absolutely hair-raising and admit that I walked a bit of it. (The descent, that is, not the ascent; the broken collarbone still has me a tad sheepish on descents.)  

Above, the Columbia River. McNeil Canyon is the large mass to the left. It put the hurt on me.  

FREUND CANYON VIDEO

Bake and I just got back from a couple fun hot sunny days in Leavenworth where we did a whole lot of hangin' out by the pool, miniature golfing and hoops a-shootin'. First day there, though, the fine folks at Das Rad Haus (http://www.dasradhaus.com/) shuttled us up a bumpy, lumpy mountain road so Bake and I could ride the Freund Canyon trail down sans epic climbage. Mucho fun. This is the same trail used for the Indie Series Leavenworth race, it of the water bars and epic downhill speed fame. (Unfortunately, the super-wide lens doesn't do justice to the water bars.) Music is "19-2000" by the Gorillaz.

Also, don't forget about the Padden Mountain Pedal Sunday, July 12. Here's the Innerwebber site: www.paddenmtnpedal.blogspot.com.

Lastly, what blogpost about Leavenworth would be complete without a photo of a guy in lederhosen playing the alphorn. Please enjoy:

SEATTLE TIMES LEAVENWORTH STORY

I've got a story in today's Seattle Times Northwest Weekend section. It's about outdoor recreation in Leavenworth. (Leavenworth, Wash., not the prison in Kansas.)

To read it, click here.